The JUNIOR STATE of AMERICA
SOUTHEAST TERRITORY
CABINET APPLICATION 2009-2010
Dear Junior State Leader,
You have decided to apply for the Southeast Territory Cabinet for the
2009-2010 school year. Being a cabinet member is both an immense responsibility
and an immensely enjoyable experience.
At Spring State this year, we saw that we are beginning an exciting new
time for the Southeast Territory. We are expanding, and stand ready to expand
further. Our conventions are becoming ever more exciting. We will see more
students attending Summer School this year. Now is a great time to be a member
of Southeast JSA, and, with your help, next year will be even better.
Being a cabinet member is, in many respects, a job. It is hard work, and by
applying, you say that you are willing to put in your time and effort. You are
willing to spend time working on JSA, attend conventions, and show leadership
at them. Those unwilling to show this dedication need not apply.
More than being a job, though, being a cabinet member is a labor of love.
You will struggle over finding debate topics, but you will enjoy the debates on
those topics immensely. You will work hard on debate briefs, but you will feel
accomplished when they are done. You will push aside other things in order to
finish the newest JSA item needed, and hopefully well before the deadline, but
the work that you produce will show you what you’re made of. Being passionate
about the organization and what it stands for is necessary to be a good cabinet
member.
Now the time has come to apply for cabinet. In this application, you will
find information on the layout of cabinet for next year and on the duties of
cabinet positions. Look these over and decide what positions you are most
interested in. Then, please fill out the application form and write the requested
essays, which are found at the end of this document. Please complete the
application by August 12 and submit it.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We are
both happy to answer any questions you may have and also to clarify any parts
of the applications. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or
[email protected].
Good luck!
TS Allen
2009-2010 Southeast JSA Governor
Jared Odessky
2009-2010 Southeast JSA Lt. Governor
The Southeast Cabinet for 2009-2010
Executive Department:
Chief of Staff
Expansion and Chapter Affairs Department:
Director of the Dominions
Director of North Florida
Director of Central Florida
Director of South Florida
Director of Minicon Support
Convention Department:
Convention Coordinator
Deputy Convention Coordinator
Director of Debate
Deputy Director of Debate
Evening Activities Coordinator
Activism Department:
Director of Activism
Online Communications Department:
Director of Online Communications
Deputy Director of Online Communications
Southeast Historian
Job Descriptions
Executive Department
Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff acts as the right-hand-person of the Governor. Their duties will
be as the Governor sees fit, and will include at some point practically everything
that the JSA governor does. They will oversee the Activism and Online
Communications Departments. The Chief of Staff must know the entirety of the
organization well through experience, and will act as an integral member of the
executive leadership team for the Territory. Substantial experience in the Junior
State is a must. Due to their position, they will be expected to attend Fall State,
Congress, and Spring State, in addition to as many other events as possible. The
amount of time and effort that this position will require of its holder will be
substantial. At least several hours of time per week is expected, in addition to
regular communication with the Governor, LTG, and the Program Director.
Applicants for this position should be dedicated, experienced members of JSA
who are highly motivated, with strong leadership and speaking skills.
ECAD Department
Director of the Dominions
The Director of the Dominions will be in charge of managing existing chapters
and fostering expansion in the Southeast states of Georgia, Alabama, South
Carolina, and Mississippi (also known affectionately as the “dominions”). While
these states are the most sparsely populated areas in terms of the number of
chapters, they are also the fastest growing. It will be the job of the Director of the
Dominions to keep both the new and old chapters in these areas strong, while
also continuing the expansion of our territory beyond Florida. This role will
require a couple of hours per week of work throughout the year, mostly
conducted through phone calls and e-mail correspondence, as well as dedication
to JSA. Strong interpersonal skills are needed to succeed in this position. It is
recommended that anyone applying for this position live in one of the dominion
states, but it is not required.
Director of North Florida
The Director of North Florida will be in charge of managing existing chapters
and fostering expansion in the northern part of Florida, encompassing the area
above Orlando including Jacksonville and Tallahassee. It is the responsibility of
the Director of North Florida to use phone calls and e-mail correspondence in
order to keep existing chapters thriving, while at the same time, engaging new
contacts in the area in order to promote the growth of new chapters. This
position is important for securing our stronghold in North Florida. Due to the
area’s proximity to other states, this person will also assist with correspondence
between chapters in the Dominions and those in North Florida. This role will
require a couple of hours per week of work throughout the year, as well as
incredible dedication. Strong interpersonal skills are needed to succeed in this
position. It is recommended that anyone applying for this position live in North
Florida, but it is not required.
