2017-2018

Platform
2

Table of Contents
A Letter from Weston 03
Expansion 04
Fundraising 06
Activism 08
Debate 10
Convention 13
Technology & Media 15
JSApp 16
Communications/Public Relations 17
Mayors 17
Lieutenant Governor 17
Cabinet & Chief of Staff 18
 3

Dear Ohio River Valley JSAers,

Hello! My name is Weston Lindner, and I am running to be your 2017-2018 ORV
Governor. Over the last two and a half years, I have had the absolute pleasure of participating
in JSA and rising through the ranks from Cabinet Specialist to Chapter President to Cabinet
Director to Mayor and, now, to gubernatorial candidate. While many people have assumed for
a long time that I would run, it was not an easy decision. I didnt want to do it unless I knew I -
could put forth 100% effort and commitment. I am now confident that I can do that, and Im
looking forward to using that effort and commitment to build on the solid foundation we have laid
in 2017.

In the past year, many changes have come to the ORV and its leadership structure, including a
renewed emphasis on fundraising to provide scholarships, the introduction of greater
accountability to state Cabinet, the launch of the JSApp, and a much changed system of
communicating with JSA students. The 2016-2017 JSA year has been a great year, but there is
still room for the ORV to grow and improve. That is why I have developed, in consultation with
my campaign team, this comprehensive platform for continuing the growth of the ORV.

I hope you enjoy looking through the platform! If you have any comments, questions, or concerns
about it, I would love it if you reached out to me so we can talk. You can reach me at any time
by any of the following means:

Website: WestonForGov.com
Call & Text: (513) 515-7330
Email: wlindner@orv.jsa.org
Instagram: @weston1776
Facebook: Weston Limauro
JSApp: Weston Lindner

Cordially,

Weston Lindner
2017 ORV Gubernatorial Candidate
4

Expansion
Expansion is important, and it will be a major, major priority next year. Its also a difficult
job. Ive worked in expansion, and I know that people have tried emailing a thousand
schools (literally); theyll end up getting one or two responses of interest. The successful
expansion chapters we have were mostly formed when someone at a non-JSA school had a
personal connection with someone in JSA and that JSA student convinced them to start a
chapter or come to a convention. Therefore, the more people who work in expansion and the
more personal connections can be used, the better it will be for expansion.

For the State

All of Cabinet Working Towards Expansion, With New Tools
Expansion will be stressed for everyone on Cabinet, like it has in the past. Every single Cabinet
member will be expected to work towards expanding to a new chapter. However, this approach
will be more successful than it has been in the past, because we will have some new tools and
strategies that have not been used in the past three years.

Training People How to Expand

The expansion department will work with the public relations department to train Cabinet and
anyone else interested in how to expand. They will, for example, offer an expansion workshop
available to anyone at Fall State. This training will ensure that JSA has consistent branding and is
effective in its expansion endeavors.

JSApp Survey Soliciting Expansion Contacts

At conventions, there will be a JSApp survey at closing session. Among the questions will be a
field where every attendee will input the name of an expansion contact. The expansion
department will then follow up with the survey respondents about expanding to those potential
expansion contacts.

Reaching Out to Other Civics Organizations

One strategy that saw much success this year was to contact other civic organizations with students
as members to find expansion contacts. This will be continued into next year.

Chapter Cons as an Expansion Tool

There is another major tool for expansion that has been neglected: chapter conferences. In many
cases, someone who might be interested in starting a chapter wont be convinced by just an initial
sales pitch; theyll want to see JSA in action. If theyre not interested enough to pay to attend an
overnight convention, then its a potential chapter lost. Instead, we can invite them to a chapter
con to show them what JSA is like. We could even invite local high schools whose students we
dont know to chapter cons. Taking the huge step from being interested in JSA to attending a
convention as an expansion contact becomes a much smaller step when the convention is a chapter
conference rather than an overnight convention.

