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Interview is held: Spring (4)

Length of term: One academic year

Student members: Four SOAC appointed members; one representative from the College Democrats, one representative from the College Republicans

Faculty members: None; though the Committee will work closely with professors and academic departments, particularly of the Social Sciences

Administration: None specifically

Chair: Sophie Kim (2005-2006)

Time Commitment: Approximately 2 hours per week; can be considerably more around event time

What is the goal or focus of this committee/position?
The Committee for Political and Legislative Action (CPLA) is a standing committee of College Government. It is a non-partisan, student-run organization dedicated to educating the Wellesley Community on political issues on the local, national and international levels. It also hopes to encourage and foster political awareness, activism and civic involvement.

What is the role of the student on this committee or in this position?
Students on CPLA encourage political awareness and civic engagement on campus and inform the student body of legislative activities by organizing lectures, pizza lunches, voter registration drives, and more. The role of the student on Core is to help the Chair brainstorm, coordinate and plan CPLA events. Each member of Core is assigned a task for every event for which she is held responsible. Various Core members can each do as much as they step up to do. In addition, one's own position on Core (whether secretary, treasurer, etc.) may require fulfilling other duties and responsibilities.

Some examples of positions within CPLA Core:

  • Logistics Coordinator
    • In addition to gauging the political climate on campus (depending on that of the country and/or world) in order to help plan CPLA events, this Core member also makes all space reservations, and coordinates with speakers for panels.
  • Secretary
    • Primarily responsible for taking notes during meetings, informing members of general meetings and disseminating pertinent information.
  • Treasurer
    • Primarily responsible for managing the Committee's finances.
  • Publicity Director
    • In charge of creating publicity in the form of e-flyers, primarily, and publicizing events.
  • Correspondence Coordinator
    • Writes thank you notes for speakers/panelists on behalf of the Committee; may be in charge of other types of correspondence.
  • Fundraising Chair
    • In charge of organizing the sales of CPLA Nalgenes, the Committee's main fundraiser.

What are some good qualities for an applicant to have for this committee/position?

  • Non-partisan attitude
  • An interest in politics and government
  • An awareness of current events and issues
  • A knowledge of the Wellesley bureaucracy
  • Experience organizing and planning events
  • The ability to articulate and communicate ideas
  • Leadership, initiative, assertiveness, creativity, patience and enthusiasm
  • Organized
  • Dedication and commitment
  • A willingness to work collaboratively in a group setting

What are some pros and cons of serving on this committee or in this position?
(Gathered from past CPLA Core members)

Pros

  • Keeping abreast of political issues; working with a dynamic group of women.
  • If you are interested in politics/current events, these positions should be perfect for you!
  • The Core committee member is able to work, to associate and to meet many interesting members of the Wellesley community. Also, the member is able to participate in many important and essential events planned for the community. The member is also able to take an active role in informing the Wellesley community.
  • Great people to work with, instantly have Political Science professors in particular willing to work with you.
  • Ability to bring interesting speakers to campus and helping other organizations bring speakers as well.

Rough spots

  • Organizing CPLA Representatives can be frustrating, as they are very busy people.
  • Determining what is non-partisan and keeping an objective stance.
  • Pulling events together always has complications along the way; must not let this frustrate you.
  • Time consuming: especially around event time.

Created By: Karolina Gorska and Kate Reece
Last Updated: April 27th, 2006

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