juliana and vishal co-presidents platform

ASSEMBLING VOICES INTO ACTION

JULIANA RITTER AND VISHAL REDDY

CO-PRESIDENTS PLATFORM

2015-2016

!

JULIANA AND VISHAL’S PLATFORM !2

Welcome

Our involvement with the Campus Y began as first-years when we both accidentally stumbled across the Campus Y Open House and joined committees in the Y—Juliana signing up with Enrich ELL and Vishal joining HYPE. Although we were passionate about social justice and our committee missions, we had little idea about what the Campus Y, as the “Center for Social Justice” stood for . However, over the past few years, as our commitments in our respective clubs grew, we have derived a closer connection with the Y, imbued by its mission. This past year we both became the co-chairs of our two locally-based committees. This being the first year in which we were directly engaged with the Campus Y beyond our committee involvement, we had many expectations of what the experience of meeting other passionate Cabinet members would be like. Through the year, we have learned a great deal by constantly challenging our committees to work more effectively. Because these experiences had led to a deep connection to the Y, especially as a symbol for social justice, we both sensed our involvement in the Y was not going to be passive. After working together on a couple inter-committee projects, we began to critically analyze the Y, celebrating its positives while recognizing its weaknesses. We are running for Co-Presidents for the opportunity to impact this campus beyond the scope of our committee and continue furthering the Y in its development.

Yet, we realized our perspectives were only two. In order to formulate a vision for a Y that best serves everyone, we knew we needed more voices. To hear these perspectives, we sought to gather as many opinions as possible from both inside and outside of the Y. We cannot emphasize enough how constructive these conversations were. This platform collates experiences from all of those that kindly sat down with us, and we hope our holistic approach is reflected in our goals.

We are honored to have had the opportunity to speak with you all. We are excited to challenge ourselves in transforming your visions and our goals into reality. Our platform begins with what

! !2


we see as the role of the Y on campus and what it means to be a committee and a member of the Y. We then discuss our goals with respect to three areas: Building and Empowering Self-Aware,

Self-Reflective, and Self-Critical Leaders; Supporting Relevant Activism Inside and Outside of the Campus Y; and Strengthening Committees Through Y Resources. Finally, we detail the roles of the different student components of the Y— Bonners, CUBE, Y Global, and Executive Board.

Most importantly as you keep reading, we hope that these goals serve as a way for you to hold us accountable [knock on wood?]. As always, we truly value your opinions and suggestion. With love, Juliana Ritter and Vishal Reddy

! !3


Table of Contents

The Role of the Campus Y (5)

What Does it Mean to be a Y Committee? (6)

Diversifying Membership (6)

Building and Empowering Self-Aware, Self-Reflective, and Self-Critical Leaders (8) • Introducing conversations and analysis surrounding institutional power, privilege and

oppression • Incorporating more participation into Cabinet meetings • Filtering Self-Critique Down to Committee Members

Supporting Relevant Activism Inside and Outside of the Y (11) • Advocacy emanating from within the Y • Vocalizing and Providing Support for Activism Outside of the Y Strengthening of Committees Through Facilitation of Y Resources (13) • Increasing Transparency of Resources and Addressing Individual Committee Needs • Publicity • Transition Process • Clarity Between Committees • Fostering Community Between Leaders

Integration of Other Y Programs (17) • Y Global • The CUBE • Bonners

Organizational Structure (19)

! !4


The Role of the Campus Y

In the course of building this platform and understanding our own vision for the Y, we found that one of the most important questions to ask is “What do you think should be the role of the Campus Y in relation to your organization, UNC, and the community?” To begin answering this question, many drew upon the history of the Campus Y, which is reflected in the Campus Y Charter:

The Campus Y is a student movement rooted in a history of advocating grassroots social change, at our university and in our wider society. We are humbled by and accountable to our honorific, “the conscience of the university,” a responsibility earned by generations of Y students who championed justice and equality, even in unpopular circumstances. We strive to uphold this legacy, working alongside but also challenging university, government and private institutions. (Campus Y Charter)

From the opinions of those within the Y, it is clear how their work—be it through committees, Bonners, CUBE, or Y Global—fits in with these ideals. Yet, the current status of the Y does not always feel perfectly united with the history and mission of the Y. The leadership we hope to build within the Y takes the notion of “challenging university, government, and private institutions” seriously. This is an essential aspect of the Campus Y’s standing as the center for social justice. We aim to guide the Y this year in continuing to develop into the space described above.

Specifically, we will start by defining for whom the space has been geared towards in the recent years and changing this to encompass the greater UNC community. The Y has become a space for select students, and it’s important to ask why. Only those in a certain position of privilege can altruistically serve and have time to do more than study and work. This leads to a demographic make up in the Y that is not nearly inclusive and representative enough of the communities in which we serve and for which we advocate. We recognize that this is something very difficult to change, but we can only take a step forward by openly acknowledging this reality.

First, we must ask: “whose voice matters?” Then, “how can we incorporate these voices into strengthening the Campus Y as an institution and symbol?”

