STPEC students have the opportunity not only to make decisions themselves about their own education, but also to provide leadership and vision to the STPEC major.

Information for STPEC students about the STPEC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

STPEC is a student-run major that is committed to independent, critical thinking. This means that students have the opportunity as majors not only to make decisions themselves about their own education, but also to provide leadership and vision to the major itself. The STPEC Executive Committee is the official governing body of the major and is one very important way students are empowered to determine STPEC policy and educational vision. Consisting of STPEC students and staff and supportive UMass faculty, the Executive Committee is a representative body that uses a consensus decision-making process to determine policy. Issues are gathered by students and staff during the semester and presented to the Executive Committee for final approval or direction.

At the beginning of each semester, students in each STPEC course and in the first and second-year classes elect a representative to the Executive Committee. The responsibility of that rep is to communicate the concerns of the students he/she represents to the Executive Committee and to report back on decisions made by the Executive Committee, which meets at least once each semester.

All student reps to the Executive Committee caucus at least once during the semester to clarify what the students’ issues/concerns are, so that together they can communicate them to the Executive Committee. Voting together, students have enough voices on the Executive Committee to veto any action that another Executive Committee member may propose.

The Executive Committee allows students to determine how the STPEC Program is run and what policies it chooses to pursue. YOU can be a representative to the Executive Committee and be part of democracy in action in our student-run program! Please consider running for Executive Committee rep when your class seeks nominations for the Committee. (And it looks great on a resume, too!)

For more information about serving on the STPEC Executive Committee please contact Deborah Reiter, STPEC Program Coordinator, at 545-0043 or stpec@sbs.umass.edu.