Democracy is the fairest and most effective, even if the most time-consuming, decision-making process that is available to us. The twin pillars on which democracy is based are knowledge of the alternatives and freedom of expression. Having a knowledge of the alternatives allows you to decide on the best option available and freedom of expression enables you to voice your decision and influence your world.
So we do hope you will exercise your vote when the time for your RC Section Elections comes around but for now, this article hopes to provide you with information on how you can become one of the alternatives in these Elections for people to choose from! How can you influence your environment at HBS ? What are the opportunities available ? What are the procedures ? What are the campaigning & election dates ? What are the dos and donts ? This article attempts to answer these questions for you by reviewing the current positions, policies and processes of the RC Section Elections. In case you need further clarification on any point, please contact your EC section senator or Bryan Morgan at bmorgan@mba2005.hbs.edu.
POSITIONS & JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
The President:
* Oversees day-to-day life of the section.
* Coordinates the various section representatives.
* Organizes and facilitates section meetings and announcements.
* Leads the discussion and structures the dialog within the section to help set section norms.
The Senator:
* Represents the section on the Student Association Senate.
* Handles issues of general concern and specific section issues that need Senate attention.
* Serves as a member of ad-hoc and standing committees and task forces to deal with specific issues about campus life.
* Works as a liaison among the students, faculty, and administration.
The Education Representative:
* Enhances the section’s academic experience by facilitating communication between students and faculty and among the students themselves.
* Helps students find the requisite educational resources and support and works with the administration to address logistical issues relating to the education process.
* Creates peer-tutoring systems and encourages the section to harness the talents and backgrounds of its individual members for the benefit of all.
The Admissions Representative:
* Escorts prospective students to class and answers their questions regarding student life at HBS.
* Coordinates hosting for various admissions functions.
The Career Representative:
* Develops and reports on the career recruiting opportunities.
* Keeps section informed on career services deadlines and procedures.
* Often creates a section resume book.
The International Representative:
* Serves as a member of the International Students Committee.
* Organizes the International Festival in October.
* Represents the section in areas of concern to international students.
* Facilitates the section’s learning about other cultures by assisting country presentations and cultural events.
The Leadership & Values Representative:
* Meets on a biweekly basis with other LVI Reps to discuss issues related to the LVI process.
* Interacts with faculty and students in an effort to continue the development
process of Community Standards.
* If necessary, the LVI Rep might participate in cases of violations of Community Standards.
The Technology Representative:
* Facilitates the use of technology to enhance the Section and the HBS experience by:
– Addressing section-specific technology issues (e.g. iSite)
– Serving as member of the SA Technology Committee working with other IT leaders and the administration to develop the Harvard Business School IT strategy
* An interest in technology is a must, but a technical background is not!
The Social Representative:
* Coordinates section and school-wide activities for social interaction.
* Can “officially” be only one person but many sections choose to informally
appoint/elect multiple students to this position.
The Athletic Representative:
* Coordinates intramural athletic activities.
* Can “officially” be only one person but sections often choose to informally have one male and one female representative.
The Treasurer:
* Secures a checking account, collects section dues and coordinates the financial needs of the section.
* Creates a first and second year budget and keeps the section informed of fiscal issues.
The Volunteer Co-ordinator:
* Promotes volunteering activities in the section in the first and second year.
* Has two primary responsibilities:
– Representation of the activities of the HBS Volunteers. This involves
communicating and advocating on behalf of these activities in the section, as well as coordinating section participation in them.
– Coordination of at least one section volunteering activity as desired by the section.
The Historian:
* Keeps the historical record of the section.
* Collects pictures of their section to incorporate them in the Harbus and Annual Report yearbook.
* Maintains communication among section members after graduation and serves as a liaison between the school and alumni.
The Orientation Representative:
* Works with the SA Leadership to plan the orientation program for the following year’s incoming class.
* Helps secures company sponsorships and define activities & resources to be used for the program.
The Harbus Board Member:
* Serves as a Director of the Harbus News Corp, an independent non-profit corporation
* Shapes overall strategy of 67-year-old HBS student newspaper.
* Provides an important link between the section and the Harbus by updating Harbus reporters on section news and events.
The Alumni Representative:
* Coordinates the selection of and subsequent fundraising for the Class Gift
* Acts as the initial point of contact for the administration on alumni related issues, including interaction between current students and HBS alumni and
communicating information regarding alumni events to current students.
* Serves as a sounding board for the Administration on various alumni initiatives that involve or are targeted toward current students.
The WSA Representative:
* Develops a women’s network within the section by planning section-focused
social, career and academic events
* Represents the section in discussing women’s interests and issues in monthly
meetings with other WSA reps, WSA’s VP of Advocacy and Faculty and Administration
* Communicates and promotes WSA-sponsored events.
PROCESS
* By September 22, Wednesday: All EC senators must make a presentation on
Section Elections to their respective new sections.
* September 22, Wednesday, 7pm, Aldrich 112: SA will conduct an information session where one EC representative from each position will speak and
answer questions.
* September 23, Thursday: Interested RCs will need to submit their position papers to Student Services (Spangler Center, Second Floor) by 1pm.
* September 28, Tuesday: Speeches will be given by all interested RC candidates in their respective sections (except Section NB) during lunch time. Food (Pizza) and drinks will be served to all sections (except Section NB). Note: For Section NB, speeches will be held on September 27, Monday, since Dean Clark is
speaking to Section B on September 28, Tuesday.
* September 29, Wednesday: RC Section Elections will be held. The online poll link will be made available to the RC students.
* September 30, Thursday: RC Runoff Section Elections will be held (again via an online poll).
POLICIES
* Candidates: There can only be one name per ballot. If sections want to appoin
t a committee to share the workload for a specific position (eg. appointing a Social Committee to share the Social Representative’s workload), they need to do so after the section elections have been held and the official Representative has been elected.
* Position Papers: The Position Papers need to be printed on one side of an 8″ X 11″ (Letter size) sheet of paper. These are the only requirements. The papers will be posted in your section room for your classmates to read. Sign up sheets will be placed in each section’s classroom to help the members of the section see who is running, but the only official way to get your name on the ballot is to turn in a position paper. Please submit only hard copies and do not e-mail copies to Student Services
* Speeches: The time limit will be 60 seconds per speaker. Every candidate will be held to the time limit in order to ensure that the subsequent class at 1:10 pm can begin on time.
* Winning: A candidate must receive 50% of the vote to be elected. If no one
receives 50% of the vote in the Section Election online-poll, then, a run off will be held between the top two candidates.
So come on out & be a part of the team influencing the HBS experience for the Class of 2006 & Class of 2007 and in the process, enhance your own time here! Ask not only what HBS can do for you but what you can do for HBS….you’ll be surprised how much the two go hand in hand.
