1. What has your Committee experience meant to you?

Why did you decide to join and

what has kept you involved to this point? What prompted you to apply for the Executive
Committee?
I first joined the Rally Committee as a freshman in the fall because I always had a lot of
school spirit, and I heard that RallyComm was basically the ASB of Cal without all the politics.
After I joined, I realized it was much more than just a pep squad; we foster and preserve Cal
history, spirit, and traditions, and that is one of the many reasons of why I came to love Cal. Cal
wasnt just the #1 Public University; it had so much back story to it, and everyones story was
unique. I met some of the greatest people from all sorts of backgrounds through the Committee,
and I learned so much about the history of the University. I was also able to partake in so many
opportunities limited to committee members, such as attend the Wheeler Tea for big donors of
the University and set up the card stunt for Super Bowl 50. This year we even got to party with
Oski and be filmed for best college game day tradition. The people, opportunities, knowledge,
and spirit keep me involved with the Committee; its also just extremely fun to be able to do cool
things that committee members get to do. Im applying for the 2017-2018 Executive Committee
because I learned a lot from my experience on ExComm as Secretary and as an older member,
and I believe that I can use that knowledge to create a fun, welcoming Committee experience for
all members next year and years to come by changing aspects that werent as great and
continuing aspects that were positive.
2. Accepting a position on the Executive Committee is no small time commitment. What are
your commitments for the coming year (please include known summer, academic, and
extracurricular plans), and how will they affect the time you are able to dedicate to serving
the Committee and the University?
During the summer, I will be taking a summer class during Session C and possibly doing
research. I have also applied to be a GBO leader, if it doesnt interfere with my summer classes.
Because its senior year, I wont be taking as many classes, giving me some more free time.
Other than RallyComm, Im in SWE, which meets once a month with several bonding events
throughout each month, and Senior Gift Committee doesnt do a lot besides having weekly
meetings and tabling throughout the week.
3. Conversely, it is important to be able to bring your experiences from other places to your
position on the Executive Committee. How will your experiences outside of the Committee
help you as a member of the Executive Committee?
In Camp Kesem, they had many members attend the info sessions and talk to new
members like me. I think it would be effective to have an info session with several committee
members to talk about their experiences rather than show a slideshow about the history of the
University. Also, they always post on the Facebook page that theyre studying or eating on
campus, welcoming anyone who would like to join them, and I think that would be a great way
to become friends with new members and break the wall between new members and older
members. Another thing in Kesem was they had people sit in rows by the last digit of their cell
phone number; I think that is a fun way to mingle with members and have people sit with other
members they wouldnt normally sit with. We could also have people sit by college (L&S,
Engineering, Chemistry, etc.), state, living area, favorite foods, and more. This way, members
mingle with others and meet new people rather than talk to their friends and sit in clumps
together. Lastly, at the end of their meetings, they sing a song just like we do and have anyone
who knows the song join them in the front. Obviously, a majority of older members know the
songs, but if a couple of older members went in front and joined the Director of Traditions, I
think it would make the song at the end a lot more fun. Also, we could show off the moves/claps
that are associated with each song so that new members will be able to learn them.
 SWE also has a House Cup, and I would like to reorganize the RallyComm House Cup to
give it more structure. For example, in SWE, they would have an allocated number of points for
studying together, getting food, and going to events. I think this would encourage more people to
participate than if the Chair just randomly allocated points unfairly.
In Senior Gift Committee meetings, we go over points on how to make the ask so that
all of the members address certain key points with our own personal touches. I think this is an
important process for recruitment for RallyComm, so that each member assisting VC
Membership will hit every key point that they want covered while still having the freedom to add
their personal stories about why they joined and stayed.
4. Where do you see yourself fitting into the Executive Committee? List, in order of desire,
the positions you are interested in, as well as any new or changed positions you see as
benefiting the Committee, and explain, in detail, the reasons behind each. What excites you
and qualifies you concerning this/these position(s)? What ideas do you have for taking your
desired positions to a new level? Are there any positions you would refuse if offered? Why?
