IOP Group Releases Governing Plan Draft

A long period of uncertainty at the Institute of Politics (IOP) ended this week as students and staff members decided on a draft proposal for the Institute's student governing body.

For the last several months, a task force comprised of six undergraduates, three staff members and three recent graduates has been working to create a new proposal for the governing structure of the Institute, after IOP Director Sen. David H. Pryor dissolved the Student Advisory Council (SAC) last November.

Pryor had claimed that the IOP was too insular and that it had failed to achieve its mission of meeting the interests of all undergraduates.

At an open meeting last night, the task force presented its first complete draft of the new structure.

The proposal calls for the election of a president, vice-president, secretary/treasurer, committee chairs and members-at-large. Almost all positions will be elected by students involved in the IOP, and any student who attends at least half of one committee's meetings during the semester will be eligible to run and vote for these positions.

The elections will take place in November of each year, and the terms last for one year, with committee chairs serving for one semester.

At the end of this academic year, special elections will be held to select the new government that will make the transition until the end of 2001.

The draft proposal is comprehensive, but is still being amended by task force members, who have worked all week on last minute adjustments.

The proposal of the task force can be viewed on the IOP website, and the task force is now collecting e-mails with comments from students.

Task force members say that the most amazing feat that they accomplished was reaching a complete consensus on the proposal.

"We worked on every single point until every single one of us was in agreement," Eugene Krupitsky `02 said at last night's meeting.

Heather A. Woodruff `03, another member of the task force, says the final product incorporates the concerns of all the students who contributed to the group's process of surveying the student body. For the past few weeks, the task force has distributed, collected and analyzed surveys from undergraduates.

"It was all the research we had done, that contributed to the final product," says Woodruff. "We worked so hard, we really came together to reach a consensus."

Task force member Francisco J. Flores `02 notes the progress made in the semester, which had been operating under an interim plan created by Sen. Pryor.

"At the end of last semester, we had a pretty good interim proposal, but looking at what we have now," he said. "I would say it's a lot more complete."

"I think this is going to change the IOP into a more open and democratic organization," says Michael J. Pasante `99, a former SAC member and current member of the IOP task force.

The enthusiasm of staff members on the task force also demonstrates consensus.

"Coming out of the process, we all have a better understanding of the Institute," says Catherine A. Mclaughlin, Executive Director of the IOP. "The new structure allows for communication between the staff and students at all levels, which will prevent many of the problems we experienced before."

President of the IOP's current student governing body Robert F. McCarthy, who was not part of the task force, looked at the document for the first time last night, and agreed that it looked promising.

"The structure is very good, but like any other, it will certainly need to be tinkered with over time," he says. "Students have clamored for years to have a say in the structure of the IOP, and now is their chance. I hope anyone interested in our structure gives his input to the task force."

Pryor also says that he is happy with the outcome that he saw last night. Pryor initiated the process in November, and while he had been following the development of the task force, he did not play an active role in the creation of a new proposal.

"It was better for me not to attend the task force meetings," Pryor says. "I did not want to play the role of Big Brother watching them. I wanted them to act and react freely among themselves."

On the final product, Pryor says he has confidence in the ideas contained within the proposal.

"The basic format looks good," he says. "For the first time, it reflects an openness that students feel is necessary to make the vitality of the IOP a reality."

When the task force finalizes their document over the next couple of days after they receive e-mails from comments from students, they will submit the proposal to Sen. Pryor, and if approved, the proposal will go to the Senior Advisory Board, a graduate board composed of Senator Ted Kennedy and other politicos who monitor the progress of the IOP.

This past Monday, the board came to the Kennedy School for their biannual meeting. According to students and staff members who attended this semester's meeting, it was an unusual success because of the progress that the Institute had made this semester.

"At the meeting, we really presented the innovative things we were doing while in the past, we had been presenting the status quo," says Woodruff. "If we learned anything from the process of the restructured government, it's that communication is key."

Pryor attributed the success of the meeting to the students who presented the progress of the semester and the ideas for the next semester.

"The meeting was fabulous, and what made it so good, was the students," Pryor says. "It was a thrill to see these students so articulate and so passionate about their mission."

Content with the homestretch of his term as President of the IOP, McCarthy looks forward to the new innovations that the new semester and new structured government will include.

"Monday's meeting with the Senior Advisory Board brought to a formal conclusion a unique year at the IOP," McCarthy says. "While our programs attracted record crowds, we had to spend a lot of time working to develop a better internal working system. The Board was impressed with our progress on both fronts."

McCarthy says that IOP will now redirect their focus toward the programs of the new year.

"We are looking forward to spending our energy on our programs and projects rather than our structure," McCarthy says. "Everyone is eager to get back on track."