Before we can even begin “challenging university, government and private institutions”, we must first challenge ourselves to constantly do better and be better. When we contemplate upon what

! !5


the Campus Y means to us, we think not only of the tangible progress made, but the persons who played a role in achieving that change. We must assemble voices into action.

What does it means to be a committee in the Y?

Challenging our cabinet to intellectually grow as leaders arises from inducing a self-reflective environment in which we ceaselessly evaluate the work that we do. Through this, the committees we lead and the communities we serve will continue to positively develop. Yet, we must define this notion of “development” for Y committees—how do we want committees to grow? How will we define progress for these committees? We suggest four criteria upon which we evaluate committee work: ethics, effectiveness, diversity, and engagement with the Y community. While we understand that these criteria are not quantifiable, they are a guide for the type of committees we should strive to develop.

1. DIVERSIFYING MEMBERSHIP

Although the Campus Y purports diversity as one if its main tenets, we do not feel as if it is as necessarily as diverse nor inclusive as it could be. However, “diversity” itself is a broad term, and we must recognize there are different types of diversity, each entailing different approaches. If the Campus Y is not inclusive, what place on campus will be? In following the essence of the Y, we advocate an approach with specific emphases on students of color, first generation college students, and students from working class backgrounds. Although the Campus Y has a large presence on campus, it still is noticeably absent from certain pockets.

Goals: • Ease process of becoming a member of a Y committee. • Increase diversity in race, socioeconomic status, ideology, gender, etc. • Forge emotional connection to the entity of the Campus Y. • Increase presence on campus.

Strategies: • Reach out to Carolina Covenant, Carolina First, and Carolina United. • Integrate Campus Y within Diversity and Multicultural Affairs recruitment programs. • Creating partnerships with BSM, CHispA, Unique Heels, Sangam, and many others. • Encourage committees to diversify their membership base by modifying the selection process.

Because each committee plays a large role in bringing many first years into Y community, they must contribute to the diversity of the Y responsibly.

! !6


• Redesign committee website pages. Currently, the website’s poor aesthetics and flow inhibit membership by being unnecessarily hard to navigate. By improving and uniforming committee pages, we hope prospective members will have a complete understanding of what each committee does and how it operates.

• Create an online questionnaire easing the process of joining a committee. In having 30 committees, it can overwhelm potential members. Having a questionnaire can help immediately filter relevant Y committees based on a student’s interest.

• Have the membership challenge week three times a year—twice during the Fall semester and once in the beginning of the Spring semester. This will incentivize committees to ensure their members are registered members of the Y.

• Increase Campus Y presence in the Pit by reserving the Pit for Campus Y committees • Continue having open houses twice a semester and explore having involvement fairs in not

only South Campus, but also Granville. • Create connections between fraternity philanthropies and Y committees by communicating

with the Interfraternity Council. In creating these partnerships, Y committees will not only diversify their membership base, but also hopefully develop steady sources of revenue.

However, not only is inclusivity a problem currently facing the Campus Y, but how do we also engage members of committees in order to bridge a direct connection to the Campus Y, as opposed to merely understanding it through the purview of their committee involvement? Cultivating a culture in which committee members forge this relationship to the Campus Y and social justice will allow the Y community to achieve greater change collectively.

Strategies: • Co-sponsor events with cultural groups on campus. • Keep members updated with Campus Y Cabinet/Exec developments with biweekly emails

from directly the co-presidents. • Have forums once a month open to all Campus Y members in order to talk about the Y’s

responsibility for social justice. By inviting members to engage with exec and cabinet leaders, we allow their voices to be heard to encourage a democratization of the Y.

• Host a grand cultural performance night in Memorial Hall in the spring. The Y, with its resources, can spotlight and promote the cultural diversity at UNC.

• Bring in speakers who work locally to talk about how students can help advance progressive movements.

! !7


2. BUILDING AND EMPOWERING SELF-AWARE, SELF-REFLECTIVE, AND SELF-CRITICAL LEADERS

As the main body of the Y, committee co-chairs and member of committees are essential for bringing any change that occurs within the Y. One of the most beautiful, yet overlooked aspects of the Y is the amount of diversity we have in the issues that people are passionate about. We have those who are working on providing interest-free loans to members of the community and others who are working towards realizing gender equity. We will always try to highlight these committees that are continuously inspiring those around them. All of the committees also have the rare opportunity to meet consistently with over 30 fellow social justice organizations in a single room every other week. Although the experiences, visions, and interests of each co-chair vary, it is important to unify them in their passion for leading a social justice organization. Individual members in cabinet should keep in mind this greater context of the space they embody, especially as leaders. This year we hope to unify cabinet and aim to become critical of the work we are doing, whether it is activism, advocacy, or direct service. A component of Cabinet should work on placing ourselves in the context of the local, campus, and global communities. The majority of these conversations will be taking place through cabinet meetings, in which we hope to create a space to reflect critically on leading organizations and also view the bigger picture in which these committees situate themselves. Through this, we ultimately aim to make sure that these ideas and paradigms also pervade the thought-processes of committee members. Introducing conversations and analysis surrounding institutional power, privilege and oppression The Campus Y is clearly defined as the “Center for Social Justice” at UNC. As such our leaders should constantly ask questions about what puts them in the position to fight for a more just society. We must intellectually challenge ourselves as self-exploration is central to this growth as individuals, the relationships we carry with others, and our ability in promoting equity. When introducing power and privilege into conversations with the leaders of the Y, we need to highlight that people from privileged groups receive advantages regardless of whether they are aware of them or want them. Privilege arises from a broader system where one’s socio-political identity affects access to opportunities and resources. It is not about members of the Y having good intentions, but rather about being conscious and reflecting critically on the work being done. The intersectionalities of our identities shape our experiences, world-views, approaches, and visions. These parts of our identity may include our race, ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic

