Sidney-Pacific 2003-2004 House Government Leadership Retreat Morning session

1. Sidney-Pacific2003-2004 House GovernmentLeadership RetreatMorning session May 31, 2003 - Endicott House

2. Roles and responsibilities of the SP house government (residents) - Creating a community where people can socialize - Offering to neighborhood - Being a source of information for residents - Orientation very important (helping out new students) - Fostering fraternity and friendship - Safety issues - Determining how money/resources should be spent - Setting procedures - Taking ideas from other dorms - Increasing awareness between residents - Coordination between committees, coherence inside government-> giving the good example to residents - Talks and exposition of events - Asking the residents their opinion - Being transparent - Maintaining strong committees

3. Recruiting and participation - Hold events and ask for help - Publicity / SPTV / spread news - Get help from old residents who were helpful in the past - Role of the hall councilors - Orientation (again!) - Contest-type activities - Recruit members from other dorms (Zip Bike) - Get people involved early - Recruit people and train them - Organize the website by committees

4. Recruitment challenges 1) Identify people that are interested - Orientation and early year events - Word-to-mouth and publicity - Hall councilors 2) Find something to make people stay and be involved - Make it fun - Swap roles within committees - Awareness of the committee chair - Diversity in events - Give freedom to committee members 3) Keep track of what’s happening in the committee - Procedure/ report - Pre-event organization - Management skills - Show appreciation 4) Continuity - Documentation of activities - Mentorship/ training - Website

5. Summary Roles and responsibilities 1) Represent residents - get their opinions - Get them involved - Be a source of information to them - Organize events and activities 2) Support officers - Provide advice - Help coordinate between committees/ prevent overlapping events - Create a sense of family - Continuity 3) Building - Give the good example to residents (follow policies) - Safety - Make residents take advantage (and care!) of building - Ensure future/ maintenance

6. Recruiting/ParticipationIdentity

7. Participation--Where are we? • Low non-officer attendance • Agenda • Residents lack ownership of agenda • Execution/efficiency • Low event expectations (uncool) • Food events are well attended • Opportunity cost of time; low perceived value • Limited time windows of introduction/interaction • Neighbor-hall interaction • Committee participation

8. What do we want to see? • Internalize the value of each event/meeting (for residents) • High attendance • “Cool” events – diversity of events • Get residents to know each other • Efficient activities • Valuable activities • Attract students with something other than food

9. How do we get there? • Forum to discuss concrete issues • Run meetings more efficiently • Make use of the narrow time window in the fall • Have orientation/welcome week activities ready and organized

10. How--Events • Block parties: people in a hall open doors and bring out food • Floor potluck parties • Put emphasis on identity, such as international background of residents • Provide an identity for residents to identify with; get a theme for the dorm • Have specific events, such as musical events like Ashdown; make use of un-tapped resources

11. How--Techniques • Personalization • Define the chain of communication; how to disseminate information to residents: knock on doors; put posters on doors • Make resources for postering etc. available to hall councilors • Bulletin/picture boards for every hall • House Council should talk to their neighbors and let them know about events • Make interaction more personalized; don’t just use email, but talk to people or write on their white boards

12. How—cont’d • Timing is critical • Figure out how to appeal to the MIT “phantom” personality • Make people understand the value of getting out of their room and meeting other people • Put ideas for events in a business plan/roadmap • Spell out what each committees budget is and where it comes from

13. How—cont’d • Increase transparency of resources and funds • Make committee websites • Have a survey with different options for events and have residents vote for what they want • Get residents involved in decision making and allocation of funds at an early stage of planning events • Inter-committee communication

14. Identity • S-P should be the dorm of participation • want to stay in their room and not participate in activities • Diverse population • Democratic participation • Incredible facilities • Have neighborhood tours for new residents with the architects who designed the neighborhood • Get residents informed about history of the neighborhood

15. SP’s role in the Cambridge community • It’s a good thing to be involved! • Build goodwill in the community • Unique position to interface with community • Want to be a link between MIT and the Cambridge community at large

16. What do we do? Requests from the community • Tax help for poor residents • Sports coaching (soccer, baseball etc.) Ideas from our side • Mentoring students in schools • Hosting community groups • Movie night Concerns • Safety, security • Being realistic out about what we can do

17. SP’s role within the MIT community • SP is for the residents and MIT community too! • Leadership position among dorms but promote co-operation and lead by example • Build relationship with grad student community • Specifically liaison with Edgerton and the Warehouse Ideas for the future • More communication between dorms • Build a standing committee between Edgerton, Warehouse and us • Joint-orientation events • Image of SP among the other dorms

18. Roles and Responsibilities • House Government • Provide Support structure/Team work • Time Commitment • Recruitment • Improve relationship and visibility with residents

19. House Government • Bring social events into the dorm • Provide resources • Provide a support structure for the leaders and the residents • Handbook • Web based information • Raise awareness • Better planning • more advanced notices • More effective communication

20. House Government • Social Events • Hall Councilors Role: • Persistency • Consistency • Flexibility and variety of events • Low maintenance events • Creativity

21. Roles and ResponsibilitiesHall Councilors • First contact with residents • Coordinate events • Facilitator for residents • Help with other offices • Teamwork

22. Roles and ResponsibilitiesOffice of Information • Must know everything • Send more emails regarding events around S-P and campus

23. Roles and ResponsibilitiesOffice of Residential Life • Must be involved and know every step in • Throwing events • Contacts • Logistics • Resources

24. Roles and ResponsibilitiesOffice of Resources • Know the policies • Know about the office of residential life • Work closely with the Reslife

25. Roles and ResponsibilitiesOffice of the President • Institute Link • Fight for money and get the MOST • Integration of S-P with • The outside community • Rest of the MIT