Overview: The Committee Chair position is essential for the success of CS40. The Chairs play a key role in the success of CS40’s leadership on campus as well as in the quality of programming that is produced. It is required that Committee Chairs return to campus on Friday, August 16th by 3 PM in the afternoon. This training period is crucial to our success as a team and the success of our programs for the rest of the year. Committee Chairs will also assist with First Year Orientation events and are expected to available during this time.
Expectations: Committee Chairs must…
– Attend biweekly Assembly and Board meetings.
– Plan at least one or two programs per semester and assist with other CS40 events.
– Meet regularly with their committee (time and frequency varies by position)
– Attend CS40 Training and Orientation events from August 16th through the start of classes.
– Be available for additional training throughout the academic year.
As a committee chair, you must be available and willing to be returning on time and participating actively in both training and spring planning are mandatory functions of your office. Moreover, Committee Chairs cannot hold other positions that would conflict with this process. Please reach out to the advisor to discuss if a position would conflict.
Services Board (led by Elaine Choy, Director of Services)
Social Committee Chair: The Social Chair is responsible for facilitating connections between the residents of the South 40 Community through large-scale programming. The first major event of the year is the annual fall formal dance. The Social Chair must plan every aspect of the event: location, music, food, theme, ticket sales, and promotion. This planning must begin over the summer and the Social Chair works closely with the summer intern, CS40 advisors, and Director of Services. During the academic year, the Social Chair oversees a Social Committee that assists with the late-stage planning and the execution of the fall formal dance. The Social Chair continues leading the Social Committee during the spring to put on another large-scale social event(s) (e.g. an informal dance, a trip to the Escape Rooms, etc). This chair will meet with their committee members every Wednesday night 9 -10 pm as a part of S-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Social Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and to attend their events.
Competitions Committee Chair: The Competitions Chair plans on-campus (specifically, on the 40) competition events. In the fall, there’s time to plan two or three smaller events. In recent years, the Competitions Chair has put on Battle of the Bands, featuring bands competing for the opportunity to be an opening act at WUStock, as well as other prizes. This past year the Competitions Chair co-programmed with a number of officers to put on great events! In the spring, the committee is focused on planning for Residential College Olympics (RCO), one of CS40’s largest and most recognizable events. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on, but as a result you’ll be responsible for helping put on some of CS40’s marquee events. This chair will meet with their committee members every Wednesday night 9 -10 pm as a part of S-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Competitions Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and to attend their events.
Swamp Committee Chair: The Swamp Committee chair rules the Swamp, responsible for all CS40 events that take place there. This chair is responsible for at least 2 events during their term, Carnival on the Swamp in the fall and WUStock in the Spring. In the fall, the Swamp chair works with all 10 college councils and many campus partners to put on a student carnival, with college councils pairing off and planning booths. As one of the first large-scale CS40 events on the year, Carnival on the Swamp is many new CS40 members’ first time programming with CS40. Throughout the year, the Swamp chair is responsible for dreaming their vision of WUStock, and working to bring it to reality in the Spring semester. In planning WUStock, the Swamp chair is responsible for working with a booking agent to contract talent, and handling all logistics, promotions, and coordination with campus partners. These are not the only events the Swamp chair can put on. Other ideas for events include Laser Tag on the Swamp, a fair, bubble soccer, movies on the swamp, or other activities that can be co-programmed with other chairs and with campus partners. This chair will meet with their committee members every Wednesday night 9 -10 pm as a part of S-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Swamp Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and attend their events.
Development Board (led by Lauren Blaydon, Director of Development)
Scholastic Committee Chair: The Scholastic Chair plans events related to learning, knowledge, or faculty engagement. S/he is the direct link between CS40 and the Faculty Fellows and Associates, and is expected to involve them in some of the programs. This committee has two signature events: The January Reading Program, which runs from the end of the fall semester into the beginning of the spring semester, and Last Lecture, which takes place in the spring. The Scholastic committee selects books and faculty discussion leaders for the January Reading Program and coordinates each discussion group meeting. For Last Lecture, the Scholastic Committee will invite a faculty member to give an engaging personal speech to students. The Scholastic Chair also works to extend learning experiences in order to broaden the world of academia. For example, over the previous years, some examples of Scholastic Chair events have been a stargazing event, a Trivia Crack event, and an art and dining themed event. This chair will meet with their committee members every Thursday night 9 -10 pm as a part of D-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Scholastic Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and attend their events.