Looking into a Discounted Expansion Rate

Chapter conferences dont always convey how awesome JSA is as well as overnight conventions
do. Therefore, we will continue to allow interested individuals to attend overnight conventions as
expansion contacts. A couple years ago there was a discounted expansion rate for conventions,
 5

where expansion chapters didnt have to pay as much; once I am briefed on the overall financial
situation of JSA, I will make a determination as to whether or not thats something I should lobby
for. If JSA can afford it, itd be a great boon for expansion.

Letting Local High Schoolers Attend One Day of an Overnight

Convention for Free or a Reduced Price
Even with a discounted rate, not everyone will be able to attend an overnight convention. Thats
why the ORV should set up a system where students from local high schools can come observe Fall
State and Spring State just for a day to get a sense of it all. This system would be as cheap as
possible for them; the exact price is something that would have to be worked out with our
program director. Itd be awesome if it were free; students could come watch but not actively
participate for free. If we could have a system like this, we wont lose potential chapters simply
because the chapter founder isnt convinced enough yet to spend money on a convention.

Using TAs Professional Networks to Expand

Finally, Teacher Advisers have not been involved with expansion much at all in the past, and that
can change. Teachers generally have large professional networks which include teachers at other
schools. At conventions, when we are face to face with teacher advisers, we can gauge their
interest in helping us out to talk to teachers at other, non-JSA schools.

Cab Pals For Expansion Contacts Once Theyre at a Convention

Expansion contacts sometimes come to conventions and are overwhelmed at everything they see.
In some cases, if they came with a friend in JSA, they can have that friend stay with them and
help them understand everything that goes on. If they dont, theyve been out of luck. That can
change. The Expansion Departments job at conventions will be to make sure expansion contacts
are having a good experience by making sure each one has someone assigned to them whom
they can ask questions and hang out with if they wish.

For the Chapters

Working with Chapters to Expand
Expansion can benefit chapters as well. Chapters that are currently isolated benefit from having
other chapters pop up near them. Chapters that are in districts with multiple high schools benefit
from having chapters at the other schools within their district. The expansion department will thus
work with chapter presidents and regular chapter members to expand, regardless of whether or
not theyre on Cabinet. We will also encourage, though not require, that chapters have an officer
in charge of expansion.

Publishing a Recruitment and Retention Guide

Expansion within chapters is mostly about recruiting and retaining new members. The state will
publish a recruitment and retention guide over the summer so that chapters can kick off the year
with strong numbers and maintain them throughout the rest of the school year. We will also
personally help any chapters that would like help.

Expanding Within Chapters

In addition to publishing the Recruitment and Retention Guide, the department will in general
work with chapters to expand their membership. If JSA gets new people involved through new
chapters or new members of existing chapters, the result is the same either way; more people are
exposed to JSA and our mission.
6

Fundraising
Fundraising is extremely, extremely important. Giving scholarships to people who have
trouble affording conventions not only allows JSA to touch the lives of more people; it also
makes for a better convention when people from more diverse backgrounds are in
attendance. The ORV has absolutely crushed all past fundraising records this year, but we
can do even better next year. It wont be easy, but its possible and its important that we do
it. The two functions of the fundraising department are to raise money and to help provide
other people outside the department with the resources and skills they need to raise
money. This platform addresses both of those functions.

For the State

Using Personal Connections of Everyone
Like expansion, the vast majority of successful fundraising has occurred when a member of JSA
contacts someone they personally know and ask for a donation. We could use the exact same
strategy we used this year but simply have more people fundraising, and we could raise double
the amount we did this year. Hence, a huge emphasis will be placed on making sure everyone on
Cabinet and some people not on Cabinet understand the importance of fundraising and are
actively doing it. But we wont just use the same strategy with more people; well also look at
new strategies, like the ones below.

Obtaining ORV-Exclusive Matching Grants

Matching grants have been a huge part of the reason the ORV has raised so much money this
year. Matching grants are great, but the problem is that we dont get much advance notice from
the national JSA people and theres no guarantee there will be any at all. Therefore, the ORV
should seek its own matching grants that will be exclusive to the state. We had this two years
ago, and we can have it again. ORV alumni are a possible source for such a matching grant.

