Union Board looking for applicants to fill 16 director positions

Union Board has announced it is taking applications for its 16 directorships until 5 p.m. Wednesday.\nUnion Board provides recreational and educational programs for the campus, including concerts at the IU Auditorium and Assembly Hall, a weekly film series, a literary magazine, a lecture series and the weekend entertainment program "Late Night at IMU."\nDirectors oversee 16 committees that plan the various events. While committees are formed each year after the board of directors convene during the spring, committee choices range from the concerts committee to destinations, a student travel organization, to the advertising committee, which is in charge of promoting Union Board activities on campus.\nEight of the directorships will be filled by a general election Dec. 5, and the remaining eight directors will be appointed by a selection committee. Junior Mo McNally, current Late Night director and a member of this year's selection committee, said the diversity of interests represented by the various groups is one of the advantages to working for Union Board.\n"There's something for everyone," she said, noting that the actual designation of committees is up in the air until the first new board meeting Jan. 23. "The candidates are running to be one of the 16 members of the board. The areas the different committees will cover are decided later."\nTo be eligible to run for a Union Board directorship, applicants must be full or part-time students in good academic standing, expect to graduate no earlier than Dec. 2001, and be able to attend 5:30 p.m. board meetings every Thursday during the spring and fall semesters of 2001.\nAccording to Union Board regulations, all candidates will have the chance to take part in a public forum at 7 p.m. Dec. 4. The forum, which will be held in the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery, will allow each candidate two minutes to present their platform and goals for Union Board. This will be followed by a question and answer session.\nThe week of Nov. 27 has been designated as Campaign Week.\nUnion Board President Mike Gosman, a senior, said he sees that week as more of a chance to learn than to compete. \n"Being a Union Board director is an incredible leadership opportunity. You learn so much about planning events and working as a team, and you meet and build contacts with student leaders and administrators," he said. "It's a lot of fun."\nGosman encouraged those with no previous ties to Union Board to run for office.\n"The board is strongest when both longstanding Union Board committee members and some students who are new to UB serve on the board," he said. "Those without UB experience bring a new perspective to the board and are highly valued."\nCurrent Lectures Director Carrie Smith, a senior, went through the selection process last year and explained that candidates have some freedom in the application process.\n"You can decide if you want to run for election, selection or both," she said. "If you apply for selection, you go into an interview with the current non-returning UB Director, and several other student leaders, like the IU Student Association president and the Residence Halls Association president."\nMcNally said she is enthusiastic about the role Union Board plays in the daily life of students.\n"Being part of it means taking an active role on campus," she said. "It's a chance to meet people, and have a voice in what kind of programming goes on here"