From One Generation, to Another: Advice on Successful Student Group Leadership
As the 2014- 2015 academic year draws to a close, many student groups are transitioning leadership, inducting the next generation of executive boards and charging them to continue the legacy. While this is bittersweet for some and exciting for others, it’s the perfect time to reflect on this year’s accomplishments, and pass along wisdom for next year. CGS sat down with this year’s Executive Board of the Student Government Association (SGA) to gain insight on their secrets for success. Not only did the SGA make a huge impact on the CGS community, organizing numerous successful events, they were also nominated as a top group across campus for the prestigious Excellence in Student Activities award, given by Student Activities. CGS thanks the SGA for not only sharing their wisdom and advice below, but for all that they’ve done to make the CGS community more vibrant than ever!
Advice on… how to work together as a leadership unit
Jennifer Wong, President (CGS 15, COM 17): CGS represents scholars with a multitude of majors, talents and passions– and this benefit is what makes our college so unique. In any team setting, respect and communication are crucial. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other beforehand, grabbing meals and constantly planning logistics over the summer before the semester started. Everyone on the e-board is extremely dedicated and like we tell our general assembly members, being a student leader should be considered a 24/7 commitment, not just a role you play during a weekly meeting. We wanted to “take the politics out of politics” and create a community rather than a bureaucracy. We aimed to create an environment that fostered genuine leaders with a passion for making a difference. We always like to say that this community has become so much more than just a student government, we’re a family.
Advice on… working with administration
Anushka Pinto, Student Senator (CGS 15, CAS 17): It is extremely important to build relationships with the faculty and administrators because they are a key resource when it comes to event execution and operations. Communication is critical. We proactively set up meetings, emailed, or stopped by for an informal conversation to let them know what we were planning and how things were going. That way, we could work together to offer the best events possible. This approach worked well– it’s much more pleasant to be nice and respectful rather than throwing in last minute surprises (or demands).
Advice on… running effective meetings and planning events
Anushka: Always have an agenda. That way, meetings are structured, conversation runs smoothly, and you stay on time. Activities and events should always be planned sooner, rather than later. With more time to plan, you can work out the details that otherwise might be overlooked, have time to sold any unforeseen obstacles or challenges, and ultimately create a better event experience.
Advice on… member recruitment and engagement
Anushka: It’s important to recruit members in a way that highlights the benefits of being a member. While SGA is about helping others and catering to the CGS community, our recruitment efforts are framed around what SGA can deliver to the potential member. We position it as a great way to gain leadership skills, build your resume, make friends at CGS, and form relationships with the administration. Students are more likely to join if they know they can get something out of joining.
Advice on… event execution
Amanda Gee, Secretary (CGS 15, Questrom 17): Plan ahead. Events seem simple but they actually take a lot of planning and creativity. Making reservations and marketing events should be done 1-2 weeks in advance to create awareness and to make sure everything is in place.
Advice on… anything else!
Jennifer: We strive to cultivate an environment of positive change by building student leaders who excel both within the College and across the greater BU network.
A new initiative we started this year is the CGS mentorship program. We understand that continuing from CGS into another college can be complex, so we matched freshmen with sophomore student leaders who are planning on going into the same major field as them to guide them academically, provide support and follow our theme of building community here at CGS. Mentorship is a valuable resource that I would like to see SGA exhibit for years to come.
The purpose of being a leader isn’t to grow more followers, it’s build more leaders, and that’s what we at CGS Student Government aim to do.