Freshman class president Oren Bukspan and vice president Jessie Lawrence established a Web site for the class of 2011 on January 5, 2008.
“The Web site was set up as an effective way to communicate to the freshman for the freshman,” Lawrence said.
Bukspan and Lawrence will use the site to inform freshmen about upcoming events. The Web site contains a blog where students can share their opinions about school events so that their voices are heard in the Student Union (SU).
I am hoping for this to be a resource available to everyone and discussion to be run by the grade rather than myself,” Bukspan said.
While caucuses are not required to setup class Web sites, many presidents and vice presidents find them convenient.
“Each year has a Web site because each grade is just too large for one general site to communicate information,” SU President Jamila Ma said. “Individual sites allow for more personalized and specialized information.”
“Posters around the school communicate a lot of information related to Stuy as a whole, but most of it is directed at one party and it’s hard to distinguish between what is relevant to you,” Lawrence said.
Freshmen will be informed of the new Web site through Freshmen Advisory Council members and posters the caucus hung up around the school.
Many freshmen have already visited the Web site. “It’s a great idea because we need a way to communicate with the student body,” freshman Amna Ahmad said. “We’re freshmen and we don’t really want or know how to get involved.”
“[The Web site] will only work though if the people in the grade actually care about what’s going on,” freshman Jane Cottler said.
If the same caucus is elected next year, they will continue to run the site. If new officials are elected, a new site will be created or maintenance will change hands.
The URL for the freshmen class Web site is stuyclassof2011.googlepages.com.