Vice Chair of Membership
The purpose of the Committee is to be a custodian of Cals history, spirit, and traditions,
and as VC Membership, I would like to bring that focus back. The Committee is a great way to
find a community in Cal, and I would like to bring people together for their love of Cal. Through
service for the University, I hope that friendships form. I would like to bring the focus back on
the purpose of the Committee because the members dedicated to the service and traditions are
usually the ones that stay through spring semester and the following years. During recruitment, I
would like to send out a recruitment manifesto, in which I list the key points I would like
people to address when recruiting new members, to whomever is helping me recruit. In it I
would emphasize the different aspects of the Committee, including friendship/community,
sports, and especially service/traditions. This would bring a diverse group of people to the
Committee for various reasons. Also, this way, I would be sure that even when I cant physically
recruit, the members helping would say everything I would want them to say while adding their
own personal touches. I would also continue having the meetings with Center for Equity and
Inclusion as well as the Transfer Center to get more diversity within the membership. Several
multicultural groups host their own overnight host programs, and we could work with them to
get them interested into the Committee as well by perhaps having a mini rally with the flags. We
could also attend ResHall Meetings with the Theme Programs within the Residence Halls to
recruit more members there as well. By having the points and meetings, I believe we could have
a diverse membership in regards to culture, gender, and interests.
Another reason I would like to be VC Membership is that I feel that the focus of the
branch hasnt been about being personable with the members. Jennifer was a great VC
Membership and set in stone all the logistics of membership branch that were necessary because
of the problems with older member retention and changes to the branch. Now that the foundation
has been set, I would like to bring back the focus onto being the Momma Membership for the
Committee. I would like to be the person in the Committee that any member feels comfortable
talking to whether it be about how much they love the events, how they feel excluded, or even
things non-Committee related. I also want to be VC Membership because I genuinely like
getting to know people, and when I hear that people made friends through the Committee, it
makes me happy; I think its amazing how people become friends through the Committee and
serve the University together. I try not to sit with my friends or with the older members in the
front of the room and instead sit in the back with new members because I dont like how older
members clump together and just talk amongst themselves because that adds to the perceived
exclusivity. As older members, theyre not doing their jobs and welcoming new members. As a
board member, I would make sure the rest of my branch knew what was going on with the other
branches and keep them constantly updated with news. As a Branch Leader, I will frequently
meet up with my branch members and clearly lay out expectations of each other to reduce
conflicts that may arise. I would also try to make a branchy-branch. I think its important to be
comfortable with the people you are working with so that if problems do arise, you are
comfortable with addressing them with the people involved. Aside from meetings, I would try to
organize branch dinners possibly once a month or every other month to break the ice and create a
family. I am not going to the extent of making my branch exclusive, but I would just like my
branch to be able to leave ExComm the following year knowing they made friends on ExComm.
Because we have no football game before Big Game, I would like to plan an Axe Route
tour in San Francisco. I believe when I was facilitating the DeCal, Bart White mentioned that he
used to guide groups on the tour of the Axe Route, and I think that would be a great member
event, especially right before BGW because we will be able to learn and relive history. As I
mentioned before, I would like to reorganize the House Cup by implementing a point system.
For example, Houses could be awarded a point for each member attending a member event and
two points for each member on independent events. I dont think points should be awarded for
work such as card sortings, game day jobs, cannon clearing, etc. because these arent member
events, and I would want our members going to these other events because of their dedication to
the University and not for other incentives. Also, I would like to put aside some money in the
budget of either VC Membership or Member Events to give each Head of House a budget for
food or activities, similar to how RAs in the dorms get money to buy their residents food or to go
on trips. This money can be used to have a pizza study night, ice cream sundae making, or a trip
to Oakland/San Francisco. Because of all the evening games last football season, many of the
post games were either extremely short or cancelled. I felt that the post games were forced
because its what were supposed to do, so I would like to work with my branch, especially
Member Events, to think of new ideas. We could have a MembComm Meeting or a survey to
gauge ideas as well. I think having alternative plans is also a good idea because many of the new
members this year did not drink, so this way there is more bonding that can be done other than
by partying. Some examples would be having a scavenger hunt on campus, craft day (tie-dye
shirts, canvas painting, etc.), a cultural potluck, or casino night. Unfortunately, the only away
game that is close enough of a drive is Oregon; however, the tickets are really expensive in
Autzen Stadium. I liked Jennifers idea of doing a spring road trip for a small sport just to go to
LA. There is a Friday game at UCLA after Thanksgiving, and depending on the time of the
game, we could organize a RallyComm Trip, especially since many RallyComm people live in
the LA area. If people in the Bay Area during Thanksgiving want to drive down, I think it would
be a fun quick road trip to do.
