Roles of Officers

PRESIDENT:

Convenes weekly board meetings, and with the approval of the board leads and carries out chapter activities and the goals of SPJ according to the chapter by-laws. Sets the agenda for extracurriculars and represents the entire student body. Is the main liaison with the deans on student matters. 

VICE PRESIDENT:

Serves as deputy to president and is second-in-command for all things SPJ. If the president cannot fulfill his/her duties during the year, the VP will step in. The president and VP will divide up the broad responsibilites among themselves as appropriate. The VP is not elected directly. The student who who comes in second in the elections for president is offered the vice presidency. If he/she does not accept the position, then it goes to the person who came in third and so on. Chairs Academic Affairs Committee.

EVENTS DIRECTOR:

Works closely with the board to organize the dozens of events held each academic year. Among them: the Holiday Party, the Pulitzer Juror Reception, monthly "Breakfasts with the Dean" and the Year-end Cruise. Organizes the food, drink and logistics of each event, with plenty of assistance from board members. Chairs Event Committee.

SPEAKERS DIRECTOR:

Works closely with the board to invite and present talks/lectures by guest speakers throughout the academic year. Organizes career panels and writing workshops as well as the annual "Yes, You, Too, Can Survive J-School" alumni panel. Works closely with the director of Career Services on a series of programs called "Coffee, Cookies and Careers." Also sets up tours of various media outlets (Daily Show; Today Show; Letterman, etc) in the city. Chairs Speakers Committee.

TREASURER:

Responsible for the fiscal records and accounting, the deposit of funds and the payment of expenses. Involves plenty of attention to detail and repeated trips to the bank. Chairs Fundraising & Finance Committee.

SECRETARY:

Keeps the minutes of the board meetings and prepares the annual report for SPJ HQ.

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR:

Works closely with the faculty adviser to increase chapter membership and coordinate chapter benefits from SPJ HQ.

PUBLICITY DIRECTOR:

Organizes posters, e-mail announcements and other publicity material to get the word out about chapter events.

PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR:

Coordinates SPJ publications, including the annual Yearbook, and, perhaps, a newsletter. While this person is not locked into being an editor of the Yearbook, he/she helps setup the Yearbook staff and production. Chairs Publications Committee.

THREE MOVIE COORDINATORS:

Organize the occasional No-Frills Movie Nights. Select, rent and screen movies of their choice with input from students. Work with Events Director to organize the annual Oscar and Super Bowl parties.

THREE DEADLINE CLUB & PROFESSIONAL ORG LIAISONS:

Serve as liaisons to the Deadline Club, the city's professional SPJ chapter, as well as the various other journalism organizations in the city. Keep students informed of events and increase cooperation between the Columbia chapter, Deadline Club and other groups - getting student discounts and opportunities.

SEVEN PART-TIME REPS:

Voted on by Part-timers only, these students represent the interests of the part-time students. FYI, PT students may run for any of the other positions as well.

FOUR MA/MID-CAREER/PhD/SPENCE FELLOWSHIPS REPS:

Voted on by Mid-Career/PhD/Fellowship students only, these students represent the interests of those groups. FYI, these students may run for any of the other positions as well.

THREE WEBMASTERS:

Keep SPJ Web site current to provide information about activities and make it an interactive forum for students. Must have Web production experience.

UNIVERSITY SENATOR:

[New this year; the SPJ will help elect the J-school Student University Senator. Because the main Fall meetings are always on Fridays at 1:15, only Part-time Students have been able to do this in the past; PhD, M.A. Students, etc., are welcome to apply; schedule permitting] Represents the interests of the J-School to the university at large. Responsible for attending Senate meetings chaired by University President Bollinger and will sit on one or two sub-committees. Must attend the following:

Senate meeting schedule: Full Senate Meeting (once a month, usually for 2 hours)SENATE, 2008-09 (always Friday at 1:15 unless noted; rooms TBA)
September 26
October 24
November 20 (Thursday)
December 5
January 30
February 27
April 3
May 1

Student Affairs Committee (aka Student Caucus) (twice a month, usually for 1.5 hours each). The dates are not set, but will probably be 1.5 hours BEFORE the full Senate meetings above. The other meeting will probably be one Sunday a month.

A Committee of their Choice (once a month, usually for 1.5 hours)

The dates and times will depend on the committee they choose. The various committees usually meet once a month.

 

GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS:

Work with the other officers on specific tasks and develop new events. Are selected from candidates who do not win in the elections.