General Assembly
Leadership Laboratory Resolution
Leadership Laboratory Resolution
Passed through the General Assembly on: November 9th 2005.
Did not pass the Senate on: November 14th 2005.
Final Resolution
General Assembly Resolution:
Occidental College needs a program to prepare students for securing jobs in the real-world. As an institution with a commitment to preparing students for life after college in all aspects of their lives, it is essential that the administration take responsibility to prepare students not just academically, but practically, for the working world beyond graduation.
Proposal 1: To this end, I propose that all Student Services departments that hire student workers be required to hold debriefings with declined applicants after a hiring process is completed. The debriefing should consist of a conversation with the student, describing what he/she could have done better throughout the interview process, and recommending actions for self-improvement that will augment that student’s chances of getting jobs in the future at Oxy and in the professional world. This is also an opportunity to discuss other avenues of involvement that might interest the applicant. The debriefing can be conducted by either an administrator who was present at the student’s interview or the manager of the department to which the student applied for employment. Individual applicants may decline to participate in the debriefing process, but standard operating procedure should be to conduct debriefings with each declined applicant.
Proposal 2: Additionally, I propose that the General Assembly pass a resolution to present a letter to the Administration of Occidental College advising the Administration that it is the will of the students that a similar program be implemented for all departments that hire students throughout the campus. This letter will have the force of a collective statement from the students of the college, and should set out a timeline and recommend a process for implementing such a system. If this proposal is passed, a committee shall be formed to write the letter to the Administration and recommend such an implementation process, which will probably be as simple as a letter from the Dean of the College to all departments dictating that they will begin conducting applicant debriefings on some chosen date.
Discussion: These programs will help students to be better prepared for life after Oxy. Students will understand why they did not get jobs, and how to improve their chances of securing jobs in the future. Also, the programs will encourage transparency in hiring processes throughout the institution. Departments that hire students will have to be prepared to justify their selections to the declined applicants.