Central Campus leaders are hoping that this year's newly restructured Central Campus Council will be more responsive to the needs of its residents.
"In the past we have not had high visibility," said CCC adviser and Assistant Dean of Student Development Carmen Tillery. She said she hopes that communication between Central Campus and the rest of the University will improve this year.
Senior Venus Scaife, one of two elected quad representatives, said the CCC will work this year to solve communication problems both between CCC and Campus Council and between CCC and Central residents. Though all 832 Central residents were invited to the council's Sept. 25 elections, Scaife said, only about 35 showed up.
"In past years, [CCC] has functioned as a cash cow," said Scaife, who said CCC has co-sponsored numerous campus events, most of which were held off of Central Campus. This year, CCC will work to program more events on or around Central.
CCC Treasurer Shameika Taylor, a junior, agreed that programming on Central for Central residents is very important. "It will be a priority to make sure that CCC funds are allocated efficiently and accordingly in terms of catering, first and foremost, to the desires of Central Campus residents," she said.
And CCC has already begun more Central-focused programming, with a street fair set for the spring. The group has already contacted the Duke University Police Department and Durham community members about the event.
In order to program events that will appeal to the greatest number of residents possible, this year there will be no CCC president or vice president. Twenty-six Central Campus residents were elected to the council, including a secretary, a treasurer, two quad representatives who serve as liaisons to Campus Council, and 22 programming board officers. "For such a large body, a hierarchical structure isn't effective," Tillery said.
Formed in 1996, CCC has always had its share of problems. In previous years, Tillery said, a graduate student served as the campus' adviser, and council officers had trouble finding suitable meeting space.
"We've never had a place to go," said Tillery, adding that this year, CCC will meet in the Devil's Den. "We have 832 residents on Central Campus and nowhere to go to have a meeting... There is no commons room."
The programming board will be responsible for "addressing the needs of Central Campus residents-intellectually, recreationally, spiritually," said Tillery.
She believes that with a programming board, CCC will have an easier time representing all of its constituents.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.