! !8


status, religion, immigration status, ability, and many others. It is essential to understand how our own and others’ identities affect our lived experiences and our interactions with each other. A majority of the committees and programs under the Y are going beyond UNC’s campus and engaging community members, which is something that should always be encouraged. However, at the same time, we should never cease to implicate ourselves and the privileges that we occupy. At cabinet meetings, individual meetings, and point groups, we aim to create an environment where these discussions are facilitated and highly encouraged. We acknowledge that questioning one’s assumptions around issues of justice can be new, emotionally and intellectually threatening, and overbearing, but in larger groups and discussions we hope to talk through these issues together. Strategies: • Explore other organizations and work being done on campus in an effort to acknowledge that

the Campus Y does not have a monopoly in social justice. • Raise awareness of broader and overarching issues on the campus by bringing in speakers into

Cabinet. For example, although not all of us may be personally connected to addressing the racialized geography of campus or in-state tuition for undocumented students, having conversations and supporting activism around them is critical, because we are all implicated in these movements as students enrolled at UNC.

• Reach out to those who have expertise on issues of privilege, power, or system structure to hold workshops inside and outside Cabinet. We will be actively seeking those who have experiences in leading these conversations and workshops, such as The Racial Equity Institute, Inc., Community Empowerment Fund, Interactive Theatre Carolina, and activist groups ranging from food systems to reproductive rights.

• Form an Executive Board inclusive to all races, ethnicities, sexes, religions, and socioeconomic status. We will seek organizations and specifically encourage students of color, working class students, and first generation students to apply. It is essential in having discussions of privilege and systemic structures that we have voices from people of different experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints.

• Continue discussions from Cabinet meetings to point group meetings, and most importantly to committee members.

Incorporating more participation into Cabinet meetings We envision—in the context of the Campus Y—direct individual participation in political decisions and policies that affect their lives. The workshops that we feel are needed in the development of leaders should be engaging and incorporate the voices of the leaders working

! !9


towards a goal. Also, the workshops and conversations that would be most useful to have throughout the year should stem out of Cabinet’s needs and interests. In order to do this, it seems of most importance that people feel comfortable with each other and safe to voice their opinions. While still speaking on issues that may not be familiar, the environment should be conducive to asking for clarification. Exec meetings should be a similar format of participation. Every exec member is encouraged to speak against an idea proposed or introduce something that may not be within their position of exec but still relevant to the mission of the Campus Y. In following the trend of past co-presidents, we are not the ruling force of the Campus Y; our ideas should be checked and our vision of the Y questioned. Strategies: • Vote on having workshops for several Cabinet meetings. Although some workshops are

necessary for all leaders of an organization to participate in, including those on power and privilege, others will be voted on.

• Use retreat to choose some main themes that Cabinet meetings will focus on for the semester. • Ensure that the workshops we host at Cabinet are interactive, engaging, and incorporate

several types of learning. This includes the activities that exec or co-chairs put on. • Have a quick evaluations survey after each Cabinet meeting to assess its effectiveness. • Create relationships in which people feel safe criticizing and questioning each others’ work. • Encourage committee leaders to facilitate Cabinet meetings.

Filtering Self-Reflection Down to Committee Members Both of our previous goals only work on the premise that these leaders from all parts of the Y will filter these ideas back into the committees they run. In having over 60 co-chairs participating in Cabinet along with Bonner, CUBE, and Y Global leaders, we have an opportunity and responsibility to teach skills that will serve useful when talking to their members or engaging in the community. Our goal for next year is to create workshops that can be easily translated to committee members. Strategies: • Creating an online folder with all of the workshops, icebreakers, and engaging activities we’ve

done at the Y for leaders to take from and use at a training or session including members (both UNC and those of the community).

• Having individual conversations with co-chairs and Y leaders on specific workshops that could be useful for their committee members.

• Host workshops that are open for all committee members.

