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Santa Barbara City College

Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC)

Club Organizational Structure & New Member Info rmation Packet

Mission Statement :

Our mission as a student organization is to increase eco-logical literacy and implement environmentally innovative solutions at Santa Barbara City College thus creating a model for sustainability.

5 Main Goals:

1. Increase environmental awareness and ecological literacy at SBCC.

2. Create tangible change on campus advocating the most sustainable practices.

3. Improve campus community and quality of life for student, faculty, and staff.

4. Build networks and relationships across campus to maximize resource productivity and environmental protection through student led campaigns, projects, & events.

5. Develop a sustainability model for institutions and community colleges throughout California, the Nation, and the world.

Informational Packet Table of Contents :

1. Club Officer Positions & Duties

2. Officer Elections and Terms

3. Steering Committee Structure and Function

4. Important Communication Principles

5. Decision Making Process es

6. Agenda Setup & Flow

7. New Member Initiation & Involvement

8. Existing Campaigns

1. Club Officer Positions & Duties: Club Officer Positions are a privilege, a responsibility, and a great learning opportunity, please take them seriously. While, however, it is also important for everyone to remember that in the grand scheme of things this is all for fun, friendship, and practical learning experiences, we are not trying to save the world, however, we are changing it for the better.

1.1. Club officers must commit to attending every general weekly meeting.

1.2. Each officer should read and understand the contents of this packet. Aside from Officer Duties it is especially important for officers to understand the Decision Making Process and the Agenda Setup/Flow so meetings can run more smoothly.

1.3. The SSC is a consensus group, which means we agree upon decisions or don’t act, so it is important for officers to maintain an open mind to others’ ideas while being ready for fair and friendly discussion.

1.4. Finally, Club Officers are representatives of the SSC and should present themselves (to students, faculty, administrators, staff, and community members) in a friendly, dignified, respectable, intelligent, and responsible manner.

Note: Think of these as positions of privilege rather than positions of power.

1.5. Faculty Advisor- Oversees formal club meetings and events; helps guide student coalition when questions or concerns arise during meetings. Advisor must be a full time faculty member at SBCC whom observes, verifies, and notarizes any club projects, funds, field trips, etc. Club success is highly dependent upon the involvement and encouragement of the Advisor. If club becomes inactive for a period of time, the Advisor should incubate club structure, programs, and etc. to be picked up in the future by interested student leaders.

1.6. President- Directs and facilitates all formal club meetings; prepares agenda for all meetings with input from steering committee, officers, and/or the advisor; establishes a time keeper at the beginning of each meeting; and keeps meetings on topic and on time. When a proposal is made during meetings the president will make sure proposal is clear and asks for a vote (see Decision Making Process); President does not vote, when facilitating. President may ask someone else to facilitate meetings, as long as they are willing and reasonable able. President creates any necessary project/campaign committees and appoints directors for those committees. President should be aware of group communication dynamics at all times and attempt to involve everyone in discussions as much as possible while creating a positive, friendly and relaxed atmosphere during meetings. President must also be on Steering Committee and represent the club during any formal campus meetings and events.

1.7. Vice President- Co-facilitates meetings by helping keep meetings on topic and on time. Performs all duties of the president in the event of the president’s absence, specifically agenda preparation and meeting facilitation. If the Secretary is absent, the VP is responsible for taking minutes/notes and turning them in to the Office of Student Life. VP serves on the Steering Committee, and should also be present during formal campus meetings and events.

1.8. VP of Fundraising- Will find community organizations, businesses, or industries that want to support our coalition and/or our specific campaigns. This officer should gather a list of possible grants and funding sources with contacts and document any past donations. At least one fundraising event should be held on campus each semester (e.g. vendor/farmers market, bake sale, etc…). VP of Fundraising should learn about available grants and attempt to write one for the club. VP of Fundraising must know about and promote FundIt.org so people can support our club when they shop. VP of Fundraising should maintain a working relationship with the treasurer, the Foundation for SBCC, and any other potential funding sources.

