College Houses Sub-Committees

Committees created by and responsible to the board play an important part in the management of the cooperative and the creation of policy by the board. They have the full power of the board. These committees are composed of various combinations of people from the board, staff, and/or the general membership, chosen by procedures defined by the board.

Each committee has specific areas of responsibility assigned to it by the board, and will have labor and money budgeted to it to use in meeting those responsibilities. The committee may take actions and set corporate wide policies within its area of responsibility.

The Board has four sub-committees that investigate issues affecting College Houses and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. For example, the PFF&D sub-committee investigated acquisition of T-1 internet access and made recommendations to the Board.

• Planning, Finance, Facilities, and Development (PFF&D)
• Management, Operations, Organization (MOO)
• Membership, Education, and Marketing (MEM)
• Central Budget Committee (CBC)
• Ad Hoc Committees
• College Houses Board Minutes
  
  

Planning, Finance, Facilities, and Development (PFF&D)

• Considers goals and objectives in light of our financial resources.
• Acts on recommendations made by MOO and MEM committees.
• Is responsible for establishing a capital improvement program (CIP) and for ensuring facilities are safe, well maintained and adequate to meet needs.
• Is responsible for development programs that would affect the co-op (such as buying and selling property or assisting other organizations.).
• Is responsible for the financial section of the business plan.
  Meets on week opposite board meetings.*

* The above is a summary taken from the General Rules of Operation.

Meeting procedures and voting rights: Full voting rights can be exercised by all board members attending. Non-board house representatives to the committee have voting rights unless their house board representative increases the total house vote.

Committee membership: Three members of the board representing three different houses. One house representative from a house not represented by a board member.

Quorum requirements: Two of three board members must be in attendance.

Functions:

1. Oversees the development of short and long-term plans for
2. College Houses as a whole. This includes things such as improving house facilites, acquiring new property, and upgrading exsiting property.
3. Implements and updates short and long-term goals and business plans.
4. Oversees the yearly budget development process.
5. Makes necessary changes in the budget to accomodate mistakes and shortfalls.
6. Receives financial reports and takes necessary action dictated by such reports to insure continued financial security.
7. Plans for large capital improvement expenditures.

Note: The facilites developoment does not normally include maintenance. Maintenance is an operation, and as such is normally a responsibility of the houses. Only when it is apparent that the house is failing to carry out its responsiblity, or exceeds its authority through exessive expenditures, should PFF&D get involved.

Management, Operations, Organization (MOO)

• Considers goal/objectives in terms of future capability based on house impact as well as the organization as a whole.
• Is charged with overall management of the organization
• Is responsible for oversight of the houses.
• Is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the organization and making recommendations for change.
• Is responsible for staff oversight and evaluating the General Administrator.
• Meets on week opposite board meetings.

*The above is a summary taken from the General Rules of Operation.

Meeting procedures and voting rights: Full voting rights may be exercised by all Board members attending. Non-board house representatives to the committee have voting rights unless their house board representative increases the total house vote.

Committee membership: Three members of the board, representing three different houses. One house representative from a house not represented by a board member.

Quorum requirements: Two of the three board members must be in attendance.

Staff support: General Administrator.

Functions:

1. Oversees house and coporate operations.
2. Monitors and clarifies stuff structure and organizational structure. (Who has authority and responsibility.)
3. Develops and maintains the framework for running CH. An example is the house committees running the house rather than by some other method.
4. Develops and implements innovations in the management of CH in order to make things run better and to keep abreast of modern management tools.
5. Organizes the decesion-making process such as reviewing the By-Laws and if they need to be changed.
6. Evaluates the General Administrator and maintains a close relationship with the administrator in staff matters.

Membership, Education, and Marketing (MEM)

• Considers goals/objectives in terms of future capability based on the impact to the membership.
• Is responsible for membership issues.
• Is responsible for oversight of the marketing program.
• Is responsible for oversight of the education program.
• Meets on week opposite board meetings*

* The above is a summary taken from the General Rules of Operation.

Meeting procedures and voting rights: Full voting rights may be exercised by all Board members attending. Non-board house representatives to the committee have voting rights unless their house board representative increases the total house vote.

Committee membership: Three members of the board, representing three different houses. One house representative from a house not represented by a board member.

Quorum requirements: Two of the three board members must be in attendance.

Staff support: General Administrator.

Functions:

1. Standardizes and maintains procedures for becoming, residing as and losing status as a member of CH. This includes applications, membership agreements, and contracts.
2. Oversees and directs the Education Council.
3. Oversees new-member orientation and current member/officer education about CH.
4. Supervises and oversees the development and implementation of advertising for new members such as ads, brochures, flyers, etc.

Central Budget Committee (CBC)

• Operates under the guidance of PFF&D
• Is comprised of a representative from each house (usually the house treasurers)
• Drafts the annual and 5 year budgets for PFF&D and board approval.
• Is an arm of PFF&D and is not considered a primary subcommittee *

*The above is a summary taken from the General Rules of Operation.

Meeting procedures and voting rights: Full voting rights may be exercised by all Board members attending. Non-board house representatives to the committee have voting rights unless their house board representative increases the total house vote.

Committee membership: Three members of the board, representing three different houses. One house representative from a house not represented by a board member.

Quorum requirements: Two of the three board members must be in attendance.

Staff support: General Administrator.

Functions:

1. Charged with developing the yearly corporate budget for Board approval.
2. Develops potential annual budgets for up to five years in support of the corporate business plan.
3. Provides suggested rent rates for the houses.

Note: The CBC is directed by the PFF&D committee and reports all results and potential budgets, including suggestions and recommendations, to that committee. It is through PFF&D that the board provides guidance to the CBC in its deliberations in forming the budgets.

Ad Hoc Committees

The Board or its subcommittees may, as the need arises, create ad hoc (temporary) committees to deal with specific tasks. If a board subcommittee creates an ad hoc committee, the committee's authority is limited at most to the authority of the parent committee. The Board as a whole may state otherwise if it wishes to provide the ad hoc committee with broader powers. Examples of such committees may be house autonomy issues or to delineate responsibility for house operations, or to figure out ways to attract more people to College Houses.

Ad hoc committees serve a very important function in the operation of an organization as complicated as this one. An important factor in creating ad hoc committees is to realize one of the primary reasons for creating the committee is to get individual and fresh input for the Board to consider. The committee should be comprised of non-board members, however, the boad or its subcommittee, should be active in requesting progress reports and stipulate time and scope limits on the ad hoc committee. A major danger of not monitoring the committee is that it may digress to other issues and not fulfill its primary charter. The primary benefit is allowing a small group to work closely together on a specific issue wiht a minimum of distraction.