Student Representative Bylaws

Students elect class representatives each semester. The mission of student representation is to provide clear lines of communication between the administration and the students on all relevant aspects of College business, in an effort to strengthen transparency, clarity, and excellence within the College. Representatives are expected to represent their class in good faith and not push their own personal agenda if it does not align with the interests of the cohort.

General duties of class representatives

  1. Organize semester class rep elections.
  2. Hold monthly meetings with their class to address class concerns and create an Executive Committee meeting agenda.
  3. Attend monthly Executive Committee (EC) meetings and report results back to the class.
  4. Assist the administration with special tasks, such as, but not limited to: crewing meetings; tracking sessions; organization of class committees; graduation ceremonies; special events; fundraising campaigns for student films; resolving problems; and general communication from administration to students.

Electing class representatives

Each class will elect a peer from each track of their class to act as their representatives to the administration. The first election for a new, incoming class will be held by the student reps of the class above and will be completed no later than two weeks into the first semester.

Each class will determine their own election process, but any meeting where the vote shall take place must have a quorum of two-thirds of the class present, and any vote taken must pass with a minimum two-third majority of that quorum to be considered valid.

Each subsequent semester the class reps will hold a new election within the first two weeks of the semester to either elect new reps or to re-elect old reps. This must be confirmed by a two-third majority of the class. Each class rep will place the election results on the agenda of the next EC meeting agenda.

Monthly class meeting

In preparation for the EC meeting, student reps will hold monthly meetings with their cohort to discuss issues and create an agenda. These meetings may be held electronically or in person, but they must be held in such a manner that full participation of the class is guaranteed.

Issues to be brought before the EC committee should have no less than a two-third majority support from the class. Each item which receives a two-third majority support will be presented at the EC. At the same time the minority opinion shall also be presented.

Individual issues or concerns should be brought forward to the Dean through individual meetings or correspondence by the concerned individual.

Once the agenda has been created it must be sent electronically to the Chief of Staff no later than 6:00pm the Friday prior to the Monday EC meeting.

Executive Committee

The Dean’s Executive Committee meets once a month to deal with the larger administrative issues of the College. The EC meeting will be held on the first Monday of each month from 9:00am to 10:30am, starting on the second month of each semester.

The Executive Committee is comprised of:

  • The Dean
  • The Associate Dean
  • The Assistant Dean
  • The Chief of Staff
  • The Development Officer
  • Student Representatives

The student representatives will attend the first part of the EC meeting starting at 9:00am. After student concerns have been heard, the class reps will be dismissed from the meeting to go prepare their monthly report to their student body, which lists the agenda items of each class and the results of the discussion of those items. This report will be sent to the Dean for review. Once the report is approved, the student reps may post the report to their respective class Slack channels by the end of the day.

Other duties

The College administration will often want the students to have input on the way student-related business is handled. In many of these cases, the student reps will act as the liaisons for the administration in organizing and running such business. Student reps will be given clear instructions on the parameters within which the business must be handled. The reps will the organize the class and oversee the process. In these meetings, the student reps act on behalf of the administration and their instructions and leadership must be followed.

Grievances

If a student or students have concerns with their representation or believe they are not being represented in good faith, they may file a grievance with the administration in writing. The grievance must outline clear infractions and, for any meaningful action to be taken, the student(s) filing the complaint must be willing to take responsibility for the complaint. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled with the student(s) to attempt to resolve the matter.