Securing Corporate Donors

In addition to individual donors, the fundraising department will target businesses and corporate
donors. These organizations may be the source of matching funds, or they may simply be
donations. But either way, corporate sponsorships are a large revenue source that has gone
largely untapped in the past. The fundraising department will seek training from the national
fundraising director on how to approach businesses if they dont feel comfortable with it already.

Soliciting from ORV Alumni

Another largely untapped source of potential funds is ORV alumni. Most chapters have records
of their CPs dating back many years, and theyre all potential donors. The department could
work with chapters to identify former JSA students.

Merchandise
Merchandise will no longer be a responsibility of the fundraising department. Sometimes, in the
past, the department has focused too much on merchandise when in reality, the ORV makes very
little money off of fundraising. The department has done a great job recently of shifting its
primary focus from merchandise to crowdfunding, and this change will finalize the shift. It will
 7

also allow the technology and media department, the department with the most photo editing
experience, to be in charge of designing merchandise. However, the ORV will continue to make
some money off of merchandise.

For the Chapters

Chapter Fundraising Guide
Much like this year, a chapter fundraising guide will be released early in the year. This will be
prepared by someone in the fundraising department who has the specific job of assisting chapters
with their fundraising endeavors.

Restaurant Nights and More

There are many fundraisers that the fundraising department can assist chapters with, and once the
department has been appointed, we will brainstorm and publish a long list. For the time being, I
will say that restaurant nights will really be pushed. These are events where a restaurant donates
15% or 20% of the money from anyone who lets them know theyre there to support JSA. They
have been organized at the state level this year, but restaurant nights are truly better as chapter
fundraisers than statewide fundraisers. Its easier to get people to participate if they know their
money will stay local in terms of who it supports, and a particular restaurant is generally within
close range of only one or two chapters. The goal: every chapter which wants to have a
restaurant night will have one.

Chapter Fundraising Officers

Chapters are highly encouraged to have a Fundraising Officer position. If they have a
treasurer position instead, theyre encouraged to make it clear before the election that the
characteristics sought in a treasurer are more along the lines of successful at fundraising than
trustworthy to handle money. Being trustworthy is important, but isnt enough in and of itself to
make a good fundraising officer.
8

Activism
The activism department has done an outstanding job this year in pushing larger and more
frequent activism initiatives than ever before. Continuing the social activism that weve
carried out this year will be simple, so the real challenge for next year involves finding
opportunities to engage in non-partisan political activism in a year without federal
elections. The department will need to pivot more to local political activism in the absence of
presidential and congressional elections.

Social Activism
For the State
Holding Convention Initiatives That Require Time, not Money
It has been great to see the ORV give back to the community in the last two years through
projects like the toiletries drive last year or the no sew blanket drive at Fall State this year. I
understand that not everyone is able to donate money or buy things for a cause, so the activism
department will place special emphasis on looking into activism projects for conventions that allow
attendees to donate time, rather than money, on the part of the convention attendees. The no sew
blanket drive is a perfect example of such an initiative.

Hosting Activism Initiatives Outside of Conventions

Organizing statewide or districtwide social activism opportunities outside of conventions, such as a
volunteer day at a food pantry, is a great idea for the activism department. Such events not only
help the community, but they also build bonds between chapters and help establish a stronger,
more unified state.

For the Chapters

Connecting Chapters with Non-Profits
A common complaint among chapters is that they would like to volunteer somewhere but have
trouble finding a non-profit that needs their help and fits their schedule. The activism department
can seek out a list of charitable organizations in Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Cleveland,
and Chattanooga, and they can assist chapters with finding people who need help.

Political Activism
When it comes to political activism, JSA has two functions. The first is to serve those not in JSA
through events like Fight Apathy and voter registration drives. The second is to serve those in JSA
by providing them with opportunities to participate more in government and politics through
opportunities like campaign internships. This platform addresses both of those functions.
 9

For the State

A Bigger Activism Fair
The activism department will work on making sure the activism fair has more organizations than it
has in the past. We will invite the local Republican and Democratic parties and do everything we
can to make sure they come. We will also invite more interest groups, because the activism fair
should be more balanced with more political activism organizations.