! !10


3. SUPPORTING RELEVANT ACTIVISM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE Y Advocacy emanating from within the Y Somewhere in nearly all the past candidates’ platforms is Terry Sanford’s description of the Y as the “social conscience of the university”. Yet, the Campus Y struggles to attain the goal of being the “social conscience” when each committee has very specific, specialized focuses. Part of our goal this year is to see members engaging in issues outside of their comfort areas and possess a deeper understanding of the space they live in. Regardless of whether or not the activist organization finds its name underneath the Y’s website, there needs to be some sort of support and conversation around activism within the Y and specifically within Cabinet. In order to live up to the name of “the center for social justice,” it is vital we actively support all activist groups rather than only showing support for those who are underneath the Y. Strategies: • Educate Campus Y members by inviting activist organizations to come and speak on behalf of

their cause and why it’s a relevant issue for all and not just some. Activist organizations on campus that came up in the past years—BOG Coalition, UNC RadAsians, The Real Silent Sam Coalition, UNC Student Action with Workers, Students for Education Reform, Students United for Reproductive Justice, and others—should be invited and welcomed into Cabinet meetings and in the space of the Y.

• Develop statements in support faster on issues. The process we envision for this is as follows • Creating a statement through co-presidents, exec, or Cabinet, or whomever feels empowered to

do so. • Reviewing it and editing it. • Posting it within the Campus Y members/Cabinet Facebook group with a yes/no voting

option if Cabinet meetings are not soon enough. • If 2/3 of the people who respond say yes, then the statement will be public and from The

Campus Y Members. • If not, and ⅔ of our Exec team still find it necessary to publish it, the statement will be issued

from solely the Executive team of the Campus Y. • Mobilize for campaigns at the member level rather than the co-chair level. Personalized emails

from Co-Presidents to members to urge them to join pivotal progressive movements, both on and off campus, in order to bring members into the fold.

• Understand that activism involvement cannot be forced so focus on mobilizing and inspiring rather than mandating that Y members get involved in campaigns.

! !11


• Being a forum to educate individuals about relevant issues. The “Stand with Landen” event in 2013 stands as a particularly good example of a situation in which the Campus Y facilitated discussion between different groups on campus.

Vocalizing and Providing Support for Activism Outside of the Y We could not have realized the framework for our vision of the Campus Y without the conversations we had with leaders within the Y and those outside of the Y. Having these conversations made us keep asking them and ourselves, “how can we ally the Y to best serve these groups?” To find ways in which we can make this space one that activists actively approach and ask for support—in voices, resources, and knowledge—has been a recurring challenge.

We see conversations had within Cabinet as an avenue that will encourage activist groups to view the Y as an organization capable of doing more. However, more can be done. Our goal is to create a space facilitating conversations about local/national/world issues. Social justice is not something we see ourselves as the only actor in, and only supporting activism within the Y will keep us from conveying this message. We do not claim to run a monopoly on social justice. Goal: • Fully supporting activism that is created independently from the Y, and offering the resources

from within the Y.

Strategies: • Being relevant to social issues going on now such as reproductive health and rights, rising

tuition costs, the BlackLivesMatter movement, etc. • Eliminating the burdening bureaucratic process of supporting activism formally in the Y. As

time-sensitive issues, activism will gain an easier way of receiving the Y’s support from as simple as physical resources and if willing, as facilitators of Cabinet discussions around the issues that they are working towards.

• Create a set budget at the beginning of the year (as much as the Finance director sees fit) specifically for activist organizations.

• Activist organizations should be able to approach or be sought out by the Campus Y Outreach team at any point throughout the year for support by the Y in organizing, funding, or resources we have access to. Both the Outreach team and the Finance director should be in agreement of how to allocate the money.

! !12


4. STRENGTHENING OF COMMITTEES THROUGH FACILITATION OF Y RESOURCES

Increasing Transparency of Resources and Addressing Individual Committee Needs

Deemed a “powerhouse” of social justice, the Campus Y attracts such a plethora of committees because of its extensive resources, which includes the Executive Board, staff, and the virtual and physical space of the Y. However, increased transparency of these resources would allow committees to understand what exactly is available to them. In conversations with committees, most co-chairs lacked a complete understanding of what the Y was capable of offering. Meanwhile, Executive Board members felt that co-chairs failed to reach out to them to attain these resources. This communication gap leads only to inefficiency within the Y. Increased communication will also prevent broad application of Y resources to committees, because each committee can see which resources are particularly applicable to them at that time and easily access them.

Along with making the resources within the Y more transparent, we will also be striving to personalize these resources we provide. The Campus Y serves over thirty committees, each varying in purpose and scope. While this diversity contributes to the essence of the Y, we must acknowledge the logistical struggle in administering resources when lacking uniformity in needs. A committee-specific approach in tandem with the identification of common needs for multiple committees will empower committees.

Goals: • Clearly define each resource. • Make each resource readily accessible. • Address individual committee needs. • Defining needs for groups of committees. • An easy flow of information from committees to exec to staff.

Strategies: • Create an online GoogleDrive folder for Cabinet Members. This GoogleDrive folder would

not only contain a PDF with specific details about each resource in the Y, but also contain GoogleApplications for contacting the DevCo, Finance, and Comms teams. Place this information on the Cabinet Facebook page as well.

