SPEC will hold elections Sunday

Two members of the Social Planning and Events Committee -- both of whom strongly criticized current leaders for lack of unity -- will vie for the group's top spot at elections this Sunday. Spring Fling Chairperson Todd Fructerman and SPEC Treasurer Lisa Nass both said that they would improve communication and foster better relations within SPEC. Fructerman, a College junior, said that the SPEC Steering Committee, composed of committee chairperson, and the SPEC Executive Board have worked like "separate entities" this year, hindering the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. He said coordination between the two SPEC groups and among the committees would allow the group to organize better events. "Executive Board and Steering Committee have been separated and things have not run smoothly as a consequence," Fructerman said. "This relationship could tie the entire organization together and that will allow broader resources when planning all the events." Nass, a College sophomore, also said that the "main problem" with the group this year has been fragmentation between the Executive Board and Steering Committee. "We need to come together when planning events, instead of against each other like we have been in the past year," Nass said. SPEC, which will complete its first full year in January, is responsible for planning campus-wide social events. This semester, SPEC has organized Homecoming festivities, the Jazz Festival, and the Waterboys' concert. Current SPEC Chairperson Varsha Rao said this week that she expects a more unified SPEC next year as members who worked on the committees get involved on the executive level. In addition, she said she expects more interaction between committees next year when planning events." Nass said she would lead SPEC well because of the enthusiasm and long-standing interest in social planning. She was on the Undergraduate Assembly social planning committee which formed SPEC last year. Fructerman said that he has a "hands on" leadership style, adding that a chairperson needs to work more directly with the committees and not serve only as a decision-maker. "Basically, I have a casual leadership style, but can get things done when they need to be done," Fructerman said. "I'm a doer, not a talker."

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