For Caroline Smith ’14, the most important task for the 2011-’12 Yale College Council Secretary is to make the council’s information more accessible to busy Yale students.
Smith, who acted as the Freshman Class Council Chair last semester, said that she has gained valuable leadership experience from serving as her high school’s cross-country and track captain, as well as from watching the FCC operate from the viewpoints of both chair and council member.
Smith said that if elected secretary, she plans to improve on current YCC initiatives such as the newsletter and website.
“The newsletter is so long right now, it’s like reading ‘Moby Dick,’” Smith said. “I would try to combine the newsletter with the website to make the newsletter shorter and more digestible for busy students.”
Smith elaborated by saying that she would aim to fill the YCC newsletter with short snippets and link readers to the relevant section of the YCC website for more information.
Smith said that she has a high degree of familiarity with the YCC’s current methods of communication with the student body because she worked closely with the current YCC board when she was FCC chair. Meanwhile, an FCC member who asked to remain anonymous said that while Smith has a high level of personal responsibility, she does not always delegate to others.
Moreover, Smith said she has been taking steps all year to improve her grasp of various communication tools.
“I’ve been learning how to use different types of media — from videos and posters to Facebook events and email,” Smith said. “I’ve learned the differences between communicating with administrators and students and between groups and individuals.”
Akbar Ahmed ’14, an FCC representative, said that he believed Smith promoted a very “friendly and inclusive atmosphere” within the council, which made her an approachable leader.
Current FCC Chair Eric Eliasson ’14, who served as vice-chair under Smith, said that he believed her to be a very effective communicator, who “always kept everyone on the same page.”