The How

The How

These articles detail the specific ways we plan to carry out our vision. They’ve been published throughout the week and now they are all here! The first is Biola Leading Together, yesterday’s post is Biola Serving Together and today’s is Biola Responding Together. Be sure to take a look and see how we plan to carry out our vision and meet your needs!

The How: Biola Responding Together

Problem: The Coalition for Social Action (CSA) is a new and growing department in AS. Though in its first year as a permanent branch of AS, it is still understaffed.

Result: CSA is able to provide some events and services to students, creating awareness. However, the lack of a paid staff prevents CSA from providing students with opportunities for action.

Solution: Increase the CSA staff from 1 to 3 by making the Activist Staff and Awareness Staff positions (currently held by volunteers) paid positions. By increasing paid position staff, CSA will be able to spend more time on vital research and provide more opportunities for students to make a difference in response to social issues.

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Problem: Sometimes students feel like awareness is focused on issues that they can do nothing about, leaving them with nothing but guilt or disillusionment.

Result: Students attend few events focused on improving awareness because they don’t think they can do anything in response.

Solution: Help CSA host events that bring awareness on issues that students can interact with on a consistent basis. For example, whether its necessities or luxuries, all of us buy things. CSA can partner with students by researching companies, determining whether or not they operate under fair trade and treat their employees appropriately. This information can, in turn, be provided to you in order to help you make everyday decisions—like which companies you should or shouldn’t purchase from—and respond together in ways can make a real difference across the globe.

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The How: Biola Serving Together

Problem: While students at Biola have demonstrated a true desire for service, the kinds of service opportunities provided don’t always fit into students’ busy academic schedules.

Result: Instead of acting on their desire to serve, some students don’t get the chance to get involved in the community.

Solution: Increase the amount of Serve Days from once per semester to 4 per semester. Serve Days were started under Mark Heath and Justin Devesta and are service opportunities that only take a few hours, and they’re close to home. They also count for chapel credit. By increasing the amount of Serve Days busy students can still have the opportunity to serve and make God known within the community.

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Problem: Under the current system clubs can get money to sponsor a service project but often times planning a project takes more time than club leaders can afford.

Result: Clubs miss out of the unifying opportunity of serving alongside one another.

Solution: We will provide clubs with service projects and opportunities if they want to participate in them, so that they don’t have to plan as much. Also we will expand the current club service initiative, which allows clubs to fund service projects, and reward clubs that participate in a service project with extra funding. This will not change normal club funding but is rather added on top of the usual club funding. The result will be a more unified club because of the service accomplished together with the added benefit of extra funding.

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The How: Biola Leading Together

Problem: Every year, the new President and VP’s campaign platform becomes the vision for AS during their term. While it is important that the administration carry out their campaign platform, if it becomes the vision, then the AS vision is inconsistent every year.

Result: Instead of spending time helping students make God known and use the tools they’ve been given here to glorify Him, AS spends its time redeveloping its vision year after year.

Solution: Form committees consisting of President, Vice President, VP of MarComm, VP of Finance (Executive Leadership Team), Service Chairs, Senators, and a student vision panel to investigate/define the function and purpose of AS and to prayerfully write a simple vision for the entire organization to be established as a lasting part of the organization. Once the vision for AS has been written, send it to the Senate for a vote of approval. After the Senate approves it, work to cast the new vision and begin evaluating everything we do to determine whether or not it matches with that vision.

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Problem: Under the current system, Senators don’t receive significant training throughout the year. This means that connecting with residents is difficult.

Result: Students are not represented as well as they could be and do not always know their senator.

Solution: Provide training sessions throughout the year so that senators understand their job well, can become better communicators, and can be more comfortable relating to their residents. Provide time in Senate meetings for Senators to meet in committees for projects that bring real results to students—similar to the tv’s in the Gym, Hope sidewalk, Serve Day, and the Horton sound boards.

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Problem: Aside from senate rounds, there are currently few systems to actually hear the student voice.

Result: AS often comes up with good ideas, but sometimes these are out of touch with the student voice; students may not want certain events or may not want their money to be spent certain ways.

Solution: Meetings with marketing professors and experts on campus to develop good methods of research and ways to use that research to help AS grow. This may include starting focus groups, surveys, and outside research.