Fight Apathy at Conventions

Fight Apathy has been a great political activism tool at the chapter level, and we could use it at
conventions too. Whether its a Fight Apathy block, a part of the activism block, an evening
activity, or just a table with the Fight Apathy stickers, the Director of Activism will help determine
what the best way to incorporate this campaign into a convention would be.

Giving Students Opportunities to Work in Government and

Campaigns, Not Just Discuss Them
Outside of conventions, the activism department should be involved with linking JSA students to
opportunities to work in government. These opportunities include participating in a campaign for
office, interning for a local government body, and attending meetings of the local Republican or
Democratic party. Because this role of the department is so important, a new position within the
activism department will be created, the Director of Political Outreach. This persons job will be
to provide JSA students with the tools necessary to take their involvement to the next step by not
only talking about campaigns and government but working in campaigns and government.

For the Chapters

Fight Apathy at the Chapter Level
Fight Apathy, the wildly successful campaign against political apathy, will continue next year. The
activism department, as it did this year, will be prompt in giving chapters a guide for how to
conduct Fight Apathy and following up to make sure theyre able to do it.

Voter Registration
Voter registration drives were a big success in the presidential election year, but theyre not
exclusive to every four years. Every school year, a new group of seniors becomes eligible to
vote, and it is important that theyre able to register. This past year, Lakota East worked with the
local Board of Elections to hold their voter registration drive, and that kind of partnership is
possible in other chapters. In any case, the activism department will produce a publication
explaining the registration process for Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Inviting Local Democrats and Republican Party Representatives

A great activism opportunity for chapters is to invite guest speakers from the local Democratic
and Republican parties to the school. This is something Fairfield High School did this year. The
activism department can help chapters organize such events.
10

Debate
The debate departments main responsibilities are to write debate resolutions for conventions,
train moderators, train people how to more effectively debate, train people on the particulars
of JSA debate procedures, and train people on the particulars of JSA thought talks. The
debate department will work closely with the technology and media department on their new
initiative, moderator and debate tutorial/sample videos.

Next year, the main focus or goal of the Debate Department will be to improve debate quality
in the ORV. They will do this by shifting from spending most of their time writing debate
briefs to spending most of their time training moderators and helping speakers, whether a
convention is upcoming or not.

For the State

More Deliberate Resolution Writing for Fall and Spring State
For Fall State and Spring State, debate resolutions will be written in a more purposeful
manner. Instead of simply asking specialists to write a bunch of resolutions and then combining
them into a resolution list, the process will begin by deciding what a good mix of resolutions by
topic would be (For example, 3 education, 5 economic, 5 social, etc.). Once that has been
determined, resolutions can be written to fit those categories so that there are 50% liberal
resolutions and 50% conservative resolutions. The latter point is very important to maintaining our
reputation as a non-partisan organization to any outside observer. Not all the resolutions will be
written by the department though; anyone in the state will have the opportunity to submit debate
resolutions for consideration by the department.

A Politically Diverse Department

Having a debate department that is able to write a balanced docket of debate resolutions for
conventions begins with having a politically diverse group of people in the department, so
political ideology will be a consideration when forming the Debate Department. No one will be
turned down because of their ideology; all this means is that we will attempt to appoint a mix of
liberals, conservatives, and moderates. If the department consists entirely of liberals, for
example, then it is likely they wont think to write resolutions for certain issues that conservatives
care deeply about.

Congress Block at Fall State

One idea that will be considered and perhaps implemented is a Congress block at Fall
State. Essentially, this block would emulate Winter Congress, with full bills instead of resolutions
and Houses and Senates. The purpose of such a block would be to hype Winter Congress, as well
as prevent first-time Winter Congress attendees from going into the convention blind.

