In order to better engage the student population and various organizations, the Student Executive Council (SEC) of Case Western Reserve University plans to evaluate its present structure and is thinking of various reforms.

To discuss and enact these reforms, the SEC is creating a committee called the Student Executive Council Task Force, who will meet weekly.

Tara Tran, former resident assistant and president for the Case Model United Nations team, will chair the committee. Other members will include Brittany Chung, Chippy Kennedy, Garretson Oester, Noah Bokskansky, Sarah Adams, Victoria Robinson and William Oldham.

The SEC is an umbrella organization that covers a total of eight organizations. These are the Class Officer Collective, the Interfraternity Congress, the Panhellenic Council, the Residence Hall Association (RHA), the University Diversity Collaborative, the University Media Board, the University Program Board and the Undergraduate Student Government.

The Student Activities Fee (SAF), which is approximately $177 per student, is allocated to these organizations through the SEC.

Some of the reforms that the committee plans to do are to rewrite the SEC constitution, host open forums to engage and take the input of the undergraduate population and to propose reforms before they are then put up to vote by the members of SEC for adoption.

“The game plan is to do peer institute research, poll student body members and talk to SEC orgs to determine the best student leadership structure for CWRU,” said RHA Executive President Victoria Robinson. “This can be as radical as we want and we’re hoping to think outside the scope of the language and structure that is currently used.”

The first meeting of the task force, which was used to set goals and expectations, was Sept. 10.

“We looked at some peer institute research that was already done when Chippy and I were making our SEC proposals last semester,” said Robinson. “Some of the next steps we’ll be making are looking at student inalienable rights and the SEC Grant of Power.”

The Grant of Power is the document handed down by the board of trustees that gives students the ability to distribute the SAF amongst student organizations.

“We are exploring options about the structure of SEC as a whole. The way it is organized may not be the best way to serve the student body and our goals,” said SEC Chair Andrew Hodowanec. “We’re looking at what other institutions do and what we can take from them, and to incorporate what we can to here.”

The task force is also looking for feedback and opinions. They hope to involve the undergraduate student body as much as possible.