O’Connell Center Advisory Board

The O’Connell Center Advisory Board is comprised of faculty, staff, community and student members as well as Budget, Facilities and Activities Committees. Procedures for selection of members follow:

FACULTY/STAFF/COMMUNITY MEMBERS
When a faculty, staff or community member vacates a position on the Advisory Board, the Advisory Board and the Center’s Director make recommendations for a new member to the Vice President of Business Affairs. He/she then makes a recommendation to the President, or his/her designee, who makes the final approval for a new member. Faculty and staff members of the Advisory Board represent various areas of the University that have a special interest in the O’Connell Center.

STUDENT MEMBERS
The Vice President for Student Affairs will request that a Student Affairs staff member, without vote, chair the Screening Selection Committee. The Chair has the responsibility of convening the group and providing basic staff work needed. The Screening Selection Committee shall be composed of three students and two faculty members appointed by the Screening Selection Committee Chair, and one member of the O’Connell Center’s administrative staff who is appointed by their Director. The faculty members on the Screening Selection Committee are current and former members of the Advisory Board. The student members on the screening Selection Committee are appointed without reference to their campus title, position, or organizational affiliation. The students should, to the extent possible, represent a cross section of campus in areas such as sex, race, place of residence, class and college. The responsibilities of the Screening Selection Committee are as follows:

  • Prepare appropriate application forms and post them online. Applications are available on the Student Affairs Website as well as on the O’Connell Center Website.
  • Publicize the work of the Committee and the availability of applications.
  • Receive all applications, carefully review them and conduct Committee interviews.
  • Recommend students to the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Student Body President. The ranking system is decided by the Chair of the Screening Selection Committee.

o The Student Body President will select eleven students which he/she will then recommend to the Vice President for Student Affairs for approval. Two of the eleven students will serve as alternates on the Advisory Board.
o The O’Connell Center’s Director, in consultation with the Vice President for Student Affairs, will recommend one of the students selected to serve as Chairperson.

The Student Body President can recommend someone for the Advisory Board who was not chosen by the Screening Selection Committee; however, the Vice President for Student Affairs can reject such a nomination and would expect the Student Body President to provide a reason for the exception.

TIMELINE

  • The Chair of the Screening Selection Committee should be appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs in early March.
  • The Chair will work with the Vice President for Student Affairs Office in preparing the appropriate application forms and assuring that the Advisory Board positions are advertised extensively throughout campus. The deadline for applications is normally the first week of April.
  • The Screening Selection Committee shall recommend names to the Vice President for Student Affairs and the President of the Student Body by a deadline of mid April.
  • The President of the Student Body shall make his/her recommendations to the Vice President for Student Affairs no later than April 30th.
  • The Chairs of Accent and Student Government Productions shall serve as ex-officio members of the Advisory Board.

COMMITTEES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
Budget Committee:

  • Works with the O’Connell Center business manager to review expenses and profits. Responsible for the annual compilation of the O’Connell Center budget. Also presents the budget to the Advisory Board.
  • Reviews annual budget analyzing components of revenue and expense for presentation to the entire board. The guidelines to be followed include an annual average of income over expense of approximately five (5) percent.
  • Annually reviews the fees charged for various uses of the facility.
  • Holds a mid-year budget review to compare actual expenditures to budgeted expenditures for the six month period, and makes appropriate recommendations for the remainder of the year.

Facilities Committee:

  • Reviews and makes recommendations on requests to alter the O’Connell Center, such as space allocations, the addition of furnishings, equipment, and construction projects.

Activities Committee:

  • Works with various operating/use, and marketing of the O’Connell Center.

Find out more on how to become a part of the advisory board HERE.