Moderator Training and Best Moderator Gavel

Moderator quality in the ORV (for Fall State and Spring State) is trending upward this year, and
next year we will continue and improve upon the practice of training and certifying moderators in
advance of conventions. Given that the mayors certified moderators prior to Fall State, and I
wrote the moderator handbook, I know where the holes are and how to make the system
 11

better. We will also bring back the Best Moderator gavel, which is given to the highest rated
moderator at a convention. This will incentivize good moderating.

Debate Mentoring and Lincoln-Douglas Main Speakers

Debate mentoring will be improved. Prior to conventions, each first time speaker will be paired
with an experienced speaker for tips on doing research and writing a speech. With the advent
of the JSApp, the debate briefs produced by the Debate Department are no longer as widely
read, and so the department should shift its main convention focus (after writing debate
resolutions) from writing debate briefs to helping improve debate quality by helping speakers
prepare. In fact, there may be some Lincoln-Douglas main speaker positions which would pair
experienced debaters and inexperienced debaters and ensure that everyone who signs up to
debate as a main speaker is able to do so. Debate mentoring will also become a year round
endeavor, not limited to just the time leading up to conventions.

Four Corners, Oxford Style Debates, and Other Experimentation

At conventions, the state will be willing to experiment with some new debate formats and
styles. For example, Four Corners is one style that has been used by many chapters but not often
at conventions. Oxford style debates, in which a vote is taken both before and after the debate
and the winner is whoever changed more minds, are also an option. Oxford debates could be
used for debates over topics like abortion, debates which tend to repeat the same ingrained
positions on both sides without truly convincing the opposing side.

Thought Talks and Traditional Debates

Thought talks and traditional debates will be more frequent. Thought talks are extremely useful
events that are often underappreciated in the state. That is why we may have a block at
conventions of all thought talks, so that people will be free to attend without feeling that they are
missing important debates. Additionally, traditional debates will occur at conventions. This year,
there were almost no traditional debates at Fall State. The debate format hasnt worked out
great in the past, but it can be engaging and fun if it is executed properly. Traditional debates
can also be good for getting new speakers to talk since giving a speech is less intimidating for
some people than the back and forth of a speed chess debate.

Block with Both a Thought Talk and Debate on the Same Topic
Another new block format that will be experimented is a block containing a thought talk and a
debate on the same topic. The block would consist of a thought talk followed by one or two
rounds of debate. Such an arrangement incorporates thought talks and lets everyone talk without
sacrificing the debate aspect that people like.

Resolution Results on Poster Boards

Similar to Winter Congress, Fall State and Spring State will have poster boards in the lobby area
that contain the results from the weekends debates, including vote margins for passing and failing
resolutions. People often like to track the results.
12

For the Chapters

Database of Chapters Debate Topics for Chapters Use
The department will continue to publish debates of the week for chapters to use, but they will go
further. The department will be tasked with generating a database of topics from chapters
around the ORV. Participation in this program wont be mandatory for chapters, but for those
that opt in, they will send their debate resolutions to the state department along with any debate
briefs or documents they prepare for their chapter meetings. Everyones topics will be compiled
into one folder, so that any chapter looking for a topic to debate on a given weeks chapter
meeting can have a place to look for tons of possible topics and materials. Some chapters have
records of their topics going back years, so those could be the foundation of the folder.

Videos on How to Moderate and What a Debate Looks Like

In collaboration with the technology and media department, the debate department will produce
debate and moderating tutorial video. These videos will allow brand new chapters to get a
sense of what JSA debates look like without having to wait for one of our three overnight
conventions. It will also help inexperienced people in well-established chapters.

Inter-Chapter Webcam Debates

The debate department will work with the technology and media department on the Unity
Initiative, which is essentially when chapters debate each other via webcam. These events can be
a great opportunity for inter-chapter interaction without leaving the confines of each chapters
own high school. State Cabinet will help chapters organize these events if chapters are
interested.
 13

Convention
Almost all of inter-chapter interaction in JSA comes in the form of overnight conventions and
chapter conferences. Ideas for improving conventions are peppered throughout the various
other parts of the platform, so this section will focus on the convention agenda and blocks.