• Establish Goals of Point Groups in relation to transparency. The Point Group represents a great opportunity for committees to meet with exec and address any concerns at that point.

! !13


Each executive officer should be well informed about all the resources in the Y. In relation to transparency, the point group system should have a dual purpose. First, it allows for committees to share their recent updates and for exec members to share developments at the Board level. Second, it allows an exec member to recognize any issues and connect relevant Y resources to those committees.

• Use Evaluations meetings to identify committee needs. • Create an approachable exec team! If someone within the Y is struggling with making a

budget, applying for the Y fund, or creating a flyer, they will not ask exec if they don’t feel comfortable with them.

Publicity

The Y is capable of disseminating information and news on a mass scale in a way many social justice organizations cannot. For many committees, the largest challenge arises when bringing attention to their committee work. In combining both transparency and publicity, we hope committee achievements will be clearly apparent to inside and outside of the Y.

Goals: • Celebrate committee achievements in the physical and virtual space of the Y. • Centralize committee event calendars. • Continue building the Communications team’s capability in order to address a variety of

committee needs.

Strategies: • Transform the first floor of the Y, as it is an under-utilized resource by the Y in relation to

serving committees. Blazoning the walls with pictures of Campus Y events and activities will promote an understanding of the work that committees our achieving in global, local, and campus communities.

• Ensure Communications team is photographing events. Have the Communications photography team attend at least one event per semester for each committee. Then, publish these photos on the Campus Y Facebook page in a timely manner.

• Work with Campus Y staff to create a Campus Y website specific to committees similar to what the Global Gap Year Fellowship and CUBE have. At the very least, make committee work a prominent part of the existing website.

• Create a connection with The Daily Tar Heel to consistently publish Campus Y stories to expedite the process of publication as opposed to having committees navigate the media independently.

! !14


• Showcase committee co-chair profiles. Just as Exec Board members have their profiles on the website, we also want to highlight committee co-chairs and the work they’re doing as well.

• Create an end-of-the-year summary/yearbook, with profiles on each committee’s progress. It would also serve as a database of sorts to reflect upon the history of their committee.

Transition Process

Although some committees have remarkably thorough, responsible transitions to new co-chairs, many Y committees lack certain infrastructure that facilitates an easier and timely transition. Ideally, co-chairs should be equipped with an intimate knowledge of the committee before assuming the role. We must recognize the steep learning curve of running a Y organization, which exacerbates the importance of increasing communication between old and new leadership. Aside from also knowing how to run a committee, new co-chairs are also responsible for learning about the space of the Y, what resources are offered, what is expected as leaders, and what being a committee of the Y means. Thus, it is vital for co-chairs to pass along the information and strategies they’ve acquired throughout the year. The Campus Y exec has a responsibility to ensure the next batch of leaders is not hastily thrust into their roles.

Goals: • Have the resources of the Y facilitate an easier transition process. • Accelerate the process of choosing new co-chairs. • Ensure new co-chairs are equipped with the necessary knowledge about contacts, information,

and organizational structure which will allow them to thrive the following year. • Continue positive trajectories for committees. • Create relationships with new co-chairs. Strategies: • Assist in these transitions by having Co-Presidents or Director of Evaluations sit down with

each committee’s past and current co-chairs in order to discuss how the committee should proceed. These meetings would be held in April.

• Ensure that new co-chairs are aware of what the Y expects from them.

Clarity Between Committees

Y committees run the whole gamut in terms of scope and focus. Although being an entity with such distinct committees helps members recognize that social justice can be approached from a variety of perspectives, it also presents the unintended side effect of slightly shrouding the work committees do. While we already spoke about transparency between resources and committees,

! !15


transparency between committees themselves is of tantamount importance. In building more clarity in our committee work, we hope to foster a culture facilitating collaboration. While “collaboration” has an ambiguous meaning, we hope there will be increased inter-committee involvement, whether it takes the form of sharing workshops, trainings, bringing speakers, or pooling resources.

Goals: • Improve committee awareness about other committees. • Increase actual, tangible collaboration between Y committees.

Strategies: • Make the website readily accessible and clearly explain what each committee does. • Allow committees to rank which committees they would prefer to be in a point group with. • Change the point groups every semester. • Encourage each committee cluster (global, campus, and local) to host a dinner at the beginning

of each semester to talk about their committees. Discussion topics could include the different ways in which they could work together and how could the Y resources be utilized to strengthen their committees.

• Identify common needs between committees. Use evaluation meetings, committee dinners, and personal conversations with committees to pinpoint areas of need. Because not all needs can be met, we must prioritize collective needs.

Fostering Community Between Leaders

Despite weekly Cabinet meetings, one recurring theme in our conversations with committee co-chairs and exec was the desire for an increased sense of community with one another in Cabinet. There is no simple solution to creating an environment conducive for friendships and communitas, yet we hope a multi-faceted approach will induce a culture of camaraderie within Cabinet. Beyond just our committee work and social justice, Cabinet provides an opportunity to meet other passionate, intellectual individuals. We understand a culture of friendship and camaraderie within Cabinet stems from co-president’s approachability and openness. Yet, no matter how much we try to coerce committees and exec into working together, this cannot happen if they simply don’t enjoy being together.