Director of Central Florida
The Director of Central Florida will be in charge of managing existing chapters
and fostering expansion in the central part of Florida, encompassing the Orlando
and Tampa areas. It is the responsibility of the Director of Central Florida to use
phone calls and e-mail correspondence in order to keep existing chapters
thriving, while at the same time engaging new contacts in the area in order to
promote the growth of new chapters. This position is especially important
because Central Florida is the heart of the Southeast Territory, with the largest
number of active chapters. This role will require a couple of hours per week of
work throughout the year, as well as incredible dedication. Strong interpersonal
skills are needed to succeed in this position. It is recommended that anyone
applying for this position live in Central Florida, but it is not required.
Director of South Florida
The Director of South Florida will be in charge of managing existing chapters
and fostering expansion in the southern part of Florida, encompassing the
Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Naples areas. It is the responsibility of the Director of
South Florida to use phone calls and e-mail correspondence in order to keep
existing chapters thriving, while at the same time engaging new contacts in the
area in order to promote the growth of new chapters. This position is important
because South Florida has the largest quantity of schools in the state but a
disproportionately small number of JSA chapters, meaning that expansion will
be going at full force in the next year. This role will require a couple of hours per
week of work throughout the year as well as incredible dedication. Strong
interpersonal skills are needed to succeed in this position. It is recommended that
anyone applying for this position live in South Florida, but it is not required.
Director of Minicon Support
The Director of Minicon Support will be responsible for providing assistance to
chapters engaged in planning minicons. They will not plan any minicons but will
instead work with chapter leadership to improve the number and quality of
minicons in the state. This assistance will include publicizing the events and
providing guidance to chapter leadership on minicon organization and debate
topics. They will also be expected to publish some basic materials on planning
minicons by the end of the year. This role will require a couple of hours per week
of work throughout the year, as well as incredible dedication. It would be helpful
if the persons applying for this position have previously planned or attended
minicons. Persons applying for this position are asked to submit a brief discussion of
what they think will be the best ways to increase the number of minicons held in the
Southeast next year with an emphasis on what they can do to assist the effort.
Convention Department
Convention Coordinator
The Convention Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the Fall and Spring
State conventions are successful in every respect. They will work closely with
other members of the Convention Department in order to plan and manage
conventions. The planning in advance of the convention is the most timeconsuming part of the position. They will also be responsible for management
and logistical support on-site at the convention. The convention coordinator also
has the opportunity to assist in planning Congress, although it is not required.
Excellent conventions are essential to keeping the Southeast engaged and for
attracting new members; therefore, this position is highly important to the whole
organization. The Convention Coordinator will work closely with the Deputy
Convention Coordinator and the Director of Debate in order to maintain and
improve excellence. Previous attendance at JSA conventions is required for this
position. The Convention Coordinator must also be a strong speaker, attentive,
reliable and willing to work hard to plan our conventions. The job will require
several hours of work per week. Attendance at Fall State and Spring State is
mandatory, and attendance at Congress is optional but preferred. Persons
applying for this position are asked to submit a brief discussion of the strong and weak
points of a major convention last year, and what could be done to improve conventions
this year.
Deputy Convention Coordinator
The Deputy Convention Coordinator assists the Convention Coordinator in
ensuring that the Fall and Spring State conventions are successful in every
respect. They will work closely with other members of the Convention
Department in order to plan and manage conventions. The planning of the
convention is the most time-consuming activity, while at the conventions
themselves they will be responsible for management and logistical support.
Excellent conventions are essential to keeping the Southeast engaged and for
attracting new members; therefore, this position is important to the whole
organization. The Deputy Convention Coordinator will work closely with the
Convention Coordinator and the Director of Debate in order to achieve maintain
and improve excellence. Previous attendance at JSA conventions is required for
this position. The Deputy Convention Coordinator must also be a strong speaker,
attentive, reliable and willing to work hard to plan our conventions. The job will
require several hours of work per week. Attendance at both Fall and Spring State
is mandatory, and attendance at Congress is optional. Persons applying for this
position are asked to submit a brief discussion of the strong and weak points of of a major
convention last year, and what could be done to improve conventions this year.
Director of Debate
The job of the Director of Debate is to manage the most important part of the JSA
conventions, the debates. They are responsible, prior to both Fall and Spring
State, for creating a substantial list of debate topics that reflect a broad range of
both national and international issues to discuss at conventions, They will then
be responsible for coordinating those who will write debate briefs for each of
these topics, and then compiling these into the agenda. Closer to the conventions,
they will work with Debateware, the online JSA debate system, in order to
manage debate signups. At conventions, the Director of Debate is responsible for
helping run debates as well as hosting moderator and debater training sessions.
For Winter Congress, the Director of Debate is responsible for reviewing all bills
from the Southeast prior to submission. These duties require a substantial time
commitment of at least several hours per week, especially in the weeks leading
up to conventions, and attendance at Fall State, Winter Congress, and Spring
State is mandatory. Applicants for this position should have strong debate
experience, a great knowledge of the JSA debate style and Parliamentary
Procedure, and most importantly a complete dedication to JSA. Persons applying
for this position are asked to submit some ideas for debate topics discussing the future of
American influence in the world, as well as two brief paragraphs discussing both sides of
one of these issues in an unbiased manner, giving support for each side of the issue OR, a
debate brief on one of these topics.