Because GBO is still in its planning stages, I believe its important that VC Rallies, VC
Membership, and Chair all meet with the GBO Staff and Coordinators to implement ways that
RallyComm can recruit or be available throughout GBO. After talking to one of the coordinators,
I know that they would enjoy having a night rally for the students, and they want to work with
RallyComm to make GBO a better experience for the new students. It is quite probable that there
wont be as much individual time that RallyComm will have with each GBO group, it is
extremely important to showcase RallyComm throughout that week by bringing out the flags and
perhaps even the cannon and banner. Recruitment is also extremely important during the first
two weeks of school because there is a home football game the third Saturday of the semester. I
would like to bring back the gatelist to the role of VC Membership. After talking to Jennifer, she
said it didnt make much sense for Myra to have the gatelists because Jennifer would be the one
making the sign up sheets, sharing the document with Myra, giving the final say on who can
arrive past gate time, and holding onto tickets. Therefore, there would be a lot of unnecessary
communication between the two. Also, whereas Myra had to send out the agenda, make the
gatelist, and order cheesy sticks all in one night, Jennifer had nothing to do after the meeting. By
giving VC Membership back the gatelist, the DoC would have less to do, especially with the
added responsibilities of alumni relations. I do understand that because DoC is in charge of
communications and logistical things they would be in charge of gatelists; however, Myra herself
did agree that it would make more sense for VC Membership to be in charge of gatelists (even
though she really enjoyed making them). Although, she did say gatelists helped her feel more
like a part of Membership Branch because she got to learn everybodys names.
Choosing your Branch wisely is very important. I think Jennifer took a risk with picking
people from different ages and friend groups and putting them together, and luckily it worked.
The branch had a good dynamic and got all of their jobs done without drama. For my Branch, I
would look for enthusiastic, outgoing people because we are the ones who will be doing the
majority of recruitment. I also want people who not only understand the role of the Membership
Branch within the Committee, but also play the part and are friendly to everyone. Whereas Chair
is the face of the Committee to the public, I think of Membership Branch as the face of the
Committee to the members. It is our job to make sure everyone feels welcome and has fun.
Because our positions are the most internal and do the most recruitment, the members get to
know us first. DoA is an arduous position because it is physically demanding, and there is no
way that they can do their job alone. I think its extremely important for the DoA to be friendly
and approachable so that members arent afraid to wave, which allows the DoA to have less
work. I also want my branch to be fully supportive of the DoA. I feel that this year, I didnt
really see any of Brandons branch members helping him out waving. I understand if it was to
instill member engagement and allowing non-ExComm people wave, but I think he really needed
help at times, and it just wasnt provided. Another thing I would address with the DoA is to
prevent the illusion of exclusivity. The DoA tends to have a group of people they rely on to help
them wave when they cant. The good thing about this is that the DoA always has backup wavers
when they or their branch cannot help. However, it can also be seen as exclusivity to other
members when the DoA is always going back to the same few people. I would remind the DoA
to always ask the branch and ExComm first before asking others. I would also encourage them to
ask them to limit themselves from asking the same people because eventually others will think
whats the point if theyre going to ask [insert name here] to wave, or they will think that
waving is only for those certain people. Also, I think I could provide guidance for the DoC and
Member Events. I have several ideas for potential bonding events, and I would make sure that
the Member Events understands that they are not required to have any events and that they have
the freedom to create events on their own. Also, because I was Secretary, I could provide
guidance for the DoC for alumni relations and INI, especially if the DoC is going to be a
sophomore. I liked the changes Myra made for INI because it was more organized and
encompassed the idea of creating a welcoming night.
