DOC President Elections


POLLS CLOSE NOON ON THURSDAY


Timeline:
Monday: All blurbs go out to listservs.
Tuesday: President Voting Opens 
Thursday: President Voting Closes, VP Voting Opens
Sunday: VP Voting Closes, Treasurer Voting Opens
Tuesday: Treasurer Voting Closes
Next Thursday: Positions Announced

General Guidlines:
- All votes must come from DOC members. I'll check these with Julie via Dash number.
- Students off campus may vote.
- Trying to keep this super casual! Everyone can do wonderful things in the DOC!


Blurbs:
 
President Candidates:
18S: Laura Hutchinson
18X: Ben Saccone, Sean Madden
18F: John Brady, Ben Saccone, Laura Hutchinson
19W: John Brady, Laura Hutchinson
 
John Brady
Hello all! 
            My name is John Brady and I’m excited to be running for DOC President!  I’ve spent most of my free time in the past three years with the DOC, and I am excited for the opportunity to steward and improve an organization that I care for deeply.  I think that my extensive experience, unrelenting commitment, and purposeful vision will make me an excellent President.
            I’m currently Captain of the Woodsmen’s team and Chair of Cabin and Trail. I served three terms as DOC Treasurer, working with OPO and other DOC officers to wisely use the club’s financial resources.  I’ve spent time leading and participating in DOC break trips, leading weekend hikes, organizing social events, and beginner friendly outdoors activities.  My freshman summer was spent building trails and maintaining cabins on Trail Crew, and I look forward to directing the Crew this summer. I am confident that I have acquired the knowledge, skills, and relationships necessary to be an effective President. 
            The DOC is an organization that should continue to grow and improve.  The club in recent years has come to a consensus that inclusivity and efficient systems for trip planning and leading are top priorities.  I look forward to energetically pursuing these goals, pushing for the DOC to reach out to previously under-involved portions of campus, and working on a system (hopefully a mobile application) that will streamline the various tasks that a DOC leader or trippee must undertake to organize and participate in a trip. 
            The DOC’s greatest asset is its members.  They are what give the organization purpose and life.  The DOC President cannot lead the entire club on their own vision.  Instead I believe the role of the DOC President is to listen to, encourage, and guide the members of the DOC to pursue their projects for the club and for themselves.  The DOC President cannot lead the entire club on their own vision, but must instead allow the club to lead itself.  I look forward to being a President who both leads and follows, talks and listens. 
            It would be an honor to give back to the organization and the people who have defined my Dartmouth experience. I hope you will vote for me for DOC President.
 
Sincerely, 
John
 
Ben Saccone
One of the things I love most about Dartmouth is its relationship with the outdoors. Despite some of the challenges caused by being in such a cold climate, the DOC does a fantastic job getting people outside and active year-round. Dartmouth is lucky to be situated right on the Connecticut River, less than an hour’s drive away from the best rock climbing area in New England, surrounded by beautiful mountains for hiking, and seemingly endless trail systems for mountain biking and skiing. The landscape surrounding Hanover has so much to offer, and the DOC is great at unlocking that potential. As the DOC President, I would do my best to make sure each of these opportunities can be fully taken advantage of by the members of the DOC.
I’ve been involved with the DOC throughout my entire college career and have more recently taken on larger roles in the club. I’m the current chair of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club (DMC), and have been since Fall term. As the chair of the DMC I’m most proud of making sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to go out on DMC trips, and feel comfortable doing so. In the Fall I helped the DMC work towards running a second winter break trip, which expanded the number of people that could go on DMC break trips by nine spots. This term, acknowledging that it’s significantly harder to climb outside in New Hampshire in the winter, I contacted the manager of a local rock climbing gym called Evo Rock and negotiated a deal for the entire DMC. With the deal in place, members of the DOC can climb for free at the Evo Rock, as opposed to having to pay $14 per person per visit. This deal made climbing at the Evo Rock much more accessible, and as a result the DMC has averaged two trips to Evo Rock per week this term – an unprecedented number for the DMC during the winter.
I foresee many of my overarching goals as DOC President to be similar to my goals as DMC chair, but on a larger scale and involving the entire outing club. Namely, I would ensure that as many members of the club feel comfortable and confident to go out on DOC trips through outreach and availability of trips. However, running a large number of trips requires a large number of skilled leaders. I would work closely with the Outdoor Programs Office and the chairs of each DOC sub-club to ensure that the club has the leaders necessary to run a larger number of trips. For example, being certified in Wilderness First Aid is a requirement to become a leader in the DOC, but on occasion provides a barrier becoming a leader – increasing the number of times per term the class is offered on campus each term could easily change that. Through reemphasizing the importance of running trips that are accessible to everyone, I believe the DOC would more fully realize its goal as a club – to get Dartmouth students stoked on getting outside.