Goals: • Lessen divide between Cabinet and Exec. • Meet outside Y facilitated events.

! !16


• Continually re-introduce Cabinet to one another.

Strategies: • Have monthly potlucks with all of Cabinet. • Have lunches with 2-3 committees per week. • Continually re-introduce Cabinet to one another during Cabinet meetings by doing short, but

effective icebreakers. • Structure retreat so that we have an increased understanding of not only the committee, but

the person leading each committee. • Use suggested activities from Catalyst Conference and Carolina United to understand the

place that each person comes from. • Have co-presidents, Exec Board members, and Cabinet strive to be consistently present in the

Y. • Create a more friendly atmosphere within the Y space to encourage members to spend more

time in common areas.

5. INTEGRATION OF OTHER Y PROGRAMS

Y Global While we have chosen to place particular emphasis on committees, we cannot ignore the other programs that are essential in forming the Campus Y. Each contributes to the essence Y in its own unique way. Y Global promotes connecting globally with an ethical, open perspective of the local communities with which they engage. The politics of engaging globally remain consistent with those of engaging locally. Retain the respect for human beings, and asking ourselves how can we learn about ourselves when we engage globally. How can we create a space for reciprocal relationship and learning? We hope Y Global continues its work in promoting conscientious leaders and students. Y Global is also finding itself at the center of global initiatives on campus. We would love to see how the Campus Y can be a facilitator of further discussions on global work on campus.

Goals: • Allow for Global Workshops • Connect Global Committees to resources in the UNC System • Integrate Global Gap Year Fellows into Y

Strategies:

! !17


• Have workshops that specifically reach out to global oriented organizations outside of the Campus Y

• Introduce Global Gap Years to Y committees. Global Gap Years could provide useful information and experiences

• Discuss and reflect on the notion of “service” that is being done abroad. Readings such as “To Hell with Good Intentions” by Ivan Illich should be required by all of those who are going abroad.

The CUBE In combining innovation with social justice, the CUBE affords budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to begin their start-ups with unrivaled mentorship and resources. We encourage CUBE to continue developing socially conscious entrepreneurs. CUBE’s entrepreneurs-in-residence and workshops could serve as also particularly helpful resources for many Y committees.

Goals: • Identify connections between CUBE start-ups and Y committees. • Utilize CUBE workshops and resources Encourage Y committees to establish relationships with

CUBE’s entrepreneurs-in-residence.

Strategies: • Encourage committees to establish relationships with CUBE’s entrepreneurs-in-residence. This

year, Earl Phalen played a fundamental role in developing student leaders inside and outside the Y.

• Invite CUBE committees and director to present at Cabinet once a semester • Unify DevCo and CUBE workshops and events.

Bonners The Bonner Leaders program represents the essence of the Y by allowing work-study students the opportunity to engage with the community. In forging deep relationships with community partners, Bonner Scholars have an intimate knowledge of the Chapel Hill community by nature of being the “boots on the ground” as one Bonner Scholar phrased it. While the scale of the Bonner Scholars program will remain relatively static over the next few years, this offers the opportunity to instead focus on integrating Bonner programs with committees.

Goals: • Further integrate Bonner Scholars with Y committees and Cabinet

! !18


• Utilize Bonner and Committee resources in mutually beneficial ways

Strategies: • Identify which Bonner scholars and Y committees are working in similar communities as

Bonner Leaders and Y committees often work together unknowingly. • Identify which Bonner trainings may be relevant to Y committees, and work with staff to

encourage relevant Y committees’ presences. • Encourage senior Bonner Leaders to come to Cabinet meetings.

STRUCTURE

Executive Team In the previous (insert number of pages), we have discussed a lot of ambitious goals. In order to keep continuity in the Y while simultaneously enact these changes, establishing an Exec Board that is approachable, accountable, innovative, and passionate is paramount. Only in working collectively can we accomplish these changes. Each Executive Board member is in charge of their position and team, and as co-presidents, we are in charge of overseeing these processes.. We also hope to reduce duplication and redundancy between exec members by having more defined, clear roles.

Goals: • Hold effective weekly meetings. • Work with staff to advance platform goals. • Empower committees by building leaders in Exec and Cabinet. • Be accessible, accountable. • Create trust between exec members. • Be leaders in advocating for current issues our campus faces.

Strategies: • Conduct interviews for Executive Board positions to bring students who are qualified and

represent the essence of the Y. • Have a 14 person Executive Board (2 Co-Presidents, Director of Evaluations, 2 Co-Directors

of Communications, 2 Co-Directors of Outreach, 2 Co-Directors of Development, Director of Finance, Director of Membership, Director of Alumni Engagement, and 2 FMALs).