For the State

Quantifiable Convention Attendance Goals
Convention attendance will be a priority next year, and the department will work with the
Expansion Department to ensure that Fall State attendance exceeds 300 and Spring State
attendance exceeds 250. More numerous and diverse delegates enhance the quality of
discussion at debate at conventions and allows JSAs mission to reach more people.

Shorter Opening Session

While many aspect of ORV conventions are top notch, opening session is one part of the
convention that could use some improvement. Opening session has had a tendency to be over two
hours long and peppered with an onslaught of information. The decisions on what is said at
opening session will be made very sparingly; for first time convention attendees, opening session
is the first impression of JSA, and we do not want them to become bored.

Keynote Speakers Only if We Can Book Someone Really Good

A staple of opening session in the past has been the inclusion of a keynote speaker. Rather than
requiring that a keynote speaker be at all conventions, a different approach will be taken. If a
very good keynote speaker can be booked, then we will have one. If not, then we should not
have a keynote simply for the sake of having a keynote. Instead, we could simply have a high
profile politician record a video for us, like Governor Kasich did a couple years
ago. Additionally, to the fullest extent possible, we will try to book keynote speakers for some
time in the convention other than opening session.

Varied Length Debate Blocks

In terms of planning for convention blocks, everything will be thoroughly thought out in advance so
that room changes during the convention can be kept to a minimum. When creating the agenda,
not all the debate blocks need be the same length; they can be longer or shorter depending on
the likely interest generated by debates that block.

Voting for Best Speaker by Numbers to Ensure Fairness

Best speaker voting at conventions will continue to be by number, rather than by name. People
with very hard to spell names will no longer be at a disadvantage when it comes to winning best
speakers. However, the number system will be reformed a little bit. Instead of every attendee
having one three-digit number that follows them the entire convention and that they must
remember, each attendee who debates in a block will get a number for that block only. For
example, after a debate block, the moderator may designate the main pro speaker as 1, the
main con speaker as 2, etc. The moderator will then write down which person corresponded to
which number. This will make voting easier for voters.
14

TA Presentations and Student Debates Over Complex Issues

JSA is an educational organization, yet many of our members are ill-equipped to discuss the more
complex policy issues of our time, especially foreign policy and economics. The ORV will pilot a
block at conventions that will be different from conventional debate or thought talk blocks. All of
the topics in the block will be more complex topics. In each room, a student, TA, or guest speaker
will give a presentation on the topic, and a discussion or debate will then ensue. Many of our TAs
are social studies teachers, so they could prove a valuable resource in this area. This idea would
help students with topics that they want to debate but lack a basis of knowledge to even know
where to begin to do research on the topic. (To see other new block ideas for conventions, please
see the Debate portion of the platform)

Reforming Winter Congress

Year after year, Winter Congress is conducted the same way. The only real difference this year
is the partner system, a great improvement that I was very happy to lobby on behalf of. But we
can go farther. We dont have to throw out the convention format, but we do need to find ways
to have more balanced rooms, get more people talking, give more advance notice of the bills
and agenda, give people the opportunity to have a say in which of the 70 bills they see, and
provide more time between the convention registration deadline and the bill submission deadline.
However, Winter Congress is jointly held with the Midwest and Southeast, so nothing can be
guaranteed. I will work with those two states and strongly represent ORV interests.

For the Chapters

Designating a Chapter Conference Coordinator
One person will specifically be designated as a Chapter Conference Coordinator within the
department. Their job will be to approve chapter cons and then assist chapters in any way they
need with holding their events. This person will focus on quality over quantity of chapter
cons. They will publish a guide for hosting chapter conferences.

Spreading Out Chapter Cons and Maximizing Attendance

In past years, close to 90% of chapter cons have come in the weeks leading up to Spring State,
often for consecutive weekends for an entire month. These chapter cons have in many cases been
planned last minute and have faced low attendance. This situation is unacceptable. The
convention department will make efforts to spread out conventions, increase their attendance, and
plan them better. Deadlines for picking chapter con dates will be July for all Fall chapter cons,
10 days prior to Fall State for Winter chapter cons, and 20 days prior to Winter Congress for
Spring chapter cons. Those deadlines will be the deadlines to receive any form of state support
or advertisement. We cannot prevent chapters from holding their events if they do not meet the
deadline, but they will not be officially sanctioned ORV events. These changes will vastly increase
the quality of chapter cons.