1.9. Treasurer- Handles all financial affairs; fills out money release forms and gets necessary signatures; deposits any checks into club accounts; collects and organizes receipts for reimbursement and keeps a tab on account balances for weekly coalition updates if needed. Checks and manages cash box before, during, and after any fundraising events. In the event of their absence they must find another officer to fill in for them, however this must be clearly announced to either the Advisor and/or the President.

1.10. Secretary- This is an important organizational position. Secretary will take minutes (notes) during every formal meeting (best if can be done consistently on a specific laptop computer, but well organized hand notes will suffice). Must capture the essence of topics discussed, and general conversation dialogue. Must always log ANY FORMAL PROPOSALS made, who made them, and if they were passed. All proposals that are passed should be stated in the minutes with “BOLD” print marked PROPOSAL PASSED. Finally, it is imperative for the secretary to attach a copy of the minutes to a copy of the agenda from every meeting and before the next meeting TURN THEM INTO THE OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE, which is a requirement for all campus clubs.

1.11. Public Relations- This officer will coordinate all tabling, education, and outreach with help from other officers. They will be required to make a schedule for each day of tabling so that all shifts are covered, preferably two people at the table at all times. Public Relations officer will be first in line to make any fliers or banners for events, but may delegate to willing officers and should work in collaboration with other students. Maintain a working relationship with the Channels to get pertinent information out to students about Sustainability (e.g. recycling, transportation, etc) and about the club and its events. Keep a running list of important contact people on campus, especially for PR use.

1.12. Club Liaison- This is also a very important office linking the different decision making areas of campus and clubs too. May be able to provide crucial information during meetings about what other decision making bodies are doing on campus. Make a schedule of all pertinent club or campus meeting times and days and attend at least two per week themselves, while if possible delegating other important meetings to other officers. Club Liaison will attend, or delegate an attendee, and take notes (on relevant issues) at each of the following campus meetings: Campus Sustainability Committee (Green Team), Associated Student Body (ASB) AKA Student Senate, and the Board of Trustees. If a meeting cannot be attended they should find somebody to fill in for them or review the minutes to see if any relevant topics or decisions were discussed (reviewing minutes/notes from these meetings and asking questions may save some time).

1.13. Historian- Gather copies of all material related to the club and put into a folder each semester. This includes but is not limited to: every meeting’s minutes and agendas; any fliers made for events or lectures; any articles mentioning the SSC members, activities, or impacts; articles about any related campus issues such as parking, transportation, food, environmentalism, construction, energy, or etc. Historian should also gain access to a digital camera and document any club events or gatherings as best as possible.

1.14. Officer Apprenticeship (Shadow) - This is a position for students who want to take on an officer position in the future because the position they want is already filled. This is especially important if the current officer is leaving the next semester, so the knowledge base of an officer is not lost. Apprenticing officers will “shadow” the current officer as much as possible and learn all of the necessary skills and responsibilities involved in a specific officer position. It is the shadows responsibility to ask the current officer questions, so the shadow understands how and why something needs to be done. It is the current officers’ responsibility, however, to explain what they have done and how they have done it on a regular basis to keep the learning process active. Current officers should delegate some of the work to the shadow, which gives the apprentice experiential knowledge and gives the current officer important delegation skills too.

2. Officer Election s and Terms :

2.1. Nomination/Election Timetable and Terms-

2.1.1. Elections will be held every semester during the first month of school.

2.1.1.1. First week of school focus on setting weekly meetings: time, day, & place.

2.1.1.2. Second & into the third week of school are officer nominations.

2.1.1.3. Elections will be held on the third week of school, unless otherwise noted.

2.1.2. All officer positions last for one semester. An officer performing his/her job well should probably continue until they train someone else to take over.

Note: It may work better to have elections at the end of each semester for next semester, but this may also complicate things because of quick student turnover. There is always room for change.

