Please review the information on the left for more information:
Our program proposal retreat to finalize our Fall 2009 programming schedule will be held on April 26.
Committee Chairpersons will most likely have almost all of their program proposals selected by April 3.
So, we recommend sending out material so that we receive it around Friday, February 27.
Please allow us to be upfront: We do not work exclusively with ANY agency. We are generally loyal to agencies that we have worked with several times before, and we do not often actively seek new agencies to replace our current agencies. However, if other agencies send offers to us, we will consider them.
So you've identified which Committee you would like to work with. Now how do you work with them? Like many other program boards, our organization employees lots of checks and balances when setting our programming schedule. Some agencies become frustrated by these checks and balances and complain that they are too bureaucratic. These checks are balances are necessary, however, to ensure that we are providing the highest quality programs and most appropriately allocating valuable student fee dollars. So, we greatly appreciate your patience and flexibility!
If a very unique circumstance arises, we can circumvent our traditional program selection process. This is reserved, however, for "once in a lifetime" opportunities that require a quicker decision.
Typically, however, we select our programs one semester in advance. For spring semester events (held January through May), this typically means we have completely set our programming schedule by mid-November. For fall semester events (held August through December), this typically means we have completely set our programming schedule by mid-April! Our program selection process involves Committees selecting which programs they would like to host and then the General Board (made up of 16 student leaders) finalizing our programming schedule. No Chairperson has the authority to book any sort of program without first getting the proposal approved by the General Board!
The General Board reviews program proposals and finalized programming schedules during a one-day retreat. Committees will select which programs they would like to propose as early as one month prior to this retreat. So, we recommend sending Committee Chairpersons programming materials as early as two months prior to this retreat. Please review the chart on the right for more information about the next upcoming program proposal retreat.
We will often allocate money for a particular line item (i.e. "Musician," "Comedian," "Novelty Item," "Inflatable," "Movie," etc.) without selecting the exact performer/item until later on. In other words, we might approve a program during the spring semester to host a hypnotist on a Thursday in November (and allocate a certain amount of money to cover expenses). When this happens, we might select the exact hypnotist in September or October.
If your agency deals with promotional material, we can easily consider your products and services anytime year-round, as these decisions are made separately from programming decisions.