VSA Council—the legislative wing of the Vassar Student Association comprised of residence and class presidents, along with the Executive Board—is an open forum for all students. It meets in the College Center multipurpose room at 7 p.m. every Sunday when school is in session. Each week's agenda is posted at least 24 hours ahead of time on the VSA Web site, and each meeting concludes with an "open discussion" segment where any student can raise issues of concern. Still, coming to Council can seem intimidating. The meetings operate according to Robert's Rules of Order, which ensure that speakers are treated fairly and that discussions continue to move along. However, these rules can seem complex to non-Council members. Below, read these frequently asked questions about Council meeting procedures:


Why would I come to Council?
A few reasons. First, if you are on a committee, you might be asked to come and "report" to Council members. These reports are given orally and usually last only a few minutes. You will speak briefly about the major projects your committee is working on, and then give Council members a chance to ask you questions or make suggestions. Second, you might come to Council to make a case for a particular fund allocation. Council is charged with allocating the student activities budget each year; this is an important responsibility, and representatives always attempt to be mindful of the interests of all students when making their allocations. Still, there may be times when your opinion about your needs (or those of your organization) differs from the Finance Committee about your application for a particular fund. Thus, you might be asked to answer questions about the application. A third and final reason to come to Council is simply to get involved. The meetings welcome any and all visitors;

Why are people speaking so strangely?
When attending a meeting, you may hear unusual and unfamiliar language around the table. This language is Robert's Rules of Order—an organized parliamentary procedure common in many local government or board meetings. Roberts Rules ensure that speakers are given equal access to the floor, and that discussions continue to move along. The rules mandate, for instance, that a representative can speak no more than twice on a particular issue. This forces everyone to be concise and to the point, ensuring that our meetings are both substantive and efficient. In order to "do" anything, a speaker must say, "I move to..." For example, "I move to amend the allocation from $500 to $450," or "I move to table this issue until next week's meeting." Visitors to Council do not usually make motions; rather, they speak normally in an effort to convince one or more members of Council, who will make the formal motion/amendment on their behalf.

Why do the Council members call themselves by their position titles rather than their names?
Visitors are often confused about proper Council nomenclature. You might hear, "I disagree strongly with Noyes and Cushing, and prefer the ideas suggested by Operations and 2010." Why bother calling each other by positions rather than names? The idea is that two representatives might have a strong disagreement about a particular issue—for example, passing a particular proposal or allocating a certain level of funding. But at the end of the day, we acknowledge that we are attempting to represent an entire constituency, not just ourselves. Vassar students are always passionate, and the debates that emerge during Council can occasionally become heated. For this reason, we refer to one another by our titles instead of our names as a reminder than we are not attacking people, but rather debating ideas.

What does it mean when Council members knock on the table?
In parliamentary procedure, table knocking generally means "I agree with what is being said." The louder the knock, the more they agree. So if you are making a point and hear some loud knocks, take heart—it means that you're probably doing a good job of making your case.

What is the Speaker's List?
In order to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to speak, Council maintains a Speaker's List. Anyone—Council member or visitor—is entitled to get on the Speaker's List twice on a given issue. This list is kept by our student assistant, who keeps it open and projected on the screen at the front of the room. The person at the top of the list is the next to speak; the person at the bottom of the list will be the last to speak. The names are called by the VSA President who chairs the meeting.

Who are the people at the head of the table?
The six members of the Executive Board sit at the head of the table. The meeting is chaired by the VSA President, who calls names from the speakers list and ensures that the meeting runs smoothly and fairly.

Can I bring up anything I want during open discussion? What about policy proposals and suggestions?
Absolutely. Open discussion allows any member of the student body to speak to their representatives on any issue. However, students should be aware the open discussion often comes at the end of long meetings. To give a complicated or time-consuming issue the time it deserves, it is highly recommended that you contact a member of the Executive Board first. Each member of the Board has particular areas of expertise regarding student issues (e.g., academic concerns, administrative issues, etc.). Most likely, any significant policy proposal would benefit from a conversation with the relevant Executive Board member, since you will have a chance to hear about any recent work that has been done on your particular concern. Members of the Executive Board hold regular weekly office hours. We also recommend talking to your class and/or residence president, who sit on Council as voting members. Feeling them out first on a particular topic might be a good way to gauge wider reaction. Following those sorts of initial conversations, you may also request to have your concern placed on the regular Council agenda so that it can be given the proper time and attention.

So in other words, if I have a proposal on a campus issue (related to administration, academics, student life, etc.), who should I bring it to?
Through the VSA, Vassar students have the capacity to propose concrete policy changes. The VSA has successfully advocated for policies ranging from need-blind admissions to gender-neutral housing. Thus, if students have ideas about virtually any aspect Vassar life, we strongly encourage them to bring them to the VSA. The easiest people to contact are the members of the Executive Board. If your suggestion/concern relates to student life issues (residential life, food, security, etc.), you should speak with the Vice President for Student Life. If it relates to academic life (advising, the curriculum, the faculty, etc.), you should speak with the Vice President for Academics. If it relates to any other area of Vassar life (broader policies, the administration, etc.), you should speak with the President and/or the Vice President for Operations. The Vice President for Operations would have a good sense of work currently being done on College committees, who might already be considering the issues in your proposal. The President would have a sense of the administration's overall views on broader areas of student life, and would be able to direct you to the relevant vice president or administrator. Through these conversations with Executive Board members, you will discover the best channels to direct your suggestions/concerns.