Deputy Director of Debate
The Deputy Director of Debate will assist the Director of Debate in all of their
convention-related duties. The Deputy Director of Debate will also work to
develop non-traditional debates for conventions, including crisis scenarios,
thought talks, speed chess, and backup debates in case we run ahead of schedule.
These duties require a substantial time commitment of at least a couple of hours
per week, especially in the weeks leading up to conventions. Attendance at both
Fall and Spring State is mandatory, and attendance at Congress is optional.
Applicants for this position should have some debate experience, a great
knowledge of the JSA debate style and Parliamentary procedure, and most
importantly a complete dedication to JSA. Persons applying for this position are
asked to submit some ideas for debate topics discussing the future of American influence
in the world, as well as two brief paragraphs discussing both sides of one of these issues
in an unbiased manner, giving support for each side of the issue OR, a debate brief on one
of these topics.
Director of Evening Activities
The Director of Evening Activities will be responsible for organizing the main
evening activities at conventions, which in the past have included a dance and
Quiz Bowl. They will also be asked to help consider additional activities that
could be added to or substituted for those currently at convention. A time
commitment of a couple of hours per week in the weeks prior to conventions will
have to be made. Due to the nature of the position, attendance at Fall and Spring
States are required. Applicants for this position should be dedicated JSA
members with knowledge of teenage social interests and a high level of
creativity. Persons applying for this position are asked to submit some ideas for
additional evening activities for future conventions.
Activism Department
Director of Activism
The Director of Activism is responsible for selecting a cause that the Southeast
Territory will support throughout the school year. They will make calls to the
organization(s) that we choose to support in order to ensure a close relationship
with them. At conventions, they will publicize the cause and organize
fundraising activities that will continue throughout the year. In addition to this,
the Director of Activism will manage student-relevant activism, such as
distributing petitions for local causes, throughout the Southeast. A time
commitment of a couple of hours a week throughout the academic year is
needed. The Director of Activism should have prior experience working with
charitable organization and fundraising, and be a confident speaker. Persons
applying for this position are asked to submit some ideas for activism projects that are
relevant to student political issues in the Southeast.
Online Communications Department
Director of Online Communications
The Director of Online Communications is responsible for managing the
Southeast Junior State of America website. They will manage all posts on the
website, coordinate cabinet use of the website, and coordinate the activities of all
members of the Online Communications Department. They will also work with
the Council of Technologists in order to improve the content of all JSA websites.
Finally, they will look over Southeast JSA online material in order to provide content to
the national website. All members of the Online Communications Department will
be occasionally asked to assist other members of the Department in their duties,
and all members of the Department will be cross-trained. A time commitment of
a couple of hours a week throughout the academic year is needed. Applicants
should have prior experience working with websites, and a basic knowledge of
web design would be helpful. Persons applying for this position are asked to submit a
sample of serious explanatory writing from outside of JSA.
Deputy Director of Online Communications
The Deputy Director of Online Communications assists the Director of Online
Communications is his or her duties. They will also help develop, publicize, and
mange a Southeast JSA online forum. Publicizing the website will be the main
project for this position, and since this work will be done largely at conventions,
attendance at Fall and Spring State is considered mandatory. All members of the
Online Communications Department will be occasionally asked to assist other
members of the Department in their duties, and all members of the Department
will be cross-trained. A time commitment of a couple of hours a week
throughout the academic year is needed. Applicants should have prior
experience working with websites, and a basic knowledge of web design would
be helpful. Persons applying for this position are asked to submit a sample of serious
explanatory writing from outside of JSA.
Southeast Historian
The Historian is responsible for answering the question: “What does JSA do at
conventions?” They will take photos at JSA conventions for posting to the
website and to Facebook. Photos of other events not taken by the Historian will
also be given to the Historian for posting and archiving. They will also write
brief overviews of the conventions and other activities to be posted on the
Southeast Blog. All posts on the Southeast Blog, including the monthly updates
by cabinet members, will go through the Historian. Attendance at Fall and
Spring State is considered mandatory, and attendance at Congress is optional by
preferred. A time commitment of a couple of hours a week throughout the
academic year is needed, as well as the understanding that one or two debate
blocks at each convention will be spent taking images and notes rather than
debating. Applicants should have prior experience at JSA conventions and strong
writing skills. Persons applying for this position are asked to submit a sample of serious
explanatory writing from outside of JSA, and, if possible, the URL of an online gallery
of images taken by the applicant of a convention-type event.
