An Inquiry Into the Life and Times of Teridon

Develop Expertise in Technical Work

The Edjop Manual states –

“Student council work, more often than not, involves workloads of writing and other technical works such as staffing, filing of papers, providing written materials and proper handling of meetings. Arousing interests of students will require us to print position papers, statements and newsletters. In organizational work, we need venues for meetings, assemblies and means of communication. Also, finance work should also be considered for it is essential in fulfilling the technical and logistical requirements of these lines of work.”

Technical work is one of the most difficult tasks in student council administration, especially in an organization that has directly fused political and administrative functions. Technical work is an administrative function aptly called, the dirty work, as it is bereft of the limelight that most student council officers are used to. It involves quietly working in front of a computer, writing project proposals, position papers and the like. It is very time-consuming as it often involves painstaking research and analysis. As such, there is great difficulty in delegating tasks for this as most student council members would rather blurt away in front of crowds.

But the importance of technical work must never be underestimated. The Edjop Manual puts it perfectly –

“The worth of technical work should not be underestimated. Neglecting the technical aspect of SC work creates snags in the process of task implementation. When these snags persist, inefficiency is wrought which can frustrate particular plans or even entire programs of actions. Do not be content with devising short-term program for procuring technical needs; rather, fulfillment of technical requirements should be seen as an integral part of a long-range and self-sustaining plan. Due to the importance of this line work, council officers should be equipped with this knowledge.”

One of the more important tasks of technical work is staffing. A student council cannot work if the tasks at hand are not delegated properly to its members.

It involves –

“…filling and keeping filled the positions in the student council. This can be done by identifying resource requirements, identifying available members, recruiting, selecting and training. The student council however cannot do all the work alone. Volunteers must be invited and recruited to encourage involvement of the students in governance, while systematizing the workload of the student council. Strengths and weaknesses of SC members must be identified to place them in an appropriate position suited for her/him. It is the aim of an organization to place people in positions where they can maximize their personal strengths and overcome their weaknesses by getting experience or training in those skills in which they need improvement. Knowing the organization’s human resources also gives direction to recruitment and training activities.”

In an organization like the University Student Council, these tasks are clearly indispensable.

# posted by Terry Ridon : 1:48 AM