Committees
Committee Overview
Each participant serves on one of four committees: communication and languages, politics and international affairs, food and pop culture, and health and ecology. Each committee is a self-directed, cohesive group. Individuals are placed into a committee based on their ranking for each of the committees by interest (when they apply for Madison International program). An individual's choices are not guaranteed as numbers must be equalized and roommates ideally should be on different committees.
One of the major roles of the committees is to develop greater awareness of a pertinent global issue that is manifest in the local Harrisonburg-Rockingham community. In collaboration with the respective faculty advisor, each committee chooses an issue to investigate locally which relates to the committee theme. Members may use some September International Week events as a good introduction to global issues. Members then choose/design a related service-learning project to complete as a committee. Faculty advisors aid the committee in providing context for the issue in question as well as perspective related to the faculty member’s area of expertise. Students use their year-long lived experience along with the faculty member’s guidance to craft a presentation to be given at the Madison International Symposium to take place in April.
Committee co-chairs work together to help their respective committees grow together as a team; the co-chairs also lead the weekly committee meetings at which hall events relating to the committee’s area of emphasis may be planned. Each committee is responsible for planning and implementing at least 3 activities each semester. Committee leadership consists of a co-chairperson arrangement with a Resident Adviser (RA) serving as one of the co-chairs for each committee (RACC). Each committee then identifies (through election) a resident who will serve as the other co-chair (RCC).
The four committee co-chairs who are residents (RCCs) will comprise the entirety of Community Council; this group designates one member to serve as hall treasurer and custodian of the Community Council funds. Thus, committees will have two sources of funding for activities and events — hall programming funds which can be accessed through the RA Co-Chair (RACC) and Community Council funds which can be accessed through the Resident Co-Chair (RCC).
The role of the faculty advisor of each committee is to aid that committee in:
- developing a suitable service-learning project(s) associated with the committee’s theme;
- making sense of the issues inherent in the specific site(s) based on the faculty member’s disciplinary perspective; and
- helping the committee to create a presentation of their learning for the Madison International Symposium.
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Committees' Responsibilities and Set-up
Each committee has the following responsibilities and set-up:
Health & Ecology:
- Set-up:
- One Faculty Advisor- Dr. Jonathan Miles
- One (RACC) Resident Advisor Co-Chair
- One (RCC) Resident Co-Chair
- Responsibilities:
- Develop a project or series of projects in which committee members go out into the local community to serve others. For example: participate in various tasks associated with the Black’s Run Greenway project;
- RCC enters his/her perception of the dialogue and reflection of the committees' projects onto the Madison International Health and Ecology blog.
- Create three engaging activities each semester for the rest of the community based on your committee’s area of interest. For example: plan a social hike, organize an intramural team or an event that addresses community issues in the hall.
- Put together a synopsis of what you have learned for presentation in the Spring during the Madison International Symposium.
Politics & International Affairs:
- Set-up:
- One Faculty Advisor- Dr. Shah Hanifi
- One (RACC) Resident Advisor Co-Chair
- One (RCC) Resident Co-Chair
- Responsibilities:
- Develop a project or series of projects in which committee members go out into the local community to serve others. For example: help volunteer at the Gandhi Center for Nonviolence or assist with Refugee Resettlement.
- RCC enters his/her perception of the dialogue and reflection of the committees' projects onto the Madison International Politics and International Affairs blog
- Create three engaging activities each semester for the rest of the community based on your committee’s area of interest. For example: organize panels to discuss the presidential elections of a said country the running candidates' foreignpolicy plans or an event that addresses how international affairs issues are affecting everyone in the hall.
- Put together a synopsis of what you have learned for presentation in the Spring during the Madison International Symposium.
Food & Pop Culture:
- Set-up:
- One Faculty Advisor- Dr. Cheryl Beverly
- One (RACC) Resident Advisor Co-Chair
- One (RCC) Resident Co-Chair
- Expectations:
- Develop a project or series of projects in which committee members go out into the local community to serve others. For example: look at issues of hunger by serving at various food pantries/soup kitchens in the area;
- RCC enters his/her perception of the dialogue and reflection of the committees' projects onto the Madison International Food and Pop Culture blog
- Create three engaging activities each semester for the rest of the community based on your committee’s area of interest. For example: international food and music night; politics and international affairs could host a debate on a contemporary issue;
- Put together a synopsis of what you have learned for presentation in the Spring during the Madison International Symposium.
Language & Communication:
Set-up:
- One Faculty Advisor- Dr. Lucy Bednar
- One (RACC) Resident Advisor Co-Chair
- One (RCC) Resident Co-Chair
- Expectations:
- Develop a project or series of projects in which committee members go out into the local community to serve others. For example: tutor or run an educational program for ESL students through Migrant Education or the Dayton Learning Center and then research aspects of intercultural/international communication, immigration, or integration of migrants into communities.
- RCC enters his/her perception of the dialogue and reflection of the committees' projects onto the Madison International Language and Communication blog
- Create three engaging activities each semester for the rest of the community based on your committee’s area of interest. For example: language and communication could offer a workshop on intercultural communication.
- Put together a synopsis of what you have learned for presentation in the Spring during the Madison International Symposium.
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