VC Membership is something Ive always wanted to do because the membership and
their happiness is very important to me. Unless the Chair was in desperate need of someone, I
would probably refuse any other position offered because I wouldnt think I would be able to
excel at it.
5. Does the Rally Committee effectively engage and make use of its membership? If not,
how can the Committee engage both our old and new members to create a more successful
membership? How will you, as a leader of the Committee, engage the general membership?
What method(s), if any, do you think would best accomplish member involvement in the
position(s) you are interested? Feel free to touch on subcommittees (new or improving
current ones) or any other new ideas.
I liked that Myra had an older member subcommittee to have the older members be more
involved in the process of INI, especially because it is a lot of work planning, and they were all
very helpful throughout the planning. I think MembComm should be utilized more. This year
there were only a couple MembComm meetings, and they just started becoming event-specific
planning meetings. For example, instead of having general MembComm meetings, Leyla would
have Golf Party Planning Meeting and Amazing CA Race Planning Meeting. Rather than
taking charge of an independent idea, members were just placed in charge of pre-existing ideas. I
think doing the Member Spotlight gives members a little incentive on staying active because they
get to be featured on the Facebook and Instagram accounts. I think Publicity Branch utilizes the
membership by specifically asking for certain tasks such as create a flyer and paint a poster,
whereas spirit branch and membership branch tend to be more on ideas. However, Spirit Branch
is utilizing the members through the PromComm by allowing them to make decorations and help
with set up/clean up. We could encourage member engagement through the House Cup by
putting older members in charge of outings rather than the Head of House; for example,
encouraging older members to suggest getting boba or dinner together. Also, we could ask any
members living in dorms if we could use the communal spaces for pizza movie night or a study
session. I would also like to bring back the after-meeting food groups that would allow the older
members to take charge of a group of new members. I also like that Joseph Schenker found his
own thing to do and is given full control of the Free Throw Distraction Crew; it was independent
of Membership Branch, and ExComm didnt try to shut it down. I also like the Sports Leaders
that Tanisha started, and even though its not that prominent now, I would still encourage
members to become Sports Leaders.
6. What qualities are important for leaders of the Rally Committee to possess? Describe the
leadership qualities you possess. What personal skills and experiences do you bring to the
Committee, specifically to the positions you are applying for? Please relate all qualities,
skills, and experiences to your desired position(s).
I think its important for leaders of the Rally Committee to be friendly and enthusiastic to
welcome new members. This also makes members feel more comfortable and more willing to
participate, making our jobs easier. They should also be organized and punctual so that they stay
on top of deadlines and know when to say no and when to ask for help. Everyone owns their own
aspect of the Committee with each position, and no one should let anyone tell them what to do or
take advantage of them, especially formers and older members. We cant do everything on our
own, which is why we have an Executive Committee and a big membership to help us; the faster
we realize that we are all here to support each other and that we are not going to judge for asking
for help, the faster we can get things done smoothly and with less stress. ExComm members
should be aware that other members look up to us as examples, and we are responsible not just
for ourselves but also everyone in the Committee. As a leader, I am very hands-off because I
dont want to take over anyones job; however, there are times when its necessary to step in. I
am very go-with-the-flow, so I can adapt to changes easily. As a branch leader, I learned that
communication and support is key; in order to trust and rely on each other, we have to
communicate effectively and support each other by attending events and helping out whenever
we can. I didnt check up on my Branch members as much as I should have, and I couldve done
more to create a Branchy-Branch. If I am chosen as a Branch leader next year, I would have a
branch meeting so that we can share our expectations of each other so that we clearly define the
line between professionalism and friendship to prevent issues from appearing in the future.
7. With each position on the Executive Committee come different challenges. What are the
greatest challenges that the positions in which you are most interested will face next year?
How will you deal with these challenges and the stress associated with them?
