Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

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llfIU1l1IUffLNI- Jllcnzbers of the National Federation of Catholfic College Students campus Society, Club and Class. Also in- cluded on the Council are the Regents of the campus Fraternities and the Editors- in-Chief of the undergraduate publica- tions. The purpose of the Council is twofold. First, it strives to maintain a bond of unity among all the student groups on the campus through the expression of opin- ions on pertinent topics by representa- tives of said organizations. Secondly, it is a means through which proper notifi- cation may be made to the Presidents by the Student Council on matters concern- ing Society activities. There are but three oiicicers in this organization of campus leaders. To sup- ervise the activities of the Council, the President of the Student Council has been appointed Student Moderator with the task of counseling this organization as to matters of policy, activity and Stu-

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The position of the N. F. C. C. S. on the College campus, is of major import- ance. Through the diligent cooperation of its members throughout the nation, a closer bond of unity is steadily being at- tained by all College students under Catholic auspices. THE COMMISSION ON STUDENT GOVERNMENT T a meeting of the National Coun- cil of the N. F. C. C. S. in 1940, Manhattan College was made the seat of the National Commission on Stu- dent Government, a body formed to study the problems of undergraduate adminis- tration of campus activity. At the outset, the work of the Student Government Commission was envisioned as involving three main stages: the com- municative stage, in which the collection of data was the primary ob ject, the class- ification stage, in which student govern- ment data was to be studied and as a result there was to be drawn up a statis- tical report on the important phases of student governmentg the evaluation stage, in which, after another thorough study of the data on hand, a model con- stitution was to be drawn up. Such a constitution was considered the crowning achievement and goal of the Commission. The first two stages of the work were carefully and thoroughly pursued to com- pletion, and work on the model constitu- tion was about to commence when the United States entered the war in 1941. The work of the Commission, suspended indefinitely was not reorganized until late in 1945. Early in 1946 the Commis- sion completed the first draft of the model constitution. Numerous copies of the 'first-draft' model were mailed to col- leges in the N. P. C. C. S. requesting basic information on student government formation and organization. At present the Commission is engaged in the important task of selecting a com- prehensive bibliography on the general theme of student government in colleges. Such a bibliography will supply the need of many colleges in the Federation that are adopting a new or improved plan of student government. The Commission on Student Govern- ment looks forward to 1947 for the com- pletion ot the final draft of the model constitution. In preparation for the final publication of this model Constitution the Commission membership will begin study and evaluation work on the first of May of this semester. Members of the Commission on Stu- dent Government are: John F. Sweeney '46, Chairmang John E. Bach '47, John J. McCarthy '48, and John P. Brosnan '48. Brother Alban, Faculty Adviser for the Commission, has assisted the Com- mission in every phase of its work. His constant interest and cooperation have been greatly appreciated by the member- ship of the National Commission on Stu- dent Government. THE PRESIDENTS' COUNCIL T the beginning of the Academic Year of 1945-46, an entirely new organization was formed at Manhattan College. It was named the Presidents' Council, and its membership consisted of the Presidents of every

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dent Council regulations. There is also a Recording Secretary who is elected at the beginning of the Academic Year and is charged with the responsibility of maintaining records and minutes of each meeting and of handling the notices and correspondence of the Council. Lastly, an innovation has been established in the method of securing a meeting Chairman. The Chairmanship is rotated each week, the tenure of oflice lasting but for one gathering. In this manner, all the Presi- dents have an opportunity of presiding over the discussions from the floor at each meeting. The Chairmanship rotates according to the alphabetical order of the names of the campus organizations rep- resented. At the present time with thirty- eight members on the Council, each has had the opportunity to preside at at least one meeting during the year. The manner of voting is likewise dif- ferent from that of other campus organ-- izations. Each ballot is not a vote of the individual but of the society, club or class he represents. A member of the Council may possess the right to cast two or more votes, depending upon the number of or- ganizations he represents. To transact the business of the Council, a majority vote of at least one-half of all the com- ponents of this organization is required. To amend the Constitution, a three- quarters vote is necessary. The inception of the Presidents! Coun- cil did not take place until the latter part of 1945, yet much has been accom- plished by the members in a way that aided them materially in conducting the affairs of the organizations they repre- sent. Improvement in the serving of re- freshments at the Tea Dances was iinally realized, after a report by the Council was presented to the Maintenance Com- mittee. The regulation of meeting schedules and the publicity accorded to Dances sponsored by campus organiza- tions ilourished when the Council was but in its infancy. Gutstanding among the many accom- plishments of the Council during the past academic year has been that strong bond of unity that embraced every organiza- tion represented. It aided the new Society to establish itself and immeasurably helped out the reorganization of that Club or Fraternity that lay dormant dur- ing the war years. Through the aid ren- dered by those organizations that re- mained active despite the depletion of the Student Body in past years, many So- cieties that otherwise would have been lost in the turmoil due to the return of veterans, sustained themselves and be- came so established that the future of their organization was well assured. The culmination of the year's activity of the Council will consist of a Dinner held at the conclusion of the Academic Year. This Dinner will mark the official termination of the activities of the campus leaders of the year 1945-46, and will serve as a testimonial to their efforts to further the name of Manhattan and bring greater glory to their Alma Mater.