Southeast Territory
2009-2010 Cabinet Application Form
Name:________________________________________________________
School:_____________________________________
Grad Year: 20___
Cell phone number: (______)_________________________
Is texting okay?
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
Home phone number: (______)_________________________
Email:________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City________________________________State________ZIP___________
Facebook Name: _________________________________________
Desired Cabinet Positions in Order of Preference1.
________________________________________________
2.
________________________________________________
3.
________________________________________________
Have you ever attended a Junior State summer program or intend to this
summer?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No If so, which one: __________________________
Which 2009-2010 JSA conventions do you plan to attend??
[ ] Fall State [ ] Winter Congress [ ] Spring State
Essays:
The following essay questions are designed to help us understand how you think
about the Southeast Territory. There is no minimum or maximum length for
these essays. We have numerous applications to read, but feel free to discuss the
topics presented in as a thorough a manner as you see fit. We will read the
entirety of every application, and would prefer more useful information over
less. Additionally, some of these essays ask you to discuss your skills as well as
areas where you need improvement. What we will appreciate more than
anything in these essays is honesty, as the purpose of these questions is simply to
understand you from a perspective other than the standard essay application.
I. Define leadership. Explain which leadership skills you exhibit and which skills
you need to develop or improve.
II. Why are you applying for the State Cabinet this year? Why is the Southeast
Territory worth this much of your time and effort?
III. A cabinet must work as a team. Discuss what you think would be a successful
Southeast team. Also, discuss what would be your contributions and limitations
when working with this team.
IV. Please briefly discuss your involvement in JSA and in other extracurricular
activities that you feel will help you as a cabinet member.
V. At the end of this application is an outline of my Five Programs, which is my
plan to expand and improve Southeast JSA. Please discuss what you think your
role in the Five Programs will be as a member of cabinet, and also what you
think can be done to improve the plan that I have already laid out.
Please attach the essays, typed, with font size ten or twelve and in a legible
typeface, on separate paper and submit them with this application.
Submission instructions:
Finished applications should be saved as a MS Word 97-2003 document titled as
your first and last name (i.e. JohnDoe.doc, NOT JohnDoe.docx) and submitted by
5 August.
Completed applications can be submitted to [email protected].
They may also be mailed as a paper copy to:
TS Allen
834 Coldstream CT
Naples, FL 34104
Phone interviews will be conducted in mid August with some cabinet applicants.
If you will not be available at this time, please make note of this on your
submitted application so an alternate time for an interview may be arranged.
Cabinet positions will be announced by late August.
Sometime in early September, the cabinet will assemble for a meeting in Central
Florida. If this proves impossible, we will hold our first conference call at this
time.
TS’ Five Programs
Program One: Expansion and Statehood
Southeast JSA has only been a territory for a few years. The state of Florida and its
school-age population absolutely have the capacity to support a JSA state, but that
hasn’t happened yet. I promise to lead Southeast JSA into statehood. While the title itself
is basically symbolic, it symbolizes an increase in the number of chapters under the
organization and also an increase in activity in those chapters. It is my firm belief that by
working toward statehood we can greatly enhance Southeast JSA.
Program Two: Minicon Support
The minicon is a useful tool for the Junior State of America. I plan on promoting what I
call expansion minicons. I will expand JSA using expansion minicons, planned and
organized by willing chapter leadership and with as much assistance as I can provide,
that will help explain the organization to students from schools that don’t yet have JSA
chapters, to prospective new members or chapter founders, and also give a taste of what
our actual conventions are like. After attending these expansion minicons, students not
yet in JSA will become interested, and hopefully form new chapters and thus expand the
organization.
Program Three: Expansion of Activism
I will encourage activism in all JSA chapters. Activism is a way to increase the standing
of JSA on campus and to attract recruits. An important part of our organization, it is also
noble for us to support causes we believe in. JSA is a state-wide organization that has
chapters in most areas of the state. By distributing petitions to individual JSA chapters,
JSA members who chose to support these petitions can become active in their
government and also support causes they believe in. We will select and distribute
petitions within the nonpartisan spirit of JSA.
Program Four: Convention Preparedness
I will use the minicon as a tool for convention preparedness. Minicons will be
encouraged to use proper moderating procedures to train moderators for conventions. I
will do all that is possible to provide a cabinet member to minicons to help explain
moderating procedures. I will encourage cabinet members to attend and will attend as
many as possible myself.
Program Five: Internet Infrastructure
Southeast JSA has a limited budget for communications. Luckily, in the modern world,
any human can sit atop a powerful telecommunications network. I intend to bring
Southeast JSA in to the modern era, making our leadership easy to contact, as they
should be in any small organization, unifying our membership, and promoting
discussion among leaders and members. With this program, JSA leaders will listen more
to the membership and be more responsive to the popular will. The Southeast JSA
website will have its content improved and expanded under my leadership.