What is the First-Year Advisory Board?

FAB 2016 applications will be available in July 2012.

First-year Advisory Board Membership Roles and Requirements

The goals of FAB are to:

• Act as an advocate for first-year CIT peers
• Encourage students to develop a strong sense of community
• Assist in the development, organization and advertisement of innovative programs and special events to meet the needs of the first-year students
• Solicit feedback from the CIT first-year class about various issues and assist in developing appropriate solutions
• Serve as an open line of communication between first-year students and the CIT Dean's Office
• Promote and support campus organizations and resources such as promoting programs and events that benefit first-year students

All FAB members not only represent their peers, but also the CIT Dean's Office.

The CIT Dean's office will appoint a maximum of twelve students as members of FAB. Applications are accepted over the summer and students are notified of their appointment prior to coming to campus. At the first FAB meeting members will have the opportunity to be elected to one of five specific roles (filled by seven members). Those students choosing to serve as General Assembly members will make up the other five FAB members. All twelve FAB members will vote in the elections, with each member having one vote for each position.

Members of FAB are currently enrolled, first-year CIT students. Membership lasts for one academic year (fall and spring semesters).

Roles

President: The President will establish group cohesiveness, motivation, encouragement, and ensure that the organizational goals and objectives are met. The President will also be responsible for ensuring that individual members are completing their assigned tasks and responsibilities as needed. Leadership skills are key.

Vice-President: This individual works closely with the President to accomplish the goals of FAB. In the absence of the President, the Vice President will function in his/her role. This person will also assist in the general motivation and guidance of the board.  The Vice President serves as the direct FAB liaison to the CIT Dean's Office.

Reporter: The Reporter is responsible for taking notes at all meetings and disseminating them to the rest of the group and the CIT Dean's Office Advisor. He/she will also be the primary updater of FAB business on the CIT Facebook account, Class of 2015. This position will work closely with the Public Relations Co-Chairs.

Public Relations Team: These five people will spearhead promotion and advertising for FAB events. While all FAB members will be responsible for spreading the word about their events, the PR & Design Co-Chairs will serve as the primary points of contact and direct the other members on promotion. This role will design flyers, posters, and utilize other media, as necessary. Many posters will be created by a professional graphic designer. In this case, the PR & Design Co-Chairs will need to be able to express their creative vision clearly. They will work closely with the Reporter in order to showcase information on Facebook.

Events Team: Four individuals will be responsible for researching, planning, developing and organizing the implementation of innovative programs, activities and events for FY CIT students. These students will help manage functions at various events, from set-up, welcoming guests, to clean-up. All FAB members will assist in the planning and running of events but the Events Co-Chairs will be the primary people on researching and implementing all events.

FAB Support Roles

CBC Liaisons to FAB: The two upperclassmen in this position will serve as a resource for the freshman; they are two students who have been involved in CIT and have experience planning and promoting events and can share this knowledge with new students.  As members of the CBC, they can also assist with communication between the two groups, both of which work to increase the sense of community in CIT.  The CBC Liaisons to FAB do not have voting rights and serve FAB in an advisory capacity only.  

CIT Dean's Office Associate Director/FAB Staff Advisor: The Associate Director is a resource for FAB and works to help the group implement their ideas and maintain direction. While this is a student-run group, the Advisor does maintain veto power.

Requirements

FAB meetings are typically scheduled on Mondays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Meetings are not held every Monday, but on an as-needed basis as determined by the Board. Members of FAB are required to attend all meetings. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, they need to notify the group with as much notice as possible and are responsible for updating themselves on the missed information and filling in the rest of the group with updates on anything they may have been working on.

FAB members are required to attend all FAB events. FAB members are the voice and representatives of the first-year class. The amount of time and effort put into planning events is worth member attendance at these events. If a member is unable to attend an event, they need to notify the rest of the Board with as much notice as possible. Non-attendance does not excuse a member from assisting the rest of the Board with the planning of that event.

A Note on Events

All events are funded by the CIT Dean's Office. While FAB should not limit their exploration of event ideas due to funding concerns, reasonable planning and preparation for events needs to take place to avoid wasting resources. In order to ensure that events are well thought-out, FAB will be required to create an outline for each event they hope to do.  Approval is not the aim of the outline requirement, but an effort to keep FAB organized and assist with detail-orientation. Points to address in an outline are the what, where, when, who, and how for each event.