Brickley and Tcheyan self nom

College Council (CC) presidents play an enormous role in shaping every student’s experience at Williams. Through our proven dedication to the campus and our enthusiasm for improving Williams, we are in the best position to both assure that student voices are heard and to successfully pursue projects important to our fellow ephs.

As the Class of 2010 representative, Lizzy knows how to organize, delegate, and lead an effective council. She is a class of 2012 JA and a proud member of the Crew team. She helped organize projects like Do It in the Dark and Peer Mentors, and she is working to ensure the selection of a successful College President by serving on the Presidential Search Committee. From his grassroots leadership experience, Mike knows how to bring projects to fruition. Who better to gauge the diversity of student opinion than someone with a record of involvement in a wide range of campus organizations? Mike is serving his second year as Director of the WOOLF program, and is an enthusiastic admissions office tour guide. A member of the water polo team, Mike understands the struggles of club athletes and will be a forceful advocate for improving their access to funding and institutional support.

We pledge to listen to students, and to work hard to meet your needs. As Co-presidents, we will:

1) Preserve Essential Williams Values and Programs During the Presidential Transition Process. At this critical juncture, we will fight to protect student-run programs and ensure the perpetual continuation of beloved Williams traditions, such as Mountain Day, tutorials, an autonomous JA system and Winter Study.

2) Advocate for Students’ Financial Interests and Limit the Impact of Budget Cuts. We will work to include students in budget decisions, and will assure that cuts mandated by the school – from dining service to academics – have the smallest impact possible on student life. We are especially sensitive to the threat to extracurricular life, and we will thus protect funding for student activities, including club sports, minority groups, and social organizations.

3) Promote Campus-wide Communication. We aim to erase invisible boundaries separating student groups. We want to improve student-faculty relationships by expanding the Lyceum model and developing a Take-Your-Professor-Out to dinner program.

4) Improve Residential Life. We want the neighborhood system to become a benefit rather than a detriment to student life. We will work within the constraints of an administrative-imposed system to make residential life experiences better. We will start by advocating for the expansion of the co-op program, first by pushing to add College-owned but largely unused small houses around campus to the student housing pool.

College Council needs strong, experienced, and dedicated leaders. As involved members of the Williams community, we are genuinely connected to the views of the student body and have the leadership skills to effectively deliver concrete results. Let us know if there is anything we can do to improve your experience, and please approach either of us with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Lizzy Brickley ‘10 and Mike Tcheyan ‘10