• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
      “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Kimberly Chia News, News and FeaturesMarch 16, 2016

College Government seeks ballot initiatives that will create change on campus

College Government meets students at the annual organization fair at the beginning of the year; now they’re hoping to attract students to apply for ballet initiatives. Photo by Adeline Lee, CG President

Each year, Wellesley College Government and the Elections Committee run the Ballot Initiative, which seeks proposals from the student body to improve life on campus. The monetary worth of the ballot initiative is two percent of the Student Activities Fee, which is approximately $11,000. A Ballot Initiative funds a single proposal for one year.

Mass support is important for a Ballot Initiative to win. Before it is allowed to be an option for the student body to vote on, it needs to gather support from three ​current senators from three different ​​constituencies, with one of the senators having served in Senate for at least two years. It also needs to demonstrate support from five percent of the student body – approximately 115-120 signatures – in the form of a petition. It will then have to present its ideas to Senate, along with details on its financial viability, proof of support and leadership structure. Should it pass in Senate, the Ballot Initiative will be put up for voting by the student body alongside voting for College Government Cabinet positions during Elections Week. The Ballot Initiative must then gather at least 51 percent of all votes in order to win.

As submitting a Ballot Initiative is a lengthy process, advance planning is needed. Suzanne Barth ‘16, President of the Student Leadership Stipend Committee and the Campaign Manager of the Student Leadership Stipend Ballot Initiative campaign for the 2015-2016 academic year, emphasized the need for an early start.

“If you don’t start planning well in advance of elections season, it can be pretty tricky getting everything done in time for the deadlines. After you’ve had your idea, you’ll want to assemble a campaign team and begin soliciting student signatures in support of your initiative. Getting the required number isn’t hard if your idea is viable, but it will take time,” noted Barth.

College Government President Adeline Lee ’16 emphasized the variety of forms the Ballot Initiative can take, from a rolling culinary arts series, transportation subsidies to clinics, to even the provision of two-ply toilet paper. In 2014, the Elections Committee of the College Government received an email from a student looking to submit a proposal for Charmin or Cottonelle toilet paper to be distributed first throughout residential halls and eventually in academic buildings.

“The student never formally submitted her proposal for Senate approval due to the work involved in campaigning for the ballot initiative as well as the paperwork that needed to be submitted in advance. With all this said though, the two-ply toilet paper idea has certainly been an idea that has stuck in my mind as an example of how creatively our ballot initiative can extend to serve a campus full of students,” said Lee.

With their target audience being the entire Wellesley student body, Ballot Initiatives are also meant to be inclusive. Past initiatives put up for student voting have included a proposal in 2014 from Wellesley Spontaneous Moments in the Lives of Everyday Students (SMiLES), which aimed to increase the size, scope and permanence of events organized to combat stress culture and foster community at Wellesley.

In addition to inclusivity, Severance Hall Senator Amelia Tam ’18, emphasized the importance of Ballot Initiatives that deal with issues not currently targeted within the current Wellesley framework.

“I think a good Ballot Initiative should benefit the Wellesley community at large, but particularly those students whose needs cannot be fully addressed within the existing network of resources,” Tam said.

This was certainly the case for the Student Leadership Stipend (SLS) Ballot Initiative, which used the Ballot Initiative as a platform to garner support for Resident Assistant (RA) and House President (HP) compensation, as students in these positions were uncompensated by the college until last semester. The SLS dominated the Ballot Initiative for the past four years and used the funds to provide stipends for eligible Student Leaders in the interim.

The ballot initiative for the 2016-2017 academic year is thus especially significant, as RAs and HPs are now compensated with a $2,400 stipend and no longer need to use the Ballot Initiative as a source of compensation.

“I am very excited for future years of the ballot initiative, because I believe now that RAs and HPs will be compensated by the college, the ballot initiative can be rightfully returned to the creative minds of the students,” said Barth.

Severance Hall Executive Senator Elizabeth Kysel ’18 also noted the importance of this year’s Ballot Initiative in setting an example for later years.

“I think that this is a key moment for the Ballot Initiative as if we don’t get off again on the right foot, it may be years before we see another Ballot Initiative that could make a difference on campus,” Kysel said.

It is in this spirit that College Government has increased publicity for the Ballot Initiative. This includes getting Senators to relay information about the Ballot Initiative to House Councils, sending out campus-wide informational emails with the Ballot Initiative information attached, and holding two information sessions about the ballot initiative this March.

Lee not only expressed her hope for new ideas to be proposed, but also emphasized that should there be no Ballot Initiative this year, the $11,000 will be redirected into a contingency fund for student organizations. Thus, funds set aside for the Ballot Initiative will still be returned and redistributed to students, albeit through a different channel.

“All in all, we on CG all hope that ideas will pop up for a new ballot initiative in this Spring’s CG Elections, but it really depends year-to-year on what the climate is on campus as well as which students have the time and ability to put initiatives forward,” said Lee.

With the variety of ideas thrown up at similar events like that of Ideafest, a similar variety may also be the case for this year’s ballot initiative – including ideas that seem out of the ordinary.

“I’m personally still hoping that one of the initiatives is a petting zoo,” Tam said.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleCenter for Work and Service makes efforts to offer more internships in the humanities
Next articleCollege Government spotlight: A brief overview of Cabinet positions

You may also like

Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In

“We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Iss...
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  • You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top