Senior members of the Junior Advisor Advisory Board (JAAB) will receive financial compensation beginning next year, Junior Advisor (JA) Co-Presidents Kimberly Andreassen ’20 and Sydney Myong ’20 announced in an email to current JAs. 

Though the exact amount has yet to be finalized, senior JAAB members will be paid between $1000 and $1500, while other board members are expected to remain unpaid. Current senior members, however, will not be compensated for their membership this year. This change is in response to the request for a stronger support system from JAAB.

JAAB consists of six to eight former JAs, the current JA co-presidents, a community builder from the Davis Center and members of the dean’s office staff. JAAB serves to train and prepare future JAs for their responsibilities and collaborate with the College on problems that the entry system may be facing.

Associate Dean of the College Christopher Sewell ’05 said the funding will “formalize the role through compensation and work to build important connections with the Dean’s Office and other campus partners.” The stipend will alleviate financial burdens on JAAB members as well as provide incentive toward dedicating more time to strengthening the support system for future JAs, according to Sewell.

The introduction of a new JA system this year has brought unique stressors to this JA class.  “Many noted how having more formal time with JAAB during the school year would be helpful in sustaining the role and having more specific guidance throughout the experience,” Sewell said.

As the associate dean now responsible for the JA system, Sewell will collaborate with JAAB and the College to remedy the flaws within the current JA system and provide a smoother transition for the next cohort of JAs and their first-years. 

“JAAB serves a critical role in training, support and development of the entry system so having this role more clearly defined is important to the continued success of this Williams tradition,” Sewell said.

JAAB co-president Jesse Facey ’19 said, “A stipend for JAAB has been in the works for a couple years now. Last year many discussions about compensation for JAAB members occurred at inopportune times in the budget cycle. This year Dean [of the College Marlene] Sandstrom and Dean Sewell have worked together to make sure that senior JAAB members for the coming year are compensated for the work they do to ensure that JAs are supported and connected to the dean’s office as well as the work they do to plan and execute JA training in the spring and fall.”