During the final meeting of the 2009-10 Student Council administration, the representative body discussed and voted against a resolution that would promote relations among a number of school and class councils across Grounds. The initiative would encourage the members and leaders of these organizations to sit in on Council meetings at least twice a semester to facilitate collaboration and better communication among the groups. College representative Charlie Miller, who also serves as First Year Council president, proposed the measure because he said it would be successful in "bridging the gap" that exists among the different leadership organizations. Council members, however, disagreed about how best to promote dialogue.
This schism was not just conceived in the imagination of some first-year student. "I find out more about StudCo through the Cavalier Daily reports than through a direct communication with StudCo representatives," Engineering Student Council President Jen Wilson said. Clearly, some school and class councils are not as integrated with Student Council as might be expected. If Council wishes to represent the holistic vision of all students in the community, it would be advantageous to work with these smaller organizations on a much more frequent basis. Nevertheless, simply "encouraging" leaders of these disconnected groups to work together may not be the most viable solution.
Some organizations on Grounds already have these communication channels put in place - at least theoretically. Engineering Student Council has two representatives designated to act as liaisons to Council, but as Wilson added, "there is still a deficiency in communication."
Passing a resolution that only encourages students to attend meetings, rather than putting in place any institutional changes, likely would have a limited effect. It stands to reason that if different student groups were serious enough about increasing communication to attend each other's meetings regularly without additional incentive, then they would be doing so already. Stronger action is needed if changes are to occur.
Outgoing Council President John Nelson said these other leadership groups would be better served if Council representatives were to approach them directly rather than the other way around. Miller, however, chose not to incorporate this into his proposal, arguing that the level of commitment this move would entail would add too much to representatives' existing responsibilities. But without taking on extra responsibilities, what progress can be made? Representatives should welcome this as a valuable opportunity to represent their constituents better and be willing to put forth the necessary effort to enact meaningful change.
Ironically, Council appears to have done little collaboration with school and class councils before Miller attempted to resolve the issue. "I think if you want it to be truly a collaboration," Council Chief of Cabinet Ben Chrisinger said, "then before you pass a resolution ... it should be in a meeting, sitting down and asking them what they want." Chrisinger's line of reasoning is spot on - meeting with these organizations before drafting any sort of proposal is the obvious first step. If nothing else, such meetings at least could set a precedent for future discussions among the various councils.
Solutions could come in a number of ways. Smaller meetings among the executive committees of the different councils could be arranged on a regular - if not necessarily frequent - basis. Leaders could identify the specific issues where collaboration would be especially beneficial and move forward jointly. Once certain initiatives are in place that require the attention and resources of each organization involved, consistent contact among groups will become a necessity - perhaps eventually to the point when it becomes second nature.
There are a other approaches Council can take to foster this collaboration. Whichever path is chosen, however, one simple truth remains: Only once school and class council members feel accountable for clearly defined goals will meaningful cooperation take place.
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