VC Membership
The hardest part this coming year will definitely be recruitment because there is not set
system of recruitment during orientation. The Committee usually gets about 500 people to sign
up through CalSO, and with no system in place for the summer, we really dont know what to
expect in the number of sign ups. Also, there are three back-to-back games starting with the third
week of the semester, and two weeks later, there are two more back-to-back games, one of which
is on Friday night. I think the most important thing to do as VC Membership is to immediately
set up a meeting with those in charge of GBO and plan a recruitment schedule, night rally, and
other necessary events for RallyComm to get its name out there to the new students. The
Committee will be extremely busy, and unfortunately, with football occupying our schedules,
there wont be much time for bonding events in the fall. We could plan one after the three games,
but it would depend on the night of Haas Lock-In. Also, I think two things all VC Memberships
struggle with in preventing exclusivity and older member retention. There was a large decrease
in exclusivity, which was what I believe was one of the biggest problems my freshman and
sophomore years. One of the ways to combat that is have older members talk to and sit with a
new set of new members every meeting for the first few weeks because older members tend to
find a couple freshmen they like and stick to them, instead of reaching out to more members.
Although older members are not purposely trying to be exclusive, the perception of exclusivity is
present. To prevent that from happening, we could ask ExComm to try not to ask the same
people for help or to pick people the same people for jobs. Older member retention is also
challenging because usually members will become upset about not getting on ExComm or get
busy with other organizations and dont come back. One thing that helped Jennifer was that a lot
of members applied to the Committee and already formed friendships that when some of them
werent members of ExComm, they still had reason to stay involved. I would have more older
members be in charge of more events through MembComm, the House Cup, Sports Leaders, and
the INI SubComm. DoA also struggles with getting wavers for the numerous events they have to
attend, so it would be my goal to get a very approachable DoA so that more members would be
excited about waving; therefore, the DoA will have less trouble getting volunteers. I also would
try my best to get my branch to help, and personally a challenge for me would be waving for
long periods of time because Im not the best waver. I can definitely wave at a volleyball game
and during a quarter of a football game, but I havent waved longer than those specific examples.
8. In your opinion, what were the strengths and weaknesses of the Committee in the past
year? Please be as honest as possible.
As I mentioned before, Jennifer did a great job with having more involved older members
and decreasing the exclusivity. Jennifer and Dobbs both increased the diversity of ethnicity and
gender within the membership. My freshman year, the Committee was predominantly white and
female. I would like to continue bringing diversity to the Committee by having recruitment
meetings at the Theme Programs, Equity Center, and Transfer Center. Also by showing the
different aspects of the Committee, mentioned in my recruitment manifesto, we could bring
together a various group of people in the Committee with their own passions for joining. Myra
also did an excellent job planning INI. It was extremely helpful that she was an older member,
who had been behind the scenes of INI, so she knew what she wanted to change. I liked the
subcommittee idea and the changes to the script in the Greek. INI was a lot more welcoming, and
Im glad we are straying away from the haziness and fear it used to have. The Committee
struggled with keeping the membership they attained in the first week because of the late start on
the football season. Although we are trying to take the aim of the Committee away from sports,
that tends to be the reason that people join and stay in the fall. With nothing to do during the first
few weeks with the Committee, we lost several members who found other organizations to get
involved with. It was important to put in place other bonding events and activities that would
maintain the attraction to the Committee, and they werent put in place. Luckily this years
football season starts soon after school begins, so that should be less of a problem. Also that I
mentioned before was that I think Brandon really struggled getting wavers, and part of that
reason was he isnt the most approachable person and scared some people away. Therefore, it is
important to have friendly, welcoming people in ExComm so that members are more inclined to
help us out. On the other hand, I dont think the Membership Branch did much to help out
Brandon, making him ask the same people and creating some exclusivity. Another problem with
Membership Branch was Leyla would have events with no plans to go with them. On one hand,
it was great because she allowed non-ExComm members to plan the events, but on the other
hand, the events seemed rushed and forced. For example, she would have limits to the post
games because she didnt want them to end past midnight, but since the games didnt end until
eleven, people would only be at the post game for about an hour. The purpose of the post game is
to bond and celebrate the job weve done during the day win or lose, but by limiting the time of a
post game, you are limiting the time to bond. Instead of thinking of alternative plans, we would
either have extremely short post games or nothing.