Laura Hutchinson
Hi all! My name is Laura Hutchinson and I’m a ’19 running for President or Vice President this coming year (18S, 19F, and 19W). I’ve been involved in the DOC since my first term here, and this organization was a huge factor in my decision to come to Dartmouth in the first place. The DOC has been an incredible community for me over the past three years- giving me lifelong friends and new skills like rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking. I’ve found incredible mentors within the club that supported me in seeking out leadership opportunities early and often. I’ve served as chair of Winter Sports Club and Women in the Wilderness, and led Winter Sports Club’s spring break trip to Montana last year (and am planning this year’s trip to Colorado). I am a leader in training in the DMC (Mountaineering Club) and DMBC (Mountain Biking Club). This summer, I served as Vice President, and planned the Used Gear Sale and set up the Women’s and Minorities’ Leadership Funds. Many of my best moments at Dartmouth have been with the DOC- whether on a break trip to Montana or Arizona, or simply skiing some local glades in Vermont or climbing at Rumney. I’d love the opportunity to have a larger role in facilitating, making possible, and even expanding the incredible things that this community accomplishes every term.
      As president or vice president, I really hope to make this organization a place where everyone can thrive. I think one of the most unique parts of the DOC is that it simultaneously encourages complete beginners and challenges experts in a safe, fun, and positive environment. I was lucky enough to find my stride within this organization early, and have been able to learn so much in three short years. But I also recognize that this space can be somewhat inaccessible and intimidating. I think there’s a lot of room for improvement in both better advertising the existing resources and opportunities people can take advantage of through our organization, as well as making the DOC a space where anyone and everyone can feel comfortable signing up for a trip to learn something new outside. These themes of inclusivity, both socioeconomically and otherwise, are something that Directorate has been discussing over the last few years. I hope to tangibly decrease these barriers to entry into outdoor spaces through initiatives like the Used Gear Sale, and organize panel discussions and film screenings that create a genuine space for discussion. As president or vice president, I also look forward to having candid conversations about what changes you’d like to see in the DOC, and working together to create a space that everyone can feel comfortable in and make the most of during their time at Dartmouth. I’m really excited about the opportunity to tangibly give back to this organization that has given me so much. Thank you for your consideration!
 
Sean Madden
Hello DOC! My name is Sean Madden and I am running to be president of the DOC for 18X. I have been very involved with the DOC since my freshman fall. The DOC has made a huge impact on my Dartmouth experience and I would be very excited to help the club grow over my sophomore summer.
I have plenty of experience with the DOC that would make me a great president. I am a leader in Cabin and Trail and have participated in Ledyard for the last year and a half. Also, I am one of the co-directors for the DOC Strips program this year. My experience with CnT and Ledyard has taught me a lot about the DOC and about the people involved. My experience directing Strips has, and will continue to, familiarize me with the inner workings of the DOC and OPO.
I have a few major goals I would like to accomplish if I am elected president of the DOC. A huge reason I love the DOC is the amazing opportunities to explore the outdoors, opportunities that I never thought I would have. Backpacking in places from Hawaii to Iceland for relatively affordable prices was something I never thought I’d do. I want to expand the opportunities that students have for adventure to incredible places in the outdoors. I want to support sub-club and general DOC trips to new and exciting places. I also think Sophomore Summer is the perfect time to draw new members to the DOC. Summer in New Hampshire is beautiful, and a great time to get beginners outdoors. I will encourage and help every sub club to be as beginner friendly as possible. Inclusivity has been a large focus of mine as Strips Director, and I will continue to make it a priority during sophomore summer. Finally, I will push for the DOC leader body to be more conscious of their impact on the environment while leading trips. While the DOC tries to be environmentally conscious, it can do a better job. I have worked a considerable amount with the Appalachian Mountain Club, which sets a very high bar for environmental consciousness. I hope that my experience with the AMC will help me institute more environmentally conscious policies within the DOC. Educating leaders on principles such as Leave no Trace will go a long way to making our club as environmentally friendly as other major outdoor institutions. The DOC is important to me and I hope you will consider electing me your summer 18X president.
 

VOTING LINK

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