The Board of Trustees of the College wishes to emphasize to all members of the Carleton community that its members value and welcome opportunities, formal and informal, to exchange information and viewpoints on subjects which concern the College. To this end, the Board has authorized a statement regarding its responsibilities and publishes this statement annually in the Student Handbook as the first document in the section on the Governance of the College. In this statement the Board emphasizes that its Student Life Committee serves as a point of liaison between the Board and the campus. The Board emphasizes also that its committees meet with their campus government analogues periodically. The Board has consistently arranged for such meetings to occur and, in particular, for meetings of the Student Life Committee to be broadly based.

The Board wishes to reiterate that, as part of the governance structure of the College, matters for formal consideration by the Board come to it through its committee structure. That is, items are placed on the Board’s agenda through referral from the appropriate College and Board committees. Therefore, the openness of the on-campus governance structure insures appropriate consideration by the Board of matters of interest to the community.

The Board wishes to state again its desire to promote other opportunities for students to communicate with members of the Board. It will continue to have occasions and meeting opportunities which are open to all. The practice of trustees eating lunches with students will continue.  Finally, the Board will continue to schedule student representations at its formal meetings on occasion.

The Board believes that through this structure of committees and informal contacts it remains open to the viewpoints and concerns of students. It looks forward to the continuation of such exchanges. The Board also welcomes suggestions from students or other members of the Carleton community as to other constructive avenues for exchange between students and trustees.

Every effort will be made to schedule Board meetings when the College is in session, that is, not during mid-term break.