Community Service Committee Chair: The Community Service Chair plans events that connect the residents of the South 40 with opportunities to give back to the WashU community as well as the greater St. Louis community. Rather than focusing on one or two large events, Community Service provides an outlet for a larger number of somewhat smaller, although meaningful events. There is also much support for other already established community service programs. Yearly events include Safe Trick or Treat, Relay for Life, Dance Marathon, etc. There is also the possibility of events at other CS40 events, such as a card making at Formal. The Community Service Chair also works with Wash U’s Community Service Office. As an Officer of CS40, the Community Service Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and attend their events. This chair will meet with their committee members every Thursday night 9 -10 pm as a part of D-board. Added information about the community service chair’s responsibilities for the added community service representatives in the college councils will be determined at a later date.
St. Louis Committee Chair: The Culture Chair creates opportunities for students to go off-campus exploring St. Louis and its vibrant culture. Tickets and transportation are often provided at drastically subsidized rates to shows at local landmarks such as the Fox Theatre, Botanical Gardens, Powell Symphony Hall, and more. This Chair can coordinate trips for South 40 residents to professional sporting events in St. Louis, such as Cardinals or Blues games. The Culture Chair has historically planned more intimate city-exploration events, such as Tour D’esserts, Clayton Restaurant Week, and a Downtown Clue Hunt. Culture events are geared to take students outside the “Wash U Bubble” and expose them to the plethora of art, food, and history St. Louis has to offer. This chair will meet with their committee members every Thursday night 9 -10 pm as a part of D-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Culture Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and attend their events.
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair: The Diversity and Inclusion Chair is a new addition to the CS40 team this year and has been included as an official chair to allow CS40 to properly advocate for all students on the 40. The objective of this position is to ensure that all CS40 programming is accessible and inclusive by working with student groups to program events that celebrate, advocate for, and educate about different identities on campus. This chair should be informed of and work to inform students of diversity and inclusion issues in local, nation, and global communities and expand the traditional scope of “diversity and inclusion.” This chair will meet with their committee members every Thursday night 9 -10 pm as a part of D-board. As an Officer of CS40, the Diversity and Inclusion Chair is expected and required to support other chairs and attend their events.
Operations Board (led by Lindsey Grant, Speaker of CS40)
Sustainability Committee Chair: The Sustainability Chair plans, manages, and advises environmentally-oriented programs and initiatives on the South 40. In addition to serving as a resource to each College Council’s Eco Representative, the Chair builds interest and understanding of student awareness towards sustainability on a university campus. The position holds duties in advising both Services and Development Boards and spearheading sustainable recommendations for all CS40 events and programming. Furthermore, the Sustainability Chair acts as the primary liaison to green groups on campus and works alongside leaders in the Office of Sustainability to support sustainable efforts, plan and coordinate Green Cup each spring, and promote an environmentally-friendly way of living. This chair will meet with their committee members every X. The role calls for an individual that is passionate, innovative, and flexible—and can be revolutionized to make numerous efforts in sustainability.
Internal Operations Committee Chair (IOC): This committee is led by the IOC Chair and is comprised of the College Council Vice-President’s. The IOC Chair manages and executes both the Fall and Spring Elections, which entails, but is not limited to, recruitment, Elections materials, and running the polls. The Chair also reviews, amends, and enforces the Congress of the South 40 Constitution. Outside of these major tasks, the IOC Chair is also responsible for enforcing Assembly attendance and instilling accountability in the members of CS40. Within the committee setting, the IOC Chair is charged with enriching the Vice-Presidents and their College Councils with leadership experience and development. The IOC committee will meet about once a month