• Use March and April to set tangible goals for the following year. • Set an hourly time to meet each week. • Make Executive Board’s positions and capabilities very clear to Cabinet.

! !19


• Instead of office hours, just make exec very accessible. • Ensure all of the Executive Board is present at Cabinet meeting times. • Mentor FMALs. • Create GoogleDrive folders in order to promote transparency between Executive Board. • Issue statements in a timely manner. • Acknowledge some duties are shared.

Co-Presidents As Co-Presidents, we wholeheartedly intend on following through with the plans outlined by our platform. Important to us is fostering a culture of constant self-reflection, passion, and accountability. While we understand that it begins with us, we recognize that all Y members must play a role in developing this culture. It is our role to empower them in order that they can contribute.

Goals: • Create an Exec Board, transparent to all committees in the Y and to other Exec members. • Advocate for and support committees within and those outside of the Y. • Create relationships with other campus leaders and organizations.

Strategies: • Plan a retreat in which we build a sense of community and self-awareness. • Have 2:1 meetings with each Exec Board member twice a semester. • Continue weekly meetings with Y staff. • Have an open door policy for Co-Presidents office. • Hold 2 office hours per week for each Co-President. • Evaluate our progress in relation to this platform monthly. • Host a monthly dinner with campus leaders. • Find ways to integrate all Campus Y members into Campus Y actions/events. • Create relationships with UNC administration. • Continually support activism on this campus. • Explain to Cabinet all the recent events on and off campus

Director of Evaluations The Director of Evaluations is the primary method of soliciting feedback from the Y committees. Largely autonomous, the Director of Evaluations is capable of designing their own evaluations

! !20


process for meeting with and evaluating Y committees and executive members. The Director of Evaluations is also in charge of ensuring the point-group structure is functioning effectively.

Goals: • Effectively solicit committee feedback. • Continually improve systems of soliciting feedback • Manage point-group system. • Thoroughly evaluate both Exec and Cabinet.

Strategies: • Hold two weeks every semester in which they hold 25 minute Evaluations meetings. • Meet monthly with other Exec Board members to ensure they’re properly managing their

point groups. • Evaluate monthly whether committees are on track to meet their semester goals. • Revise Goal Worksheet used at Retreat. • Identify strengths and weaknesses in each component of the Y. • Submit yearly and semesterly reports from Evaluations findings. • Help other executive members develop evaluation tools for their particular position.

Co-Directors of Communications As the Exec Board members responsible for creating all the publicity surrounding our Y committees, the Comms team has an incredible responsibility in trying to address 30 committees’ needs. We hope to build a more comprehensive Communications team capable of meeting these needs. Also, we hope that by increasing transparency, the Communications Team’s capabilities will be better defined, thus allowing committees to understand how to best harness the team. A lot of the vision for the Communications team has already been written in the Publicity section of this platform. However, we hope to continue expanding the Communications team’s in order to serve committees best.

Goals: • Define capabilities. • Make application for Communications accessible and simple. • Help publicize non-Y events. • Build a more comprehensive Communications team.

Strategies: • Update the Campus Y website.

! !21


• Create videos of committee work in the Y. • Create partnerships with UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. • Increase number of photographers within the Comms team. • Create a simply GoogleApplication to utilize resources that would detail exact capabilities. • Centralize committee events on one calendar which would be visible on the first floor and on

the website. • Help broadly disseminate Campus Y statements and advocacy efforts

Co-Directors of Development Committee The DevCo team’s growth in responsibility and capacity must mirror the development of Y committees. Yet, DevCo’s purpose is often ambiguously defined, as committees rarely know that DevCo can assist committees in a myriad of ways beyond simply granting the Y-Fund. We also would like to shift away from the “social innovation” purpose of Y-Fund, and rather place increased emphasis on using the Y-Fund to encourage collaborative efforts between committees. We understand the Y-Fund must be a sustainable enterprise, so it cannot realistically meet every committee’s needs nor was it ever designed to. Also, as DevCo is responsible for “developing committees”, we would like to see increased committee input in their implementations:

Goals: • Increase Y-Fund allotment to $15,000 by finding more sources of funding. • Increase committee collaboration. • Reduce emphasis on social innovation. • Make Y-Fund more accessible and less bureaucratic. • Have more skills trainings/workshops. • Have intimate knowledge of other sources of funding on campus. • Increase visibility of Y-Fund to non-Y organizations.

Strategies: • Prioritize collaborative efforts in allotting the Y-Fund. • Have one skills workshop each month. • Solicit committee input in the development of the DevDocs. • Continually improve and update DevDocs. • Create database of funding opportunities besides Y-Fund. • Continue streamlining process of Y-Fund by making it easier to apply, increasing awareness

about deadlines, and expediting application review process. • Allow for applications under $200 to be held on a separate, expedited timeline than the Y-Fund

typically allows for.

! !22


• Advertise the Y-Fund to outside organizations in coordination with Director of Outreach.

