Student Committee Members Absent

Author: Pierce Graham-Jones

The constituents of the handbook-designated "Appointed Standing Committees" help govern facets of Middlebury College life ranging from athletics to study abroad. Many of these committees have space reserved for appointed student members. Today, four days after fall break, 11 of these positions remain unfilled.

Committees still in need of student participation are the Athletic Policy Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Honorary Degree Committee, the Independent Scholar Committee, the Career Services Committee and the Off-Campus Study Committee.

The problem is not student apathy. It was not until Oct. 7, Tuesday of the fifth week of classes, that the Student Government Association (SGA), whose responsibility it is to appoint students to these positions, first advertised the openings to the student body. Once students received the announcement, there was "a very large response to almost all the committees," said SGA Director of Membership Courtney Taylor '04. Now, two weeks later, she no longer wants to "hurry through the appointment process without fully considering every interested student." Taylor plans to have all positions filled by Monday.

However, the lack of student members has not overly inconvenienced the committees in question. Many, such as the Off-Campus Study Committee, have yet to convene. "We do not meet more than once or twice in the fall, so the lateness of the SGA appointments has not been a problem," said Director of Off-Campus Study David Macey. Executive Director of Career Services and Chair of the Career Services Committee Jaye Roseborough echoed this indifference, adding, "We have several other student groups which advise us that are very important to us."

The Curriculum Committee, which has been meeting weekly, finds the lack of student membership a deficit, but not a burden. The committee, chaired by Associate Dean of Faculty Susan Campbell, is responsible for overseeing changes in course offerings and policies of each academic department. In making these decisions, Campbell noted, "I am sure that the students would provide welcome input and perspective."

Still, no committee has proffered unsolicited complaints about the lack of student participation. As Taylor pointed out, "I have not been contacted by any of the faculty/staff chairs or members of the these committees, and I hope and assume that if they were on a strict timeline or were seriously impeded by the lack of student members, they would have contacted me."

The failure to fill the positions caps a succession of recent SGA delays, most notably the late SGA Senate elections. Taylor attributes her inability to advertise the committee openings earlier to an unclear grasp of her new position's duties: "I did not know that appointing students to College committees fell under my job description, and so was caught a little off guard when I was contacted by Eric Davis [Secretary of the College] telling me to do so." Once Taylor understood her responsibilities she, too, was impeded by drawn out Senate elections. Fearful of "bombarding students with e-mails," she decided with other SGA members to "take care of Senate and SGA committees first."

Taylor hopes to transform these errors into future years' success: "I plan on writing up a timeline for the director of membership next year, with a clear list and explanation of duties, committees and responsibilities, in order to avoid this problem in the future."