The Suitcase Clinic openly invites community members to take a strong role in directing the future of its projects through the Advisory Board, which consists of:
- Four UC Berkeley faculty members;
- Three clients;
- Three service providers
The Suitcase Clinic’s budget is ratified by the Advisory Board. In addition, the Advisory Board provides guidance to our administrators. Previous student volunteers, university faculty, professional service providers and university advisers meet with student volunteers to discuss Suitcase Clinic projects and plan future interaction during Advisory Board meetings. During the meetings, the plans developed at the Retreat, along with the Suitcase Clinic’s financial information, is shared with the advisers. Student Planning Committee members come with questions for advisers, and professional service providers are present and available to address and answer questions pertinent to their particular service area. Meetings are held twice a year in a UC Berkeley classroom at the beginning of each semester, one week after first Executive Committee Meeting. They are facilitated by one of the advisers, who works out an agenda with the Administrative Coordinators. Advisers are responsible for inviting other advisers and bringing snacks. Scheduling is handled by the Administrative Coordinators, who must attend.
Advisers, volunteer professional service providers, Planning Committee members, and other interested volunteers, clients, and participants are encouraged to attend. The size of a meeting is typically 20-30 people. The first part of the meeting consists of updates, introductions and announcements from advisers and service providers. The second part of the meeting is a budget presentation coupled with updates from clinic divisions. The third and final part of the meeting is discussion, Q&A, and information sharing. The meeting is fairly formal and structured in order to keep the process moving. There is no voting, and records are kept by the Secretary. Minutes are distributed via suitcaseclinic.org, and copies are kept within our office in University Hall.