Advisory Board FAQ
Q: Is this a paid position?
This is an unpaid volunteer role.
Q: How often does the board meet, and what is the total time commitment to expect as a member?
A: Our board members meet up to twice per quarter for a general meeting of 1.5 hours. Rarely, an additional full AB meeting may be called in a given term. Reasons to add an additional meeting include a needed vote or an important and timely policy discussion. There are smaller volunteer work groups (which we call subcommittees) that may meet more often. Currently, we have a marketing and a fundraising subcommittee. Members who volunteer to join a work group/subcommittee work collaboratively to determine the number of meetings or work sessions necessary and the schedule thereof.
Q: What do the meetings look like?
A: The meetings include report-backs from the subcommittee/workgroups, any discussion brought up for a vote, and updates and presentations from the SLS staff such as those about our budget request process, or end-of-year data assessment. You can review the minutes from a recent meeting here to get an idea.
Q: What is the purpose of the Advisory Board?
A: Our advisory board allows the voices of students to be included in the planning and ongoing operations of SLS, which is funded by student fees. The advisory board is consulted when we review new policies and any changes to our 5-year goals, and is required to review our budget submissions. Unlike a non-profit board, the advisory board decisions are not binding but are instead recommendations to help us understand the perspectives and needs of the student body.
Q: Can non-students join the Advisory Board?
A: Yes, our advisory board also includes a limited number of non-student positions. These are typically held by individuals in the legal community, or PSU staff, who have a unique background or experience to bring to board discussions. We encourage our non-student members to collaborate and at times, serve as mentors to our student members.
Q: What sorts of topics does the Advisory Board discuss? Will we get to hear about the legal cases SLS advises on?
A: Our advisory board is not privy to any confidential case details, and does not typically discuss things directly related to our legal cases. They serve as a sounding board on our general office operations and educational programming. For example, the AB may brainstorm presentation topics or collaborations to help SLS reach new students or address topics of interest. A lot of the more concrete work of the advisory board comes about in the workgroups, which are predominantly student-led. We see this as an opportunity to provide leadership development and skill-building for student members.
Q: Who leads these meetings, and how are those in leadership roles selected?
A: This space is primarily student-led, with students serving in the role of Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Leadership roles are elected to a 1-year term of office, and typically serve from Fall term through the following Summer. Elections are conducted during one of the Fall term meetings, and all voting student members are eligible to nominate themselves or be nominated by others. Nominated student members must receive a majority vote at a meeting that achieves quorum to be elected.
Student Legal Services staff may serve as ex officio members and help facilitate meetings, give presentations about SLS work, and provide and explain materials, such as those related to the department budget.