¶ Overview
MSA committees are an important source of community enrichment and activism. This page is targeted primarly at the Internal Vice President and MSA Board as a whole, listing out the expectations and timeline that should be fulfilled for a successful implementation of the MSA's committee program.
¶ Prerequisites
Managing MSA Committees requires that you understand what is expected from committees. Make sure to read and understand the following first:
Committee Expectations Deliverables & Job Descriptions¶ Board Member Support
The Internal Vice President serves to support committee heads and their committees by providing feedback and guidance for their ideas, initiatives, and events. Every board member, however, is also responsible for supporting Committee Heads in their own ways.
- The President brings everyone around a common motivating vision
- The External Vice President offers connections to other organizations and supports the strengthening of committee partnerships
- The Treasurer offers expense and budget management resources for committee events
- The Communications Director helps publicize committee progress
- The Educational Coordinator grounds committee initiatives in Islamic principles
- The Sisters and Brothers Directors helps Committee Heads develop a sense of community amongst their members
Committee Heads have dedicated their time and effort to the service of their community. It is crucial that Board Members recognize this and welcome them as part of a cohesive and supportive leadership team. At the beginning of each semester, each committee will be assigned to one board member. That board member will be expected to attend at least 5 of that committee's meetings as a source of support. Board members should also welcome Committee Heads reaching out to them on Slack for resources and guidance. Leadership trainings should emphasize these points such that Committee Heads never feel isolated.
¶ Timeline
This section outlines all stages of Committee Head appointment, training, and management.
¶ Applications
It is the Internal Vice President's responsibility to recruit committee heads for the six MSA committees as well as any ad hoc committees that may become necessary during their term (ex: conference).
Within the last three weeks of each semester, the Internal Vice President will be responsible for sending out a copy of the following committee head appliction and working with the Communications Director to publicize it. The goal is to have enough submissions by the first week of the summer and winter breaks to inform committee heads of their appointment and allow them to prepare for a semester of service. In the case that not enough submissions have been collected, the application deadline may be extended up until the first day of the following semester.
Previous Committee Heads do not have to fill out the whole application when reapplying at the end of their term; a shorter application is offered (linked below). A continued term to returning Committee Heads is not guaranteed. Previous Committee Heads are judged based on their past performance in the role, and, in the case of an underperforming Committee Head and an especially compelling application from another individual, it is acceptable (though rare) to not choose a committee head for a continued term.
New Committee Head Application Template Make a copy- Returning Committee Head Application Template Make a copy
After making a copy, save this application in the UCBMSA > Committees > Committee Head Applications Google Drive folder.
Make sure to read all the questions in the template application and fill in any blanks. Most notably, make sure to include the date and time of the Committee Head Orientation in the question that references it.
¶ Selection
As is outlined in the committee expectations page, the primary role of each Committee Head is to facilitate event planning within their committees. Although a demonstration of innovative ideas is beneficial, those who are most likely to effectively serve as facilitators within a committee and uphold professional practices are prioritized in the selection process. The Internal Vice President should evaluate each applicants submissions and collect input from the rest of the MSA board before making a final selection. The Internal Vice President should plan to select and inform Committee Heads at least a few weeks before the beginning of the semester in order to allow them to prepare for the expected commitment.
¶ Orientation
During the first weekend of each semester, the Internal Vice President will conduct an in-person orientation for all the selected Committee Heads. Attendance is mandatory. The orientation will review committee expectations and logistics as well as outline the MSA board's strategic plan (vision, mission, goals). All board members should be present to introduce themselves to the new leadership cohort and offer their support.
Committee Head Training Slides Make a copyAfter making a copy, save these slides in the UCBMSA > Committees > Committee Head Training Google Drive folder.
Some logistical points that will be covered during this orientation:
- Navigating committee Google Drive structure
- Using Slack and setting notifications to "All new messages"
- Reviewing rules associated with using a Divvy credit card
¶ Welcome Week
Welcome Week Tabling is one of the most trafficked events of the year and the place for direct primary exposure between leadership and the community. The Internal Vice President and any confirmed committee heads should be tabling during this period and outlining the committee system and past projects. The IVP should have a pitch ready for the committees as a whole and each committee individually to help boost recruitment.
¶ Facebook Marketing
Between the Committee Head Orientation and the first Community Night is a time for committee heads to make their digital debut. During leadership meeting, have all Committee Heads provide a Facebook post draft introducing themselves, their goal for their committee, and a short rundown of potential projects (basically, a modified tabling spiel). Organize a schedule for them to post their spiels on Facebook during a certain timeframe each on different days of the week to maximize visibility leading up to Community Night.
¶ Welcome Community Night
The first community night of each semester will occur during the second week and serve to inform the general community about the mission of the MSA and the various ways in which they can get involved. The Internal Vice President should break down the committee system and introduce committee heads to give the aforementioned Facebook spiel (one minute or less) in person. If, for whatever reason, there is a vacant committee head slot at that point, the Internal Vice President should call for applications during Community Night. Additionally, during Community Night there should be a further reminder for committee member signups. Committee registrations for regular membership "closes" the Friday night after Community Night (it doesn't close; community members may sign up at any time; but that is when committee heads should take stock of the when2meet and send out welcome emails detailing space/time for meetings and first meeting minutes).