9. What are the most important duties of the Rally Committee? How well does the
Committee stay true to these duties?
The members of the UC Rally Committee are the official guardians of all Cal Spirit and
Traditions; we are ambassadors of the University and serve as representatives of the student
body. The duties of the Committee are to foster spirit and traditions amongst the student body
and unite the campus as one to show our pride for our school. We do this by waving the flags at
events, firing the cannon at football games, maintaining the Big C, setting up card stunts, and
hosting rallies. The Committee has become a great source of community for the members to
bond over their shared love for serving the University. The role of the Committee is also to
maintain the Spirit of California even without traditions. For example, in the future, there is a
possibility that bonfire will not return, and in order to instill the continuance and honoring of the
bonfire tradition, the Fiat Lux Torch was introduced.
10. What is your vision for the long-term and short-term futures of the Committee?
Next year, I would want a very open, welcoming, and diverse membership who share the
common love for the University. I want a high attendance of non-committee members at spirit
week events, and hopefully, there are many events to fill the week. In years to come, when Im
no longer a student, I hope the Rally Committee continues to be the main face of spirit events;
the Rally Committee should cooperate with other groups on campus but not be masked by them.
The Committee should continue to work with Cal Athletics but set clear expectations and
guidelines of what we want to do and what we want from them. The Committee could also work
with other student groups on campus for more events like the academic expo. I dont want the
Committee to be lost in oblivion and be just a Committee by name doing pointless things. I want
the Committee to continue to foster spirit within the student body and unite all the students as
one Cal Family. Without the Axe, I think the challenge would be having something to unite the
campus with in spirit; even though, we are the greatest public university in the nation, it is hard
to get students to have spirit if we have nothing to claim for ourselves besides academics.
11. What does the Spirit of California mean to you? To what extent does the Spirit of
California exist and manifest itself in the Cal community (outside of Rally Committee)?
How does this fit with how you see the Committee interacting with the public, the
University, other organizations, and as a student group?
The Spirit of California is what makes each student proud to be attending UC Berkeley,
so for each person, the Spirit of California is something different; it could be top-notch research
opportunities or the rooting section at football games. To me, the Spirit of California is the sense
of pride I feel every time I partake in a tradition that is rich in history to the University, such as
being part of the Big Game Rally, blindfolding Pappy before every home game, and welcoming
new members on a very special night. The Committee unites everyone under the Spirit of
California at rallies and events to remind everyone how great our University is and gathers
people of all backgrounds and majors together. Even though some students may be far from
having spirit the way we members of Cal Spirit do, they are still members of the Golden Bear
Family and like us, are proud to be Cal students. For others, the Spirit of California can be the
numerous research opportunities and connections, while for others, it may be a top tier athletic
programs. The Committee does a good job of reaching everyone by having a Homecoming Rally
showcasing different student groups, planning the first academic expo, cheering at football
games, hosting a Tree Chopping Rally, and participating in the Berkeley Project. Through these
events, people in music, dance, sports, community service, academic, environmental clubs, and
more are represented and united together.
12. Do you possess any particular skills that you feel will aid the Committee in the coming
year? Examples include experience with Photoshop, website design and management, and
computer programming skills. Please attach a sample or describe your work. (Leaving this
question blank is perfectly acceptable.)
I am good at drawing/painting, and make awesome birthday cards. I also have good
memory (I can be your Anne Hathaway to Meryl Streep).
13. Is there anything that this application may have missed that is vital to evaluating you as
an applicant to the Executive Committee, or anything else you would like to say? (Leaving
this question blank is perfectly acceptable.)
Thank you for taking your time to read my application! I hope you find the right people
for each job to make the Rally Committee a fun, welcoming place with people who love serving
the University, and I look forward to coming back to RallyComm, whether as an ExComm
Member or not. I will be a supportive former and active older member, regardless.
14. GO BEARS!
!sreabog