Student Leadership Council Charter

Article I: Purpose

The Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) Student Leadership Council (SLC) serves as a liaison between the student community and the center administration, and should facilitate communication among staff, students, the NSF, faculty, and industry partners on center research, organization, and function. It also serves other important functions of service, broadening the student experience, organization and leadership opportunities.

Article II: Organization and Membership

  1. SLC members are undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students who participate in CS3 research and activities. SLC members must be currently enrolled students at one of CS3’s partner institutions for the duration of their term of one (1) year.
  2. There is no maximum number of voting SLC members. Each core partner institution shall be represented by a minimum of one (1) SLC member, resulting in a minimum number of five (5) voting members.
  3. The SLC members shall elect two Co-Chairs from among the SLC membership to serve for a one (1)-year term or until that person resigns from the role. The SLC may designate other elected leadership positions as approved by the CS3 Leadership Team.
  4. To encourage broad participation in leadership opportunities, a member of the SLC may not serve more than one (1) term as Co-Chair or other elected leadership position.
  5. Any students meeting membership qualifications may request membership from the SLC Co-Chair to complete application forms.
  6. SLC elected leadership positions consist of (2) Co-Chairs, an Education & Outreach Liaison, an Industry Liaison, a Communication Liaison, and an Institutional Representative for each partner institution. All elected leadership positions will hold office for a term of one (1) year. At least one of the officers shall be an undergraduate student.
    1. Co-Chair: The Co-Chairs will plan the agenda and preside at all meetings of the Student Leadership Council. They will coordinate the functions of all the SLC officers. They will be responsible for all external relations of the SLC, including representing the SLC and the students in all discussions with members of the CS3 administration.
    2. Education and Outreach Liaison: The Education and Outreach Liaison will be responsible for activities relating to membership enlargement and retention of the CS3 student body. They will also lead student recruitment for educational outreach initiatives, including mentorship opportunities.
    3. Industry Liaison: The Industry Liaison will assist and advise the SLC on matters related to interaction with the professional industry, especially those connected directly to the CS3. They are responsible for developing ways to better share information between industrial members of the CS3 and its students, including exploring possible student internship opportunities.
    4. Communication Liaison: The Communication Liaison will coordinate communication between CS3 students, CS3 leadership and partner institutions. They will disseminate information through various channels, collect and represent student feedback, and promote SLC events. Additionally, they will handle media relations and ensure consistent branding. This role is essential in fostering a unified and transparent CS3 student community.
    5. Institution Representative: There will be one student representative for each partner institution (Columbia University, Florida Atlantic University, Rutgers University, University of Central Florida, and Lehman College). They will serve as the first point of contact for students at their university regarding activities of the SLC. They will also perform active promotion of the Center for Smart Streetscapes, and represent CS3 and the SLC to the public whenever necessary and appropriate.

Article III: Responsibilities and Resolution of Disputes

  1. The SLC shall perform a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of CS3 annually and communicate the results to the CS3 Leadership Team and evaluators. The deadline for the annual SWOT analysis will be set by the CS3 Leadership Team and communicated via the SLC Co-Chairs.
  2. The SLC shall facilitate communication among staff, students, the NSF, faculty, and industry partners on center research, organization, and function.
  3. The SLC shall identify opportunities related to CS3 activities for student service, broadening the student experience, and leadership development.
  4. The SLC shall participate in the annual NSF site visit review of CS3.
  5. Elections for leadership positions shall be conducted by secret ballot. Any other votes taken within the SLC will be open by default unless a secret ballot is requested by at least one member. The SLC Co-Chairs will organize any secret ballots.
  6. The SLC Co-Chairs shall have final decision-making authority. The SLC Co-Chairs shall provide a written explanation of the resolution to any disputed issues within the SLC, including both assenting and dissenting written opinions, as appropriate.
  7. The opinions and results in all disputes shall be recorded and made available to all members of the SLC and the CS3 Leadership Team.

Article III: Meetings