Toppling Old Conventions
Twenty-five years ago, a comprehensive debate on the governance of the College produced a radical re-engin-eering idea and ignited a controversy that momentarily split the campus.
The event was the Second Constitutional Convention, or Con Con II. Its antecedent, held in 1969, responded to students' concerns about lack of input in governance. The committee structure was redesigned, students were placed on nearly every governing body and an office of ombudsman was created to arbitrate disputes. Con Con II discarded the ombudsman's position and permanently adopted the broader inclusiveness proposed at the first convention. But when the second convention began to address additional governance issues, it foundered. Chief among the new ideas was a proposed Senate that would consist of representatives from all Colby constituencies and that would be empowered to veto any College decision, including those made by the Board of Trustees. The measure failed, and almost half the student representatives walked out in protest.
The convention results were hotly debated for weeks after the event and some felt the process merely widened the gap between students and the administration. Ultimately, the estrangement students felt in the aftermath of the convention was eased by the recognition that they had gained a significant voice in College matters.