catalog2015-16

Student Publications
Students publish an online newspaper, The Cento, covering campus activities and opinions. Vantage Point is a
publication of student creative writing, photography, and artwork.
Shared Responsibility
Among the abundant opportunities for growth and experience that Centre offers outside the classroom, perhaps
the most significant is shared responsibility in campus governance. At Centre, students, faculty, and staff members
work together to create a community that brings freedom and responsibility into a healthy balance. Through careful
attention to the organization of a strong student government and by making positions of significant responsibility
available to students, Centre gives concrete meaning to terms such as democratic values and civic duty. Students
take an active part in College decision-making through their roles in student government or—with faculty and
staff—as members of the College Council. Students serve with faculty on each major's program committee,
advising on curriculum and major requirements. They also take the primary responsibility for regulating the conduct
of their peers through the Student Judiciary. Such shared decision-making and responsibility is an essential part of
the Centre education. It is a liberal education in the true sense, educating the whole person, building self-esteem
and self-confidence, and teaching concepts such as democracy and civic responsibility on a practical level.
Campus Governance
The College Council. Although Centre is legally governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, its academic
and community life is governed in large degree by the College Council. The council consists of representatives from
the faculty (15), staff (10), and students (10), as well as designated College administrators. (It is highly unusual
among colleges and universities for students to be voting members of such a decision-making body, but this reflects
Centre's strong commitment to student involvement in governance in positions of significant responsibility and
authority.) Student members are elected by the Student Government Association. Two student representatives
serve on the steering committee of the council. Students are appointed in reasonable proportion to all committees
of the council and carry equal responsibility with other members. The one exception is that they do not participate
in consideration of matters involving the confidential records of other students.
Student Government Association. The Student Government Association is the official executive and legislative
body for student discussion, decision, and action. It is composed of elected student representatives and student
senators, and the executive committee. A major responsibility of the SGA is to allocate funds to student
organizations. The SGA president serves as a nonvoting representative to the board of trustees. The SGA
represents the student body primarily in matters relating to the standards and practices of nonacademic student
activities and services.
The Student Judicial System. The judicial powers of the student government are exercised by the student judicial
system. The student judicial system consists of the Student Judiciary, which hears cases involving violations of
College regulations; the Interfraternity Judiciary, which hears cases involving violations of Interfraternity Council
regulations; and the Panhellenic Association executive committee, which hears cases involving violations of
Panhellenic Association regulations.
The Fraternity and Sorority Systems. By its approval of the Interfraternity Council constitution, the College has
granted a substantial degree of self-governance to the campus fraternity system, of which the Interfraternity Council
(IFC) is the executive and legislative body. The IFC regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the six
social fraternities on campus in conformance with the published campus and residence regulations of the College.
Both the IFC and the College subscribe to the policies and positions of the Association of Fraternity and Sorority
Advisors, North-American Interfraternity Conference, and Fraternity Executives Association. The Panhellenic
Council regulates and coordinates the affairs and activities of the four social sororities on campus in conformity
with the published campus regulations of the College. The Panhellenic Association subscribes to the National
Panhellenic Conference guidelines as outlined in the Manual of Information. A special contract between the men’s
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