Changing how the job gets done
Junior Brian Painter wins Fed Presidency against opponent junior Andrew Cureton; almost half of studentry answers call to vote in Fed election
Maria Schmitt
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
|
Presidents Dave Morrell '07, fifth-year senior Jeremiah Regan and senior Craig Kreinbihl have gradually transformed the federation from a little-known, barely influential group to a thriving organization, they said.
"We've seen a transformation from a largely irrelevant organization to a vibrant, relevant aspect of campus," Regan said.
Changes began in November 2006 when Morrell decided to rewrite the federation's constitution.
"He wanted to make it relevant to students," Regan said.
Regan, Morrell, and Dan Burfiend '08 rewrote the constitution and approved it with a student body vote.
Kreinbihl, the current federation president, credits much of the activity during his term to Morrell and Regan's work.
"They laid a lot of groundwork before we took over," Kreinbihl said.
Since he took the reins, Kreinbihl has worked to make the federation's presence stronger.
He said its biggest accomplishment in the past year was revamping student meal plans.
The new meal plan options emerged after a long period of negotiation between Saga, Inc., the Federation, the student body and the administration.
Options Saga originally presented to the federation were not sufficient, Kreinbihl said, but president-elect Brian Painter worked on creating ideas the groups could compromise on.
While the federation created the new meal plan and has approved and funded other various clubs this semester, Kreinbihl said it initially encountered some administrative resistance because the federation has traditionally played a small-to-nonexistent role on campus.
"The latest problem is that because Student Federation is trying to become more active, there are certain parts of campus that aren't prepared for it," he said. "It's a foreign thing to them and they're trying to adjust."
Despite the fact that regulating clubs is, according to its constitution, part of the federation's mission, the administration eliminated the Film Club last year and didn't inform the federation until after the fact.
This fall, however, the federation began working with administrators on improving Convocation attendance and helping provide student opinion about proposed changes to the academic calendar.
"We know we have to get along with and work well with the administration," Kreinbihl said.
He said he feels part of the federation's role is to bridge the gap between students and administrators.
"There needs to be discussion between students and administrators and it needs to be much more open," he said.
Vice President of Student Affairs Diane Philipp is one of the federation's two advisors, the other is Student Activities Director Rebekah Dell.
Philipp said she considers communication between the administration and the federation useful. She said she does not often interfere with federation's workings and said it does a "superb job."
She said she has noticed the federation's growing activity.
"I have noticed a change," she said. "They are very interested in being a good voice for students. They're trying to improve the place and make the school run well."
Kreinbihl said much of the federation's work is tied to the administration.
In order to present an idea a student may have for a club to the federation, Philipp must first approve the idea.
He said a gay-straight alliance students have been discussing would most likely not make it past administrative approval because administrators may think it doesn't align with the college's mission.
Philipp said she values the federation because of its representative abilities.
"They truly are representatives of the whole student body," she said. "I trust them. It's a good group. I have no interest in supervising them closer."
The federation's responsibility is valued at about $90,000, the amount of money it receives from student fees and allocates to campus groups, publications, school planners, senior class activities and federation officers' salaries.
Five percent of the federation's budget from the previous year rolls over for emergency funds and five percent for capital improvement. These funds are separate from the federation's discretionary fund.
Post-expenses, the federation has approximately $11,000 discretionary dollars to spend on what it wishes.
Revamping the budget began with Regan and Morrell, Regan said.
"We restructured the whole budget system to make sure students were getting their dollars' worth," he said. "We restructured the Winona's budget and ended up saving $20,000 which we rerouted for student activities and campus improvements."
Regan said Kreinbihl has exceeded the work Morrell began.
"He has built on our momentum and taken federation to greater heights," Regan said.
This year's election proves supports his claim.
A record percentage of students turned out to vote - 559 total, 513 for president.
Regan said he could tell both the federation and the student body expressed more interest in this year's election than in past years.
While the relationship between administrators, the federation and the student body must continue to improve, the ultimate goal of the federation will remain: to build a partnership with the administration and effectively improve the quality of life for students while uniting student life with the mission of the college, Kreinbihl and Regan said.
ELECTION RESULTS
2009 Student Federation
OFFICERS:
Brian Painter, President
William Clayton, Vice-President
Amy Grace Goodrich, Treasurer
Sam Sparks, Secretary
INDEPENDENT REPRESENTATIVES:
James Manion, Freshman
Parker Fox, Freshman
Laura Golden, Sophomore
Gwendoline Tuma, Sophomore
Calvin Stockdale, Junior
Taylor Gage, Junior
Victoria Bergen, At Large
Brittany Baldwin, At Large
GREEK REPRESENTATIVES:
Melissa Gordon, Chi Omega
Meredith Nolan, Kappa Kappa Gamma
Emily Maxfield, Pi Beta Phi
Nick Capone, Alpha Tau Omega
Benjamin Thompson, Delta Sigma Phi
Michael Snider, Sigma Chi
"The organization, known as the Hillsdale College Student Federation, shall exist to allocate student fees for the purpose of improving campus life; to approve of and regulate student clubs, organizations, and honoraries; to act as a Federation in which students can participate in self-government; and, to support the College in its Mission of calling students toward the active cultivation of intellectual and moral excellence, humility before our Creator, courage in pursuit of justice, and diligence in performing the duties of scholarship."
Be the first to comment on this story