Programming Council to try new system
Project directors to work together on events
By Jessica Sanders
Staff Reporter

Programming Council’s new structure is designed to increase efficiency and has received both positive and negative feedback, says PC Vice President CiAnn Ardoin.

Instead of allowing one project director to handle each event, committees have been eliminated and all project directors will work together on each event, Ardoin said.

“Previously, Programming Council has had a project director for every event,” said Ardoin, a junior radio-TV-film major. “We lost a lot of project directors before the end of the term because they were so overwhelmed with whatever event they were planning.”

Student Government Association President Brad Thompson said the new structure is called the project-based model and will make PC more cohesive.

“The whole exec board works on one project at one time,” said Thompson, a junior radio-TV-film major. “So it helps our board be stronger cause they are working together more.”

However, Ardoin said some people are worried the new system lacks organization.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the project directors and at the January retreat,” Ardoin said. “At the same time I have had some negative feedback where some people just don’t think that this is going to work, that it’s not structured enough and not as organized.”

Katrina Shutt, PC finance director, said it is a good idea to try the new program in the spring semester in case they decide they want to change things again in the fall.

“I feel it’s a great way to try and see if it’s effective,” said Shutt, a sophomore finance major. “But we have to wait and see after the semester is over whether or not it is more efficient.”

Shutt said the costs under the new structure should be about the same as last semester.

“The restructuring doesn’t help or hurt cost because the programs are still getting done,” Shutt said. “The main purpose is to make it a more efficient use of our resources.”
Larry Markley, SGA advisor, said he and the other advisors had noticed PC’s problem with retention of project directors and asked staff, SGA and PC members for suggestions.

“After we developed a restructured program, we presented it to the SGA leadership,” Markley said. “They tweaked it and we presented it to the new PC in the SGA Retreat in January 2002.”

The advisors and the executive members of PC discussed the new program and decided to give it a chance, Ardoin said.

Project director Amy Schwalm said having the project directors working together will help keep more members.

“I think it will work better than last year because the project directors won’t get stressed out and we have the support of other project directors,” said Schwalm, a freshman psychology major.

Jessica Sanders
j.d.sanders@tcu.edu