Later Bill Deadline, Earlier Agenda Release

At Winter Congress this year, the chamber assignments and agenda were not released until less
than a week prior to the convention. Additionally, bills were due before the early bird
registration. This is bad for chapters, so the bill deadline will be pushed later and the final
agenda will be released earlier. This will require the same amount of work in a shorter amount of
time on the part of SuperCabinet, but the benefits for chapters make it worth it.
 15

Technology & Media

For the State
This department is a combination of last years technology department, media component of
the communications department, and merchandise function of the fundraising department.
The technology and media department will be tasked with maintaining the ORV website,
producing videos, taking pictures, and meeting other technical needs. There will likely be co-
directors and two categories of specialists, one group specializing in technology and one in
media.

Up-to-date Website
The ORV website will be kept up to date. The website is the window into our organization for
any outside observers, and it can also be a place people in JSA know they can go to find the
resources they need. Prior to each convention, a page with every relevant document, sign-up,
and link will be on a page of the website, to be accessed by anyone at any time in preparation
for the convention. Additionally, the website will end its three-year hiatus in running
articles. Following chapter cons and other events, it will feature pictures, debate results, best
speaker results, etc. It may be integrated as a part of the revived Muckraker.

Video Production
The technology department will increase its emphasis on video to the fullest extent technically
possible. This may include taping debates, making convention hype videos, making post-
convention recap videos, and in general generating a wealth of footage for future
use. Currently, there is very little footage from past years to make video with. It is imperative
that the ORV film as much convention material as possible to be able to make the best videos
possible.

Helping Other Departments

The technology department will be instructed to help other departments with their technical needs
in whatever ways they can.

Photography at Conventions
The media part of the department involves not only videos but also photos at
conventions. Convention photos of every debate will be posted to Flickr promptly after
conventions.

For the Chapters

Debate and Moderating Tutorial Videos
A very important initiative that technology and debate will work together on is the creation of
video tutorials on what a JSA debate looks like, what a JSA thought talk looks like, and how to
moderate a JSA debate. Handbooks currently exist for this purpose, but for new chapters or
inexperienced members, they often dont convey a full sense of what its like. If we had videos
that clearly showed exemplary JSA debates, the payoff would be huge.
16

JSApp
The JSApp is a great opportunity to incorporate new social and political aspects into JSA
conventions, and it is important enough to merit its own section of the platform, separate
from technology. We have to be careful to ensure that the small percentage of people who
dont have phones are not completely left behind with our JSApp plans. As such, convention
delegates will continue to be provided with paper agendas upon request, and any new
initiatives will always have some sort of alternative for people without JSApp access.

Position on JSApp Voting

One particularly polarizing topic following Fall State was the use of the JSApp for voting. This is
something that is being piloted this year, and until that pilot is over, it would be premature to
make a definitive plan for what voting will look like next year. What we can say is that, when
deciding whether or not to go forward with voting through the JSApp, the technology department
will be instructed to consider the ease of voting, probability of voting fraud, past history from the
pilot year, and popularity of each option.

Avoiding Needless Use of the App

When generating new ideas for the JSApp, the mentality will not be how can we insert this
software into more parts of the convention? Instead, the mentality will be to identify something
that the convention needs first, then discuss whether the JSApp is the best way to implement that
or not. We shouldnt be looking for ways to use the JSApp for the sake of having new ways to
use the JSApp; we should be using the JSApp for new things when the new concept is best
accomplished by being on the app.

