House Information

Current House
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COMMITTEES

Each committee is formed at the beginning of each year. All House members are required to participate on at least one Committee (or hold an E-Board position) one semester per academic year. Committee participants are responsible for the existence and sustainment of a committee. Membership on all committees is a semester-long commitment and should therefore be taken seriously. All committee heads are elected semi-annually by House members during one of the first House meetings of the fall semester. The head of each committee is responsible for making sure the committee runs efficiently and pursues originally specified purposes.

Committee Chair
The responsibilities of the committee head include:
  1. Creating a timeline of set goals to accomplish for the semester
  2. Meeting with the Secretary each month to ensure the committee is accomplishing its goals
  3. Planning meetings: Meetings should be held at least once a month. Two committees cannot meet at the same time on the same day. Meeting times should be posted on the refrigerator in advance of the meeting.
  4. Running the meetings according to proposed agenda
  5. Being prepared to update the rest of the House members on committee progress (i.e. current issues, projects, events) at each House meeting
  6. Appointing a member of the committee as note-taker
  7. Completing all appropriate forms, attendance sheets, timelines, etc.
  8. Maintaining an organized committee binder with copies of all materials (i.e. committee agendas, minutes, poster originals-updated, changes to policies, etc.)
  9. Taking attendance at meetings and excusing absences at their discretion
  10. Delegating work to participants to involve everyone in the committee
  11. Keeping track on the progress of delegated work

Committee Participant
The responsibilities of the committee participant include:
  1. Attending all meetings unless excused by the committee chair
  2. Participating at committee meetings
  3. Making a substantial time commitment to the committee
  4. Being able to give time outside of meetings to help accomplish the goals of the committee

APPEALS, LIFEBOOK & LEGAL ISSUES COMMITTEE
Appeals, Lifebook and Legal Issues will compose one committee.
The purpose of this committee is threefold:
  1. to serve as a check on presidential decisions
  2. to review the H.E.R. Lifebook annually and make any recommendations or appropriate changes to the HER Lifebook with House approval, and
  3. work with the HERAA to resolve ongoing legal disputes.
The Appeals section of the committee is composed of the chairperson who must be an old House member, the Secretary, a new House member, and two other House members, with the exception of the President and Vice President, who are not permitted to serve on the committee. The newly elected spring semester Secretary will replace the fall semester Secretary at the beginning of her term.

The Lifebook section of this committee is responsible for editing existing policies and procedures as well as proposing new policies that the house members feel are necessary. All changes will be proposed and voted on at the house meetings.

To file a complaint with the committee, a letter must be given to the committee chairperson stating the problem, presidential decision, and reason for appealing. The committee chairperson will then review the letter and give a copy to the President. The President will in turn write a response to the appeal�s letter. Thereafter, the committee will meet to review both letters. If it is decided that more information is needed to deliver a decision, both parties will be contacted for a meeting(s) with the committee. During this meeting(s) both parties will be given ample opportunity to restate/clarify their position. If a compromise between the parties is possible, the committee shall grant it.

Decisions by the committee are passed by majority vote (3/5) and are final. If no decision can be made, then the President�s first decision shall stand.

If a conflict of interest arises because the person appealing a presidential decision is also on the committee, a temporary replacement can be appointed by the committee from interested candidates.

The Legal Issues section of the committee is responsible for all of the House�s legal issues. This involves an unresolved issue between the legal responsibilities of Boston University to the House, a disputed amount to be paid for renovations, and the terms regarding the trust left by Harriet E. Richards. Currently, the committee is working with the HERRA to resolve these legal issues by putting the responsibilities of the House to Boston University in writing, documenting the content of the disputes to preserve the legal history and clarity, and looking to hire a suitable lawyer for the House.


INTERVIEWING, MARKETING & PR COMMITTEE

Involvement with the interviewing section of this committee has historically been very popular throughout the House. This section is responsible for interviewing House Member and House Director applicants and making the final decisions in accepting or deferring applicants. The committee also reviews the application and interviewing process annually. Recent improvements have been made on the applications and in the interviewing process to better gage candidates� applying for House membership.

The committee consists of the President, who must sit in on all interviews, the chairperson, at least one new House member, and other interested House members.

Other detailed interviewing procedures are described in the Interviewing Process and Format Guidelines, which can be obtained from the President or committee chairperson.

The Marketing/PR section of this committee is responsible for publicizing the H.E.R. House. In the past this has been accomplished via email, flyers, a website, the Daily Free Press, word of mouth, and through the Specialty Housing Expo. in the spring of each year. The Harriet E. Richards email address is: [email protected]. Through extra effort, the committee has attracted an increasing number of applicants to the House. Committee members have given House tours and provided information sessions to interested applicants.


SPECIAL ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

The Special Activities committee promotes fun and relaxation for House members throughout the hectic year. The committee generally plans one activity per month. Some recent activities held are ice cream socials, movie night, games night, dress-up dinners, ice-skating trips, etc. Everyone is encouraged to attend, have a good time and further build the community and family environment of the House.

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