For general questions and comments, send an email to gtballroomdance@gmail.com.
Vibha Raghu
Vibha is a third year student studying Computer Science. She was in the competitive team first semester freshman year and then beginner social lessons second semester sophomore year after taking a gap. The community and passion to dance brought her back to stay and she’s eager to help out. She loves dancing Waltz and West Coast Swing. Outside of ballroom she enjoys dancing K-pop routines, playing video games, and watching dramas.
Andrew Basin
Andrew is a second year undergraduate aerospace engineering student. He first started dancing when he was in the fourth grade and rediscovered his love for dancesport when he arrived at Georgia Tech after a four-year hiatus in high school. He loves dancing jive and quickstep (and doesn’t mind dancing any of the others, either!). Off the dance floor, Andrew is involved in the campus Jewish community and enjoys discussing law and government.
Edith Garner
Edith is a senior psychology student and happy to serve as the social coordinator for this year. Their favorite dances are Hustle, Tango and Cha Cha, all with a flair for the dramatic of course. When she's not dancing, she's being a dungeon master in Dungeons and Dragons, baking or experimenting with something new to eat.
Gwen Smith
Gwen is a fourth year Aerospace Engineering student who joined the club in the Fall of her third year. As a member of the competitive team, she enjoys learning all 16 dance styles, with her favorites being International Rumba and Foxtrot. Outside of ballroom, she loves participating in local Atlanta West Coast Swing social dancing. She looks forward to working with all of the competitive club members this year!
All of our officers volunteer their time to make the club as great as it can be. If you are interested in being an officer, we have elections in March. If you are interested in helping out one of our officers with their duties, send them an email and let them know.
Elections are held once a year to select the incoming board for the next academic year. First, each running individual submits (by emailing gtballroomdance@gmail.com ) a platform, which is a short writeup on the individual why they would be effective at the selected position. Then, all club members are given a chance to vote on all the running candidates, where the candidate with the most votes is elected
Being a board member is more than just helping guide the club - as a board member you gain leadership experience, enrich your understanding of dance and the club, and make friendships and gain appreciation for those involved in the club and your fellow board members.
Except for the Competitive Coordinator (The Competitive Coordinator should be someone who has a semester of Comp Team experience) and President (The President should be someone who has been on the board), none of the positions require significant dance knowledge or club experience, or even experience in similar roles. Certainly, depending on strengths, different roles may be a better choice for you, but don't let being a new member or not having experience in a similar role deter you - we have many experienced club members/alumni who are happy to help provide assistance when needed.
Furthermore, there is a "Officer Handbook" which provides details for each of the roles, as well as people who have previously held the positions and other active board members. If you have any questions, please reach out to any of board members to ask about any of the duties or commitments or even just our experience as board members. With that being said, you can see below a brief description of the different roles, and what traits might make you a good match for the role.
Here is an example platform from Adam, who ran for President last election:
Hello! My name is Adam and I will be running for President. I will be a fourth year undergrad in the fall, and I will be starting my fourth year in the club. Throughout the years, this club has always served as a place for people to relax and have fun. As President, I plan on building upon these qualities that have kept me coming back semester after semester as we work to make the club even better for all dancers, new and old alike. In the past of I have served as team lead for various BME and CS groups, where I have organized team meetings, kept track of inventory and general group progress, and worked with other team leads to ensure cooperation between various groups. If elected as president, I hope to keep and strengthen that same environment that drew me in as a new member and has kept me entranced in the years following.
There are seven board roles, as well as two additional roles: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Competitive Coordinator, Social Chair, Director of Outreach and Music and Costume Coordinator are the board roles open during the election. The two additional roles, Helluva Dance Competition Chair and Safety Officer, while not board roles, are important to the functioning of the club, so let us know if you are interested.
Vice President: The Vice President manages many of the general requirements of the club. This includes making space requests, managing coaches, and ensuring that there are people available for check-in at socials. If you like to get things done and ensure that things occur as planned this would be a great fit for you!
Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for managing the finances. This includes maintaining financial records, submitting expense and reimbursement requests to SOFO, handling internal reimbursements, and submitting the club’s budget request and bills to SGA. If you like working with finances and numbers, this may be a good fit for you!
Competitive Coordinator: The Competitive Coordinator is ultimately responsible for all competitive aspects of the club. This includes organizing the competition team, managing travel to competitions, and helping run local competitions. If you like to help develop a team grow to great success, ensure that competitions go smoothly and following through to ensure things are completed look into this role!
Social Chair: The Social Chair is responsible for planning and executing social dances, as well as directing the social side of the club. These responsibilities include setting themes, creating budgets, working with PR for advertising, and purchasing food and supplies on behalf of the club for social dances. Planning for the social side of the club includes planning social events, and providing the coaches a schedule. If you enjoy planning events, helping encourage social activities and promoting a welcoming atmosphere this may work great for you!
Director of Outreach: The Director of Outreach is responsible for outreach outside of the club and interfacing with the club. These responsibilities include writing newsletters, advertising for the club, and keeping the club members up to date with events and activities. If you enjoy creating engaging content, spreading the love of dance and fun word play this position has great potential!
Music and Costume Coordinator: The Music and Costume Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the club’s music collection and providing music at club events as requested by the organizers of those events. This role also includes managing the club's costume collection, and MCing events. Starting this coming year, the Music Coordinator will also be the Head Safety Officer, whose responsibilities will include ensuring that Driver Certifications are handled in a timely manner to allow the team to get to and from competitions in a safe manner. If you enjoy awesome playlists and matching people with things which work great for them check out this role!
Furthermore, there are two additional roles which you could be involved in: the Helluva Dance Competition Chair and Safety Officers. Please email the club at gtballroomdance@gmail.com if interested in these roles!
