Yale Drama Coalition

Statement of Purpose
1. The YDC seeks to foster communication and collaboration within the undergraduate theater community, between extra-curricular theater at Yale and the Theater Studies department, and between the Yale student body and the larger New Haven community.
Membership Requirements
1. All students on the YDC mailing list are considered members of the Drama Coalition. Membership is not exclusive. Students should mail the current Secretary of the organization to have their names added to our mailing list. There is no membership fee and membership lasts as long as a student is an undergraduate.
2. The YDC board consists of a President, Secretary, Treasurer, Theater Studies Liaison, and several other varying positions assigned by the outgoing board and according to the needs of current YDC projects. Each member serves for one year before seeking possible reelection. All board members are responsible for attending weekly meetings of the YDC. In addition to our permanent board members, any Yale student may join the YDC as a staff member to assist temporarily with a specific project. Board members help plan for and attend YDC sponsored events. Staff and board members are limited to currently enrolled undergraduates. Staff Positions are not elected. Anyone who attends at least one meeting of the YDC per semester or helps out on a YDC related project is considered a staff member of the YDC.
3. The President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other board positions are elected from the Yale student body. All positions serve year-long terms. Elections are held at the beginning of the spring semester and are open to all Yale students. Each candidate prepares a statement of purpose and has the chance to deliver this statement to all attending the meeting. Ballots will be passed out and collected by the current President and Secretary. The President and Secretary will count the votes. A candidate needs a majority of the vote to be elected. In the case of a run-off, a second informal ballot will be held. If either President or Secretary is running for another position then he or she will ask a substitute who is not running for office to count the votes.
4. Specific responsibilities:
  1. The President is responsible for maintaining the day to day operations of the organization and for delegating these tasks when appropriate. The President must re-register the organization at the beginning of every academic year and is the organization's primary liaison to the Dean's Office. The President prepares a weekly meeting agenda and serves as a primary source of support for individual board members by supervising coordination among board members. The President maintains records for the YDC and must write up a "President's Report" at the end of every semester outlining the accomplishments and continuing goals of the board and evaluating these accomplishments and goals with recommendations for the future. The President coordinates the Bulldog Days Bazaar and the Freshman Bazaar and helps the Secretary plan elections. The President also oversees any YDC publications.
  2. The Secretary supervises communication with the YDC membership. On the first day of every academic month, the Secretary sends out a monthly update from the YDC, detailing the projects we have been working on that month. The Secretary also mails out all announcements about YDC events to the mailing list. The Secretary maintains the YDC email list using the Pantheon List Management tool: http://panlists.yale.edu/panlist/index.jsp and is responsible for adding or removing subscribers. The Secretary additionally facilitates communication within the YDC board by taking meeting minutes, or delegating this responsibility on a week by week basis, and sending the meeting minutes out to the board after the meeting. The Secretary also maintains the YDC bulletin board in Theater Studies and serves as a contact person for questions about the YDC. Finally, the Secretary supervises YDC social events such as the semester retreat and supervises elections with the President.
  3. The Treasurer handles the finances of the YDC. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining a record of all income and expenses and supporting documentation. In addition, the Treasurer is required to file a Comprehensive Financial Report with the Office of Student Affairs (by mid-January and mid-May). The form for this financial report is available on-line at www.yale.edu/studentaffairs. The Treasurer is also responsible for maintaining the organization's bank account and for reimbursing board members for YDC related expenses by collecting receipts and writing out reimbursement checks to the individuals who spent the organization's money. The Treasurer drafts a yearly budget and approves all spending. The Treasurer submits Undergraduate Organization Funding Committee funding applications when necessary. The Treasurer additionally supervises the publicity of the YDC. Publicity responsibilities include maintaining contact with a graphic designer and providing a poster for each YDC event, distributing posters, publicizing on-line and maintaining the YDC signboard.
  4. The Theater Studies Liaison serves as a liaison to the Theater Studies department and arranges regular meetings with the DUS of Theater Studies. The Theater Studies liaison organizes the Faculty Forum and the Student Forum once a year each and supervises the Mentoring Program. The Theater Studies Liaison additionally maintains the Theater Studies page of the YDC's website and ensures on a weekly basis that the information on the page is up to date. The Theater Studies Liaison organizes the Faculty Forum and the Student Forum along with the Forums Coordinator once a year.
Dissolution Clause
1. In the event that the Yale Drama Coalition: An Undergraduate Organization should dissolve, any remaining assets shall be distributed to the Theater Studies Program.
How Funds are Used
1. The YDC uses funds to provide refreshments at YDC sponsored events, publicize events, purchase supplies and any other event-related expenses. The following is a list of YDC sponsored activities:
  1. YDC Theater Publication
  2. Student-Teacher Forum
  3. Freshman Information Session
  4. Professional Forum
  5. Master's Teas (additional expenses not covered by Master's offices)
  6. All events are funded by the Undergraduate Organization Funding Committee.