Welcome to the University of Sussex Ultimate Frisbee Committee guide. Within this document you should find all of the relevant information about the various different committee roles that are present within the club. These roles are by no means exhaustive nor do they all need to be filled year on year. If it is decided at the AGM that more roles need to be created or less roles need to be filled then so be it. This is just a guide and a reference point; it should give some idea about what is required for each role, and at the end a general code of conduct for all committee members to be accountable to.
If you are unsure about applying for a committee role then please do not be put off! The committee, and therefore club, relies on enthusiastic people to run the club. You will find it a very rewarding experience, it looks good on the CV and for a year you can say that your email address is [committee-position]@mohawks.co.uk which is cool to say the least. For any more information about any of the roles just email the relevant person (email addresses included under headings) and ask them - they will be more than happy to answer your questions.
Most importantly, though, is that being a committee member is fun. You can see the club from the other side of things so if there is any thought in your mind to do something then at the very least apply and see what happens at the AGM.
While the captains deal with things related to their specific teams, the president’s role should overseeing issues that effect the whole club. Trying to ensure a balance and that the values of the club are maintained, as well as dealing with administrative issues. This role is important in the Mohawks, as our club differs from many at the uni, as we operate as a mixed club, and not as separate teams. This is the only way an Ultimate Frisbee team can be run effectively, but it does mean the size of the club in every aspect is often larger than other uni sports clubs. I see the key role of the president as overseeing the various committee members, and ensuring that all jobs are being picked up on and achieved; picking up random tasks when required or asked; as well as dealing with the union.
Note from Bumfluff [President 2010/11]: One thing this year that didn’t always happen as well as it could have was communication. With a large, dedicated and enthusiastic committee, there will always be problems with ensuring everyone is on the same track, and that decisions are being made via the correct process. If I were to offer any advice for next year, it would be to make sure the committee next year (which should be smaller) communicate with all decision making, to ensure that the president can filter on relevant information and best ensure the smooth running of the club.
Contact: president@mohawks.co.uk
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Contact: vice-president@mohawks.co.uk
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Contact: opencaptain@mohawks.co.uk
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Women's Captaincy is often separated in in Women's Captain and her Vice. Both are summarised here and need applicants!
The Vice Women's Captain's role is to help the Women's Captain with things like:
Good communication between the Vice and Women's Captain is essential for the Women's team organisation to run smoothly.
Contact: womenscaptain@mohawks.co.uk
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Contact: mixedcaptain@mohawks.co.uk
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The Mohawks are a lucky club to have Felix as their longstanding club coach. Not only is he a fantastic coach but he really cares about all of the teams that Mohawks send to the various tournaments. He is always happy to hear people’s thoughts about the club, about ultimate in general or about training sessions.
The main role of the coach is obviously to coach people (with the help of the experienced players) so that they reach a good standard of play as soon as possible. They are involved in the make-up of Wednesday practise by chatting with the Open Captain on a regular basis to see what the club needs people to work on.
Each year there is a vote to ensure that members are happy with the committee’s choice of coach for the following year. [Felix has been doing this for a great number of years now, which the club are very grateful for].
Contact: coach@mohawks.co.uk
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This is just a little summary of what the role of the merchandiser is and hopefully this will inspire some or at least one of you to want to take on the role for the coming year. Below is the list of required and possible tasks that you will be in charge of as merchandiser.
Ordering kit
The kit order is the single most important task you will have as merchandiser. You will need to contact the kit manufacturer to sort out pricing and design (if you go with FIVE this will be a lot easier as the design is all set up). You will then need to take orders from the team, fill out an order form with this data and then send it off to the company. The company will then send you a final quote which you will have to collect payments for and then pay the company. Once kit arrives you will have to count out each item to make sure everything is there and obviously you’ll have to follow them up on it if something is wrong with the order. Finally you will have to hand the kit out to everyone.
Hoodies and Sweatpants
These are sorted out through the University. You will have to liaise with Sarah from activities to do all of this.
Discs
It is not essential to order discs but at some point we will run out and you may either choose to or be asked by the committee to look at ordering more discs.
Extras
You can do as little or as much as you want in terms of extras. You will however be frequently asked to order some extra bit of merchandise by pretty much anyone.
Contact: merchandise@mohawks.co.uk
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Being responsible for the organisation of numerous events such as university tournaments, ladder leagues and warm up tournaments. Also includes being responsible for sorting out aspects of these events such as placing bids for uni tournaments, booking pitches, sorting schedules, contacting teams, arranging dates. It also includes communication between other members of the committee.
Note: Having responsibility does not mean you must do all the leg work, there will be many people without committee roles who will be willing to help, the responsibility just means you’re in charge of making it happen.
Recommendations for committee (from Oscar and Kneetu - 2011):
If more than one role is going to be issued, I suggest having one events officer with more responsibility who will communicate and take the initiative on behalf of any other events officers. Having two people with equal responsibility can lead to no action concerning things such as replying to emails because of a lack of clarity of who is to do the job.
Contact: events@mohawks.co.uk
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The social secretary is responsible for organising socials for everyone. These can range from fancy dress nights to more casual nights out at the pub. You get to organise all the fun events within the club, which can be a lot of fun especially if you like planning etc but also get to choose where everyone goes. It is important that you vary the opinions because people don’t generally want to go to Oceana every week. You generally have to try and make a choice that will appeal to the masses.
In the autumn term it is encouraged to have a social every week, usually on a Wednesday or Thursday and then in the spring term one every other week is usually suffice.
Socials are a great way to get to know everyone and are particularly good in the first term when all of the fresher’s come up. It is also important to tell other people about the socials, particularly within the first term to encourage fresher’s and help them feel integrated quickly within the club. You will also find that most people will just go with what is organised so as long as people know it will be a success. It’s really up to you what socials you want to put on and how often you want to do them.
The main socials that get organised every year are the Christmas meal, the Christmas social, end of Easter term social and the Awards dinner.
The Christmas meal is usually at the end of the autumn term (usually) in December, week 10. This requires finding out who wants to go and booking a venue big enough to hold everyone. Party dresses for girls and smart dress for the boys tends to be the dress code for the meal.
The Christmas social also occurs in the last week of term. This is one of the biggest socials requiring everyone to come in fancy dress of their choosing.
The end of term social in the Easter term has no trend to follow.
The biggest social event being the end of year awards ceremony and social. This requires booking a big venue to host all the Mohawks and organising a food menu. Usually this is a sit down, three course meal followed by going out in town afterwards or a house party. Party dresses for the girls and smart attire for the boys is the required dress code.
Note: The end of year awards dinner is also organised by the captains’ of the year just gone and also president/vice-president can help if required. Particularly any third years who have finished with their exams earlier than most others.
Contact: socials@mohawks.co.uk
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Contact: finance@mohawks.co.uk
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Webmaster should have good knowledge the Wordpress CMS, thus html/css, php and javascript (or at least some of these). A good knowledge of Photoshop is also very useful. You are expected to update the website regularly with announcements etc, and you are primarily responsible for moderating the Mohawk forums. Mancake and Fetu have been doing a great job of making and maintaining Mohawk websites for the past few years, and they are more than happy to continue. However, if you would like to join their team - apply!
Contact: webmaster@mohawks.co.uk
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This section is where you might find useful tips or just thoughts on people previously in the committee about their time. It is certainly worth a read as you might read something that changes your life.
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