¶ Committee Member Signups
During the first two weeks of each semester, the Internal Vice President will work with the Communications Director to publicize general committee signups. Sign up forms should follow the template linked below. The IVP must make a separate signup form for each committee. The IVP must also include a distinct when2meet.com link in every sign up form (see template). The IVP will work with the Communications Director to link these forms to the committees page on our website. After the Friday following the Welcome Community Night, Committee Heads should be instructed to reference the when2meet links to identify a weekly time that works best for most members.
General Committee Signup Form Template Make a copyAfter making a copy, save these sign up forms in the UCBMSA > Committees > MSA Committees External > Committee Signups Google Drive folder.
¶ Leadership Meetings
Every week, the Internal Vice President will facilitate a leadership meeting with all committee heads, board members, and sister organization representatives present. The IVP must conduct the meeting according to the following bylaws.
Leadership Meeting Bylaws Structure and content of meetingsThe content of each meeting will generally follow the timeline outlined below.
¶ Week 1
No meeting; Committee Heads attend orientation on the weekend.
¶ Week 2
- All MSA leadership should be asked to introduces themselves
- IVP should have a fun icebreaker planned to get everyone talking and comfortable
- Last 30 minutes: a talk by guest scholar about Islamic leadership
The first few leadership meetings will be naturally short because attendees won't have many updates as the semester starts up. This is an excellent time to schedule guest speakers for leadership trainings during the last 30-40 minutes of the meeting. These trainings should excite the MSA leadership to serve and equip them with knowledge to do so more effectively.
¶ Week 3
- Committee Heads instructed to send out welcome emails to all committee signups with a finalized meeting time
- IVP should give Committee Heads recommendations for their first meetings
- Good practice to start meetings with an Islamic reminder
- Should focus on introductions and defining expectations
- Have everyone introduce themselves
- Introduce the committee
- Have conversation about the committee’s focus area (What is community service, dawah, political action, etc?)
- Go over committee expectations, deliverables and values (weekly meetings, recurring, keynote events, etc)
- Review previous committee events/initiatives that should be continued
- Begin brainstorming new event ideas
- Mention the various committee officer roles and ask if anyone is interested in a role
- Take down names of people who are interested in officer positions and hold them accountable to meeting attendance
- Collect updates on upcoming events from sister organization representatives
- Last 30 minutes: leadership training by guest speaker
¶ Week 4
- Check in with each committee about how their first meetings went
- Ask directed questions about how many people attended, event ideas discussed, officer positions, etc.
- IVP should give Committee Heads recommendations for their second meetings
- Like always for every meeting, instruct Committee Heads to send out an email a day or two in advance with the meeting time, location, and agenda
- Start meeting with short Islamic reminder
- Explore the significance of a relevant Hadith or Ayah
- Assign every week to a different member to keep people engaged
- Focus on brainstorming ideas for the committee’s recurring event, keynote event and partnership
- Assign committee officers if didn't get the chance during the first meeting
- Instruct Committee Heads to schedule a committee social within the next two weeks
- They can use their committee allowance to grab dinner or dessert with their committee members
- Help committee members get to know one another and develop trust
- Collect updates on upcoming events from sister organization representatives
¶ Week 5
- Check in with each committee about how their second meetings went
- Ask directed questions about how many people attended, event ideas discussed, officer positions, etc.
- Check in on the status of their committee social
- Collect updates on upcoming events from sister organization representatives
¶ Remainder of Semester
Continue to...
- Check in with progress of events
- Allow board members to offer targeted advice, support, and resources
- Collect updates on upcoming events from sister organization representatives
- Schedule leadership trainings from guest speakers every 2-3 weeks
¶ Mid-Semester Evaluations
In the last half to one third of each semester, the Internal Vice President must send out the following evaluation and feedback form to all committee heads. The IVP will share the results from this evaluation with the rest of the board and identify ways that the committee head program can be improved.
Committee Head Feedback Template Make a copyAfter making a copy, save this form in the UCBMSA > Committees > Committee Head Feedback Google Drive folder.
¶ Event Documentation
Throughout the semester, and particularly at the end, the Internal Vice President will ask that each Committee Head document detailed instructions on how to replicate the events they successfully planned. These may take the form of a document in the Google Drive and/or a page on this wiki. The IVP should also ask Committee Heads to tidy up their committee Google Drive folders, consolidate resources, and upload all media from events.
¶ Booking Committee Meeting Rooms
The Internal Vice President is responsible for booking rooms for committee meetings. Once Committee Heads finalize a time from the when2meet links on their sign up forms, they will inform the IVP who will immediately reserve meeting rooms on campus during that time. The most recommended rooms are Eshleman Hall second and third floor conference rooms. These rooms become unavailable quickly. Once committees settle in, the IVP should go ahead and book rooms for every remaining week of the semester.
Booking Spaces How to reserve various campus spaces¶ Comprehension Quiz
If you were instructed to read this page as part of an online training curriculum, you must submit this quiz and answer all questions correctly. In the case that you do not answer a question correctly, you may view which questions were incorrect and take the quiz again.
