The Council on Student Organizations, responsible for the distribution of funds for many student activities, will soon restructure its member selection process in favor of a procedure proponents say will yield a more representative body.
In the past, COSO selected its members through a process in which only current Council members voted to choose new participants. Under the new plan, approved by COSO members but tabled for further discussion today, members would be selected though an independent committee.
"The committee will include two senior COSO members, two past student organization presidents, one student who is a member of the undergraduate finance committee and one administrator," COSO member Aly Rahim '02 said.
The proposed changes come in response to criticism that COSO, because its membership was self-selecting, did not represent the interests of the student organizations it served.
"COSO wants to increase its legitimacy, and making the selection process appear more democratic will make people feel closer to the process," council member Carl Gieringer '03 said.
Prospective members will still be selected from this year's freshman class and will serve on the committee their entire time at Dartmouth.
Like the older procedure, the prospective members will go though an interview process. Instead of being interviewed by COSO, the applicants will now be interviewed by the separate search committee.
"This process makes COSO more accountable by including the organization presidents," Rahim said.
Every year, COSO distributes approximately $170,000 among different student organizations.
"I think people know they rely significantly on this group," Rahim said. "I think an election would be helpful, but at least this way students get to choose."
COSO member Kumar Garg '03 said that the new selection process avoids the pitfalls presented by some of the other possible solutions that were considered.
"If we had an election, it could become a popularity contest, and if it had become [a Student Assembly] committee, it would have lost its independence and could have become politicized," Garg said.
Selection of new COSO members from the Class of 2005 will take place later this spring.