2.2. Nominations-

2.2.1. Will occur the second week of school, unless otherwise noted.

2.2.2. Self nomination; but students can nominate another student too.

2.2.3. President and VP must have been an Officer for a whole semester before they are eligible for nomination into this position.

2.3. Election Question-

2.3.1. If more than one person is nominated for a position there will be an election to decide who gets the position, considering neither candidate steps down for the other.

2.3.2. Potential candidates that have been nominated (by themselves or somebody else) should answer the following election questions below to give the voting members an idea of who is better suited for the position.

2.3.2.1. Are you willing to fulfill the responsibilities of this position?

2.3.2.2. What are your qualifications?

2.3.2.3. What makes you want to be in this Officer Position?

Note: This should be a learning experience, not too stressful or too serious.

2.4. Elections-

2.4.1. Anonymous elections (votes in a hat), including all present and informed SSC members who wish to vote.

3. SSC Steering Committee Structure and Function:

3.1. Steering Committee members must be a Club Officer and/or Advisor.

3.2. 5 Steering Committee members: Including the SSC President, Vice President, Advisor, and two other officers, preferably students interested in taking on the VP or President role in upcoming semester.

3.3. SSC Steering Committee members will continue to establish and maintain a positive direction for SSC campaigns, projects, and priorities. Decision made by the Steering Committee must be announced in general meetings to keep officers informed and in the loop.

3.4. Steering Committee members create SSC agendas; coordinate ENVST 200 projects; maintain a working relationship with the Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC); and represents the SSC in formal campus meetings with administrators, faculty, and staff.

3.5. Steering Committee meets once per week for at least one half hour, outside of SSC general club meeting.

3.6. In order for the Steering Committee to make a formal group decision there must be at least 3 of the 5 members present.

4. Important Communication Principles:

Fact: Teams and organizations are most effective when people stay informed and current with each other.

4.1. Respect Each other- Only one person should be talking at a time.

4.2. Use Hand Signals: Every officer should know the main hand signals.

4.2.1. Raise your hand- If somebody is talking and you would like to speak after them raise your hand and the facilitator will call upon you after they are done.

4.2.2. Direct Response- If you have a “direct response” to a question or a comment then you should know this hand signal (hands a few inches apart in front of you with both hands doing an alternating chopping action) so the facilitator knows to call on you ASAP because you are making a direct response to someone.

4.2.3. Strong Agreement- When you think somebody is saying something that is “right on” or “really cool” or you just agree with them that it is important, etc, then you can put you hands in the air and wiggle your fingers in a show of support, rather than verbalizing your feelings and interrupting their flow.

4.3. Say what you mean. Take responsibility for your words and try to be clear and honest with yourself and others.

4.4. Do what you say. Follow through with what you say or people will loose trust.

4.5. No gossiping, third partying, or strategizing against others persons, as this will break down the fabric of understanding and trust!

5. Decision Making Process:

5.1. Consensus- the SSC is a consensus group that makes decision based on the support and agreement of all its voting members, all club officers.

5.1.1. However, in the event of an URGENT decision that must be acted on that day, an action can be taken with a three-fourths majority vote.

5.2. Facilitator- is someone who makes things go easier (usually the president) directs the meetings so that it is organized, on topic, time effective, and fair.

5.2.1. Facilitator guides the decisions because they should be unbiased & objective. It should be clear that the facilitator does not get a vote or have an opinion on an action item (this is also true for discussion unless otherwise noted). A facilitator’s role should be made clear to everyone in the group, if you’re unclear about the facilitators’ role, please ask for clarification.

5.3. Discussion Item- What is the topic to discuss and what needs to be done about it?

5.4. Idea Proposal- This is a possible plan of action for the club to take in a decision.

5.5. Proposal- If a formal proposal is made (e.g. “I propose that we…”), then somebody must second the proposal for it to move forward (e.g. “I second that proposal”). Then the facilitator must ask for a vote (e.g. “Any opposed, any more discussion needed, all in favor”).