Co-Directors of Outreach The Co-Directors of Outreach will have great autonomy in implementing our vision. Much of our approach to activism is covered in the Activism section, but we truly believe that the Campus Y can be a force of change if it actively supports the various progressive groups on this campus. When appropriate, activism and organizing can emanate from within the Y with the resources managed by the Directors of Outreach. Beyond activism though, the Directors of Outreach should essentially serve as a liaison for non-Y organizations. If contacted, it is their responsibility to connect them to other resources inside the Y.

Goals: • Enable activism on this campus by avoiding bureaucratic approaches. • Recognize that the Campus Y does not have a monopoly on social justice. • Connect committees working in Chapel Hill and Carrboro with advocacy efforts off campus. • Connect non-Y committees to resources within the Y.

Strategies: • Create a comprehensive outreach team capable of understanding the nuances of college

activism. • Attending activist/progressive group events and meetings. • Allocate a certain amount of funding to support any potential movements on campus. • Be fiscally responsible with the funding allocated purely for Outreach purposes. • Move all non-activism funding towards Comms or DevCo. • Fundraise for a community-organizer in residence. • Engage with committees to encourage all Campus Y members to attend events. • Bring in one speaker per semester who engages in organizing efforts locally.

Director Finance The Director of Finance plays an integral role in assisting the creation of a fiscally responsible and sustainable Y community. Not only is the Director of Finance responsible for ensuring that the Exec Board has a good budget, but also assisting the development of committee budgets. Lastly, the Director of Finance is in charge of processing all deposits and withdrawals.

Goals: • Initiate conversations with committees to ensure fiscal responsibility.

! !23


• Create contacts with other groups that provide finances to Y committees such as Student Government.

Strategies: • Work to create budgets for each committee. • Train committees on how to submit withdrawal and deposit requests. • Ensure committees receive monthly balance updates. • Work with DevCo to elucidate to committees the process of applying to other sources of

funding on campus, such as Student Government. • Assist committees with applications to grants. • Ensure timely returns on withdrawals and receipts.

Director of Membership Much of our approach to the membership is covered in the Membership section, as we view the Director of Membership’s purpose is to not only attract a diverse membership base to the Campus Y but also provide benefits to current members. In addition to the aforementioned goals and strategies, the Director of Membership will lead the First Year Collaborative in building these membership events.

Director of Alumni Engagement An important aspect of the Y is connecting members to their future. In being in the Research Triangle, there are countless opportunities for students to engage in social justice work, whether it be through private, nonprofit, or governmental organizations. Providing more tangible ways for members connect their Y experience to their future will allow them to also derive a connection to the Y itself. Also, it will help members realize the work they do on campus now could have profound implications for their life after college.

Goals: • Connect Y members to potential jobs and internships. • Provide Y members with networking opportunities. • Realize potential of opportunity of social justice employment in The Triangle. • Use alumni to talk about the history of the Y.

Strategies: • Build database of all social justice related institutions in the Triangle • Invite local nonprofits and governmental agencies to a job/internship fair in the Anne Queen

Lounge once a semester. No other institution on campus is better suited to bring social justice

! !24


organizations to campus. By building social justice leaders, the Campus Y can also serve as a bridge to connect students to their future.

• Continue building internship database using Y members’ experiences, make access • Build Campus Y alumni network. One way of doing this is to create a job/internship database. • Invite alumni into Cabinet meetings to talk about what the Y’s place on Campus was during

their time at UNC. Also speaking on what role the Y took in their lives while at UNC.

FMALs The First Year Members at Large allows for the first-year perspective to be included when furthering the development of the Y. The FMALs also allow first-years to understand the nuances of the Y structure. In order to build more first-year leaders, the FMALs will be the exec members responsible for planning the Campus Y event for Martin Luther King Jr. Week.

Goals: • Find ways to integrate more first years into the Campus Y. • Plan recruiting events targeting first years. • Continue to plan FMAL MLK events. • Gain an understanding for the different positions in Exec Board. • Strategies: • Plan monthly events targeting first years that focus on allowing first years to have a say in the

direction of the Campus Y. • Plan open houses targeting specifically first years, such as a South Campus Open House or the

“Sorting Hat” event. • Shadow a different Exec Board member each month. • Continue planning Campus Y MLK Event.

First Year Collaborative The First-Year Collaborative presents an opportunity for the Campus Y Exec to involve passionate first years who are not FMALs. Having strong first years on the FYC could allow the Campus Y to truly create a presence among the entire first year campus.

Goals: • Build more diversity within the FYC Team. • Encourage more first-years to be involved with committees and exec. • Help bring in other other first-years to the Y community.

Strategies:

! !25


• Assist Director of Membership and FMALs with South Campus and Granville Open Houses. • Make sure that members of FYC are also a part of a Y committee as well. • Assist any exec in event planning.

Thank You (if you made it through all 26 pages…here’s this picture as a token of our gratitude)

! !26

juliana and vishal co-presidents platform

Documents

y committee

y bonners

y global

y resources

campus y open house

committee involvement

vishals platform

committee missions