Academic Affairs Trustee

Every year, the Student Body elects two first year students to serve as full voting members of the Board of Trustees. One student trustee serves on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee. This committee looks at the college’s academic program from a distance and asks general questions about how to improve learning at the college: What type of curriculum should be offered at Deep Springs? What can we do to export the spirit and ethic the pervades education in the valley? The committee discusses coeducation every year, taking into account a yearly Student Body discussion and vote. The academic affairs trustee is a full member of the committee and shares in its authority. It is his responsibility to represent the student body’s desires accurately and effectively during trustee meetings.

Annual Giving Committee Representative

Deep Springs still relies heavily on alumni to support much of its annual budget. The trustees’ Annual Giving Committee solicits donations from alumni. It also seeks out grants from charitable organizations, trusts, and foundations. There is one student representative, elected to serve for one year.

Archivist

The Deep Springs Archives are vast and complex. They are composed of photographs and written materials that document things such as, information about Deep Springs Valley prior to the establishment of the college, coeducation, collected oral histories, biographies of LL Nunn, student body minutes and student projects. The archivist’s main job is managing and maintaining the organization of the archives. But he is also responsible for helping those Deep Springers and non Deep Springers doing research outside and inside the valley get the information they need.

Budget and Operations Trustee

Every year, the Student Body elects two first year students to serve as full voting members of the Board of Trustees. One student trustee serves on the board’s Budget and Operations Committee. The B&O Committee is responsible for all of the college’s expenses, revenues, and budgeting decisions. The committee is responsible for maintaining the physical plant and for making sure all buildings and equipments are being used efficiently and in a manner that is sustainable. The committee is responsible for fostering an ethic of safety at the college. It manages educational and ranch costs. It also oversees managerial positions at Deep Springs. The budget and operations trustee, in addition to voting as a full member of the committee, acts as a liaison and informant between the student body and the committee.

Dragonslayer

The fire chief is responsible for fire protection for the college as well as for the health and safety issues of general concern. The fire chief plans protection briefings for the community, fire practices, fire demonstration exercises, and health education. He also maintains and updates equipment, and keeps the fire team trained and ready for emergency situations.

Gandalf and Frodo

The Gandalf controls the internet and radio telephone. He is also responsible for maintaining the college computers and servers. The position is reserved for second-year students. Part of the Gandalf’s responsibility is to train one or two first year Frodos to take care of all our technical equipment when he graduates. This takes a year because our system is extremely complicated, involving a satellite uplink, several radio transmitters, and closets full of wires. A Frodo becomes a Gandalf when he enters his second year.

Labor Commissioner

Students elect a labor commissioner (LC) during the first, third, and fifth term of each year. The LC oversees student labor and maintains a constant dialogue with the farmer and ranch manager in order to stay on top of things that need doing around the ranch. The LC delegates labor positions as judiciously as possible, and works with on the General Labor team (GL) to meet the demands of maintaining the college and ranch. The LC also uses his authority to declare “labor parties” on weekends to cover large projects, which may require the entire student body.

President

The SB president runs SB meetings. This is a difficult leadership position because he needs to keep meetings civil and efficient, but still make sure complex issues are given the time they need. The president is the liaison between the Student Body and the administration, and is the Student Body’s representative on all formal occasions.

Secretary

The student body elects a secretary at the beginning of every term. The secretary keeps detailed minutes of our weekly student body meetings and gives them to the student archivist for safekeeping.

Treasurer

The treasurer manages all the student body accounts, as well as the Deep Springs bookstore account, which is its own corporation. He is responsible for coordinating all student insurance deposits and deposits for and from the Trustees of the college. He manages all the bookstore and personal billings. The treasurer holds his position for two years.

Withrow Commission Representative

The Withrow Commission exists to bring two lecturers from outside of academia to the college twice a year. The speaker’s purpose is to provide the students with actual examples of service work done outside the valley. The commission is made up of five people, one of which is the student liaison to the commission. The commission recommends candidates to the student body, and then pursues candidates that the student body finds acceptable.