[3900] in APO News
Leadership Restructuring
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Just_plain_lost)
Tue Apr 27 17:49:54 1999
To: apo-news@MIT.EDU, apo-rules@MIT.EDU, apo-exec@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 17:49:18 EDT
From: Just_plain_lost <ajw@MIT.EDU>
Back at CPPC, a goal was set to look at our officer structure. Part
of this had to do with an ambiguity as to who was responsible for chapter
skills. Some thought it should be the responsibility of the MVP, others
the SVP, others both, others thought there should be an independantly
appointed Skills-Coordinator, while others thought such a position should
be elected.
In a few weeks, I'll ask for a strawpoll. Choices will be:
a)Chapter Skills should be the province of the SVP
b)Chapter Skills should be the province of the MVP
c)Chapter Skills should be the province of both the SVP and MVP
d)Chapter Skills should be run by an Elected Skills Manager (Junior or
Senior Office?)
e)Chapter Skills should be run by an Appointed Skills Manager (Appointed
by Whom?)
Another idea brought up was that we should completely change our
officer structure to one based on only 4 or 5 elected offices, each
of which has a committee, with committee members responsible for various
duties (e.g. writing the apoc and being Historian would be positions appointed
by the AVP, food chairing would be a position appointed by the SVP, pledge
trainer would be appointed by the MVP). We had an open meeting to discuss this
at which three people showed up. Some tweaking was done, but I have heard
very little in the way of positive comments from the rest of the chapter
to the basic idea. As promised in the last chapter meeting, I am resubmitting
the Original APOC article below. Think about it. Talk about it. The
mailing list apo-rules should be available for discussion RSN (if it isn't
already).
Making these changes would involve ripping up about 3/4 of our bylaws and
totally rewriting them. This doesn't neccesarily mean that it's bad, but
it means that we should find out if the chapter would vote for the idea
in principle before we find people to try to draft it formally (since it
will take a long time).
In a few weeks, I'll ask for a strawpoll. Choices will be
a) I wouldn't vote to change the chapter based on this basic blueprint
b) I would vote to change the chapter based on this basic blueprint
c) I would vote to change the chapter based on this blueprint but only if
major revisions were made AND I'm willing to put in the time to join a
committee to help make them
d) I would vote to change the chapter based on this blueprint but only if
major revisions were made AND I am NOT willing to put in the time to join a
committee to help make them
We'll proceed based on what we hear is the will of the chapter.
yiLFS,
Ari (for the Rules and Bylaws committee)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Since we'll be spending some time this semester revising the Bylaws anyway,
this could be the time to try it: For the first time, each of the committees
identified in the Bylaws would have identifiable members, and thus its
functions would be better defined. Consider, for example, what the Service
Committee would look like:\vspace{.5em}
\noindent{\bf SERVECOMM}- headed by the Service Vice-President
(SVP)\begin{itemize}
\item Skills Chair- responsible for providing training in chapter skills both
for the pledges as part of their preparation for elevation to brotherhood and
for brothers as needed for specific projects.
\item Tools Chair- responsible for the care and maintenance of chapter tools,
ordering replacements when needed, and ensuring that the necessary tools
appear
for projects.
\item Transport Chair- responsible for arranging transportation for off-campus
projects and preparing directions to project sites.
\item Food Chair- responsible for arranging for meals during projects. The
Food Chair wouldn't necessarily do the cooking, but would set up a duty
roster,
prepare menus and ensure that food is bought. (S)He would also have charge of
{\em Sour Food}.
\item Chairs of major projects during that term.
\end{itemize}
With this sort of structure, a PC could come to ServeComm to arrange for
critical components of his/her project. There would no longer be a need to
recruit and train brothers or pledges to undertake tasks that require previous
experience or training, which often takes longer than if the PC handles all
this work him/herself. ServeComm would become a resource for PC's, easing
their task, and thus making it easier to recruit them. Because it would have
an ongoing function, and not simply deal with grand policy, ServeComm would
also have a reason to meet regularly. Its members would learn what it takes
to be an effective SVP. In all likelihood, the service program would become
easier to carry out, more effective, and less of a burden to PC's and the
Chapter.\vspace{.5em}
\noindent{\bf MEMCOMM}- headed by the Membership Vice-President (MVP) would
have the following members:
\begin{itemize}
\item Pledge Trainer- responsible for the training of pledges. The Pledge
Trainer would handle most of the tasks currently assigned to the MVP, freeing
him/her to pay closer attention to membership issues in the Chapter.
Recruitment is the responsibility of {\em every} brother.
\item Member Retention Chair- responsible for developing methods for
keepingmembers active in the Chapter after they become brothers. By assigning
this job to a specific person, the probability that someone will actually
think about it, and do something about it, is likely to be higher than it is
now.
\item Alumni Liaison- responsible for maintaining contacts with alumni through
AXAA or other means.
\item Fellowship Chair- responsible for organizing the social program of the
Chapter.\item Chairs of the major social events.
\end{itemize}
As with ServeComm, having a structure of its own should produce a MemComm
thatmeets for reasons other than grand conceptualizing. Its members will have
reason to focus on membership issues in the Chapter, and thus there will be
some likelihood that they will be addressed.\vspace{.5em}
The structure also calls for an Administrative Committee (ADCOMM?) under the
direction of the AVP, as follows:
\begin{itemize}
\item APOC- duties as at present.
\item ASC- duties as at present.
\item Pub Dir- duties as at present.
\item Coke Chair- duties as at present.
\item Historian- duties as at present.
\item Others as needed.
\end{itemize}\vspace{.5em}
FINCOMM would handle development of the budget and oversight of
financialactivities. Its members would include the Treasurer, President, and
Chairman of the Advisory Committee.\vspace{.5em}
All of the above would be coordinated through EXECCOMM. For example, the MVP
could request the assistance of the Skills Chair by approaching him/her
directly or by asking the SVP at ExecComm. The only brothers expected to
attend ExecComm would be the President, the three VP's (SVP, MVP, and AVP),
Treasurer, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee, but, as now, all committee
meetings would be open to any brother or pledge who wished to attend. Each
committee would report both to ExecComm and to the Chapter at large at chapter
meetings. If another idea raised at the CPPC is adopted, each committee would
file a report for publication in the APOC, which would appear by chapter
meetings.
Brothers may have noticed that there are about as many positions in this
structure as we have active brothers these days. This may look like a
disadvantage, but it actually offers four distinct advantages. First, since
every brother will have a position, the reality that we are each dependent on
all the others will be given substance. That should make each brother more
inclined to fulfill his/her duties, and draw them closer to the Chapter.
Second, because everyone will have a position, it will become clear that
brothers who hold positions aren't exempt from holding PC-ships for service
and/or social events. Since the structure will also reduce the total effort
required to hold a PC-ship, recruiting PC's should become easier. Third,
pledges will see that brothers are actively involved in the running of the
Chapter and will learn that brotherhood means involvement. Fourth, by having
identifiable brothers working with them, the senior officers will be able to
train younger brothers to hold those offices, improving our chances of having
several viable candidates for office when election times role around. What's
more, experience working with a senior officer should reduce the reluctance of
brothers to pursue that office.
\hspace*{2in}\begin{tabular}{l}
-Yale
\end{tabular}
