Community Council update
In Features
Hampshire prides itself on is its sense of community and it values the idea that a strong community is bolstered by active community members. Community is a word that comes up all the time at Hampshire-in fact, I've already used the word four times in this column. But what does community mean? And what does it mean to be a member of the Hampshire community?
Community is a term often applied to groups of individuals living together and sharing some common values or interests. So far that sounds like Hampshire: We all came here because we believed in the same educational philosophy and decided that attending Hampshire was the best way to live and experience our beliefs. We all get the benefits from living in a small community, but what responsibilities do we have to make sure that our community is successful?
This is not a question that I have an immediate answer for, but rather a question I'd like to pose to all Hampshire students.
Community Council is working closely with the Office of Student Services to plan our participation in next fall's Orientation. There will be two major changes in how we facilitate this process. First, we won't be giving out cigars again. Second (and more importantly), we will be seeking input from current community members on how to best orient new students to help them take an active role in the Hampshire community.
This doesn't mean that we will be orienting students to be members of Council. Rather, we want to inform students how they can be involved members of the community. There are many ways in which this can be accomplished: serving on a governance body like Council or The Educational Policy Committee (EPC), attending school meetings, starting or signing for a student group, voting in each student governance election, and just staying informed about important happenings on campus. Participating in these ways is not only beneficial to the Hampshire community, but is really great learning experience that students can use post-HampshireÑwhether it be skills in the workplace or continuing community organizing after graduation.
As most students on Council are active community leaders in more ways than one, we have a pretty good idea of how to best help students kick-start being active on campus. However, we are only a small group of people with certain experiences. The really great ideas won't come from within Council, but from the student body at large. In the coming weeks we will start discussions that we encourage all students to get involved in, concerning how we can improve the orientation program to help students become active members of the community and ensuring their individual success and the success of Hampshire as a sustainable, active community.