Using JSApp Outside of Conventions

This year, JSApp was barely used at all between Fall State and Winter Congress. Next year,
more of an effort will be made to use the app to keep connected with individual JSAers. The app
is one of the few outlets the state has for communicating with everyday JSAers without going
through chapter presidents, and so its in the states best interest to keep it active. The app could
be a forum for people to have political discussions, post news articles for discussion, and keep
updated on whats going on in JSA.
 17

Communications/Public Relations
This year, the communications department has been a massive conglomerate with many
people not knowing for sure what their job is or having job descriptions that overlap with
other peoples. Next year, it will be more clear cut. The communications department will be
tasked with communicating with JSA students and with the outside world of news
organizations. The media realm is being transferred to the technology & media department.

The Return of the Muckraker

What remains of the communications department will bring back the Muckraker, a JSA newsletter
that used to exist. It may not be called the Muckraker anymore (the staff can make that decision),
but whatever it is called, this publication will not only recap conventions and chapter conferences,
it will also allow JSAers to write and publish opinion pieces about pressing political issues.

Public Relations, Especially Through Social Media

In addition to that responsibility, the communications department will also handle public relations
for the ORV. They will work with the expansion department to push out a consistent JSA ORV
brand and make more people in the five U.S. states that compose the United States aware of
JSA. They will do this in part by working to establish a presence on social media. Social media
will be used not just as a tool to reach JSA members but to reach people outside the organization
and raise our visibility.

Mayors
I have been a Mayor, and I know that the job of Mayor is incredibly important. I will not tell
the Mayors how to do their job, but the state does have an interest in making sure that
chapters are kept up to date with critical information from us. Mayors can be a familiar face
and single point of contact for chapters to receive this information. If the Mayors dont plan
on providing CPs with this information, however, then someone will be appointed to state
Cabinet to communicate necessary information to chapters.

Lieutenant Governor
In the past, Lieutenant Governors have often found it difficult to find things to do, or they
have chosen not to do them. That will not be the case next year. I will make it very clear to
my Lieutenant Governor, whomever may be elected, that they are expected to work as hard
or harder than directors on cabinet. The specific role of the Lieutenant Governor will depend
on who is elected to the office, but it will be a meaningful role. The Lieutenant Governor may
oversee some departments, or serve in a Chief of Staff role, or be in direct oversight of
conventions, or serve in whatever other role the Lieutenant Governor and I agree is
appropriate.
18

Cabinet/Chief of Staff
Cabinet is an extremely important part of Ohio River Valley JSA. Not only is Cabinet the
group that does much of the statewide work that needs to be done, but it is also the
organization that cultivates underclassmen and prepares the future leaders of our state. I had
the honor to serve on Cabinet as both a specialist and a director, and Ive learned some
valuable lessons about successful Cabinet departments.

It is extremely important that specialists on Cabinet be given meaningful work. When I was a
director, my strategy was always to give my specialists projects and allow them to have discretion
over their work within that project, rather than dictating menial tasks for them to do and doing all
the fun work myself. Oftentimes, it is easier for directors to simply do a bunch of things them self,
but it is better for the state in the long run if they give their specialists meaningful work. It
improves morale and prepares them to lead the state in the future.

The perfect JSA Cabinet department is one in which everyone is happy, everyone does
meaningful work, and everyone has a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. The job of the Chief
of Staff will be to help directors run their departments by this model. The individual appointed
will be someone who demonstrates that they understand how to run a successful
department. They will ensure that Cabinet is a well-oiled machine.

To help increase Cabinet visibility and encourage delegates at conventions to ask questions to
Cabinet members about getting involved, Cabinet members will wear a ribbon or button,
provided by the state, to indicate their position.

The Chief of Staff will also, of course, make sure that all the work that needs to get done is
done. On Cabinet, who gets something done isnt very important to me. If the person responsible
for something isnt finishing the job, Im thrilled when someone else steps up. The important thing is
that the work gets done in each individual instance, and each individual person does some work
at various times. Specialists will still be appointed to specific departments, but the Chief of Staff
will ensure that they have opportunities to work on projects that arent directly related to their
department if those projects are available. There should never be a situation where someone
wants to get involved revitalizing a failing project but cant because its not in their department.