Download Dear members of the UCSA, Communication as a means, openness

Dear members of the UCSA,
Communication as a means, openness as an attitude. My name is Corine
Bos, and I hereby announce my candidacy as Secretary for the UCSA Board of
2013-2014. From the moment I moved to campus 1,5 years ago, I have truly
come to love UCU for its opportunities that allow us to develop ourselves
personally and academically, through interesting classes, the social
environment and exciting committees.
Massive changes in the way the UCSA is dealing with its responsibilities
are, in my opinion, uncalled for at this point. Therefore, consistency and
continuity will be a main concern. However, improvements should always be encouraged. To me,
communication is not only one of the larger tasks of the Secretary, but it is also key to every committee,
organization and business. In my experience, good communication can usually prevent mistakes and
conflicts, and should therefore be encouraged time and again. Openness on the other hand, is an attitude
necessary for change and improvement. This includes openness to new ideas, openness to students and
openness as an approach to solving problems.
Communications as a means, openness as an attitude. This view on the position of Secretary is shaped
not only by my personality and my personal views, but also by my extensive experience in committees.
Last year, I had the privilege of being the chair of Enactus UCU, a role I enjoyed thoroughly and taught me
many skills, including handling many diverse tasks, dealing with responsibilities, and, at times,
prioritizing committee responsibilities over school work. This semester, I have been active as a member
of the ArtLinks Enactus project, the Prom team and the Employment Group. Next to that, I am the chair of
CultureCo, and luckily I did not miss out on Bartenders’ Weekend. All these committees, and many more
of the events I have organized or participated in, have shown me a very diverse picture of campus life,
and tremendously increased my time management and organizational skills.
I am confident I would genuinely love the position of Secretary, and therefore make sure I will fulfill
all parts this task entails with great dedication and persistence. What I would bring to the Board is my
experience, commitment and sincere passion for organizing, planning, and being busy in general (friends
have nicknamed me ‘busy bee’ for a reason).
Improved accessibility
The issue. As a UCU student, you automatically become a member of the UCSA, an exciting
organization full of energy and initiatives. Everyone thus has the right to participate in and benefit from
this association. However, right now I have the feeling that after the first few weeks of Fall semester, the
threshold for joining new activities and committees often proves too high for those who need more time
to settle in and have therefore not figured out yet what activities to join. My view is: if you would like to
participate, it should always be as easy as possible to do so.
Solution: improved communication. A solution to lower the threshold is to raise awareness. By
maximizing the use of Facebook, many students can be reached in an easy and informal way. Using this
medium, a daily update and important events can be communicated. As a more formal way of
communication, I would like to structurally send out the weekly email. It would be used to communicate
the Dining Hall menu, the weekly schedule, and committee vacancies. Additionally, the website can be a
useful tool for those who do not use Facebook.
Solution: more openness. In my opinion, committees could be more receptive to new members and
participants, especially after the first few weeks of the year. This attitude should be encouraged by the
UCSA Board. Moreover, many board positions are filled within the committees themselves, leaving many
people out. I would stimulate committees to review whether it would be possible to open up their board
positions to everyone on campus. We always claim UCU people are such brilliant minds, so you never
know what you might stumble upon.
Increased transparency
The issue. Too often people have no clue of what the UCSA is up to or how to approach them. While
many love to be surprised by the nice events organized, staying up to date with the latest developments
seems more difficult. At the moment, the latter can only be accomplished by personally asking the UCSA
board. Additionally, committees, the core of our association, often feel uninformed about what is going
on.
Solution: improved communication. The weekly email of the UCSA should include an update on the
ongoing developments within the Board and decisions being made. Besides the intrinsic value of
information, this will allow for more critical feedback. Moreover, more intense bilateral communication
between committee boards and the UCSA should be encouraged.
Solution: more openness. As the Board, you do not stand above committees or students. In fact, you are
often serving and facilitating them, and in that sense you actually stand below them. I would like the
Board to embody and encourage the feeling of ‘we are there for you’.
Higher committee effectiveness
The issue. We are all very busy students, and many will agree that ineffectiveness lowers the moral
and is unnecessarily time-consuming. I believe there is still room for improvement in the effectiveness of
committees.
Solution: improved communication. The website can be highly useful for committees and students. By
consulting the committee calendar, committees are able to plan their events taking into consideration
each others’ activities, hence avoiding overlap and enabling students to attend as many events as
possible. Therefore, I would like to continue using the website as a communication device.
Solution: more openness. The association should also be open to revision, as the power of habit can
overrule the incentive of change. As part of the UCSA board, I would propose to investigate together with
the CAOs whether all board positions in every board are really necessary, or whether the work could be
done by less people more efficiently, while also improving individual dedication. Additionally, it would
address the difficulty many committees have with finding new board members.
Better facilities
Dining Hall: the issue. The Secretary is Chair of the Campus Life Forum, and thus represents the
students’ interests on campus’ facilities and Dining Hall. Judging by the amount of complaints about
overcooked potatoes, weird bean mixes and dry veggie burgers, food quality in Dining Hall is an issue
keeping many students busy. While changes have recently been implemented, there is still room for
additional improvement.
Solution: improved communication. We have to admit not all food served in Dining Hall is of poor
quality (we all love tater tots right?). I think if the Dining Hall representatives were to know what our
likes and dislikes are, food quality will improve.
Solution: more openness. Through monthly surveys conducted amongst the student population, we
could provide Dining Hall with an indication of students’ preferences. The popularity of new dishes can
be tested, and the success of classic winners can once more be underlined. When we are open about what
is yummy and what is not, Dining Hall can serve the tasty dishes more often, while leaving behind the
unpopular ones.
Study areas: the issue. Right now, the interior of the lounges is often below standard, including wornout, broken, or missing furniture. In addition, broken coffee machines and out-of-order printers are main
stress factors to many UC-students.
The solution. Better tables, nice couches and decorations facilitate more social interaction and viable
meetings. Therefore, I would like to explore opportunities for new interior. Moreover, there should be a
long-term focus on the maintenance and improvement of the coffee machines and printers.
Communication as a means, openness as an attitude. With this idea in mind, I want to improve our
wonderful association. If I were to be chosen as your Secretary, I will pour my heart and soul in my task, I
will thoroughly enjoy my time in the Board and I will try my utmost best to contribute to our beautiful
campus.
Wholeheartedly yours,
Corine Bos
06-19899893 - [email protected] - Kromhout 131 B
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or suggestions!