What is Board?

1. As a member of the BSC, you may be wondering what is the Board of Directors? As a non-profit housing cooperative organization, we must elect individuals to a body that can act as legal fiduciaries for the entire organization. This body acts as the ultimate decision-making body in the BSC; they discuss and vote on policies that are created by committees. 

2. Who are these individuals that serve in the Board? These individuals are known as the Board Members (also known as Board Representatives and Board Directors). Each of these individuals are elected by each unit to act as both legal fiduciaries for the organization and liaisons between the Board and their respective units.

3. What are committees, how are they different from the Board? Each board member serves in one of the committees. Most committees are composed by a chairperson, at least four board members, and at least one staff member. Committees are the decision-making bodies where policy, programs, or high-level work is first discussed and developed. These committees vet their projects, and send it to the Cabinet who decides whether it is ready for consideration of the Board. Current committees that operate in our governance structure are: Internal Affairs Committee (IACom), Capital & Finance Committee (CFCom), Experience & Training Committee (ETCom), and External Affairs Committee (EACom).  

• a note on Task Forces: the Board may decide to create at least one task force per year to work on particular project(s). These task forces operate the same way a committee does, but a task force may be composed of non board members. They are composed by a chairperson, at least two board members, at least two members at large selected from the membership, and when necessary, at least one senior staff member.  

4. What is the Cabinet, how are they different from the Board? The Cabinet is the executive committee of the Board of Directors. They are composed of the BSC President, four VPs who chair committees, two NECMs who are board members who sit and vote in the Cabinet, and four senior staff members. The Cabinet is the strategic-making body in the BSC that "... is responsible for maintaining a broad view of BSC governance and ensuring that key issues are framed, prioritized, coordinated, and addressed by the organization (I.B.1 Cabinet)". In other words, they are the conveyor belt between committees and the board that decide whether proposals from committee are ready for the consideration of the board. Also they can be interpreted as the committee that does higher-level strategic planning and work in the organization.

a video that explains our governance structure by Austin Pritzkat, BSC President (Su 15 - Sp 16)

5. Could a board member vote in the best interest of their unit or vote for what their house wants? No, as a legal fiduciary they are expected to make an informed vote for the best interests of the entire organization. At times what is best for the organization may coincide for what is best for a unit, but most of the time they be in conflict with each other. In order to make an informed decision, a board member must take in the presented facts and other considerations, and decide whether the presented facts and other considerations coincide with the best interests of the organization. Non board members may lack this necessary information to make informed decisions. This is why a board member must vote with their own accord as they are provided with the necessary information to make informed decisions for the organization. 

• At most a unit or other persons should inform a board member's decision, not influence their decision. 

6. How could I get involved in the Board? They are many ways to participate as a member you can attend any cabinet meeting, board meeting, and committee meeting. Talk to your board member about your interest of participating and getting more involved. However if you desire to be more involved, here are some suggestions: (1) run for board member in your unit, (2) apply for a member at large position for a task force or task force chairperson position, (3) apply to become a committee or task force administrative assistant, (4) attend Board dinners hosted by the NECMs, or (5) run for ASUC Co-op Senator under the Co-op Party!!