Just in case some of you guys are unfamiliar with me, I wanted to list a few details about myself personally as well as my career in SGA. I was raised early in Oceana, WV, but my family moved to Pineville at an early age. I graduated from Wyoming East High School, and at Concord, I am majoring in English Literature and History with an Emphasis in Philosophy with a minor in Pre-Law with the hopes of going to law school. From my first day at Concord, I immediately loved the atmosphere of the campus but I instantly spotted things that were wrong. I loved the laid back atmosphere of the campus, and I respect how challenging Concord's academic programs are. Those programs have turned me not only into a better scholar but also into a better person. With that being said, it is not hard to recognize that the dorms are falling apart. The heating is archaic, and cooling is nonexistent. The hours to the cafeteria are not flexible with student schedules, and the food tastes like cardboard. The library closes at 10 PM, a time that many students (myself included usually, as I am a procrasinator) when students most need to use it. The rules in the disciplinary halls even felt a little like boot camp when I first arrived. With that being said, I decided to join the SGA in the fall of 2007 as a representative to the Honors Program under President Cook's administration.
As a representative, I oftentimes voted but it took me a while to speak my opinion. Early on, I was always a shy and withdrawn kind of guy, and this has always been a serious personality defect. Despite that, I did have a voice, and I casted several votes. By the time the spring rolled around, I became more involved. Curtis Kearns, the Vice-President, appointed me to the SGA Affairs committee, and I helped Josh Lawson work through bylaw reform. During that time, I ran several heated meetings that quite frankly scared me in how frank and outgoing they were, but I learned and it made me a better leader. During the course of the year, I always admired Attorney General Gillespie's work as she was the objective voice of the law in the dramatic SGA, so I ran for her job. After a rather lengthy election process with Chris Matheny, Rob Elsaid, and Zach Cox, I, a relatively new insider, was elected to the Attorney General.
I knew little then about what I was getting myself into. The Attorney General is a very difficult job. That person must be a balance between the always conflicting forces of Housing and students when he/she prosecutes cases through the student disciplinary process. It also fell on me to investigate and then attempt to impeach then President Prince for ethical issues relating to appointment processes. This was in my first semester in the job. As people conflicted and as political factions grew, I did my very best to stay objective as the AG. The AG is a job dedicated to internal workings within the SGA, and that impeachment did a lot of damage to the SGA's perception with students. Despite that, the Student Senate ordered it to happen, and I did my very best as the SGA's prosecutor. The Judicial Branch ultimately found President Prince not guilty as his ethical actions had nothing to do with the bylaws. When that sentence was struck, I realized that change needed to occur, and in the spring semester, I took on 3 different committee chairs. SGA Affairs again, SGA Ethics, and SGA Judicial Reform. Through the hard work of those committees, we built a way for a more effective, a more transparent, and a more ethical SGA. I realized that many problems exist with the SGA that I could not fix as Attorney General, so I then decided to run for President, and I am thankful that the students gave me a chance to do good for them.
As a leader, I realize that my record has several weaknesses. The SGA has always been more than about the SGA, and my record has mainly dealt with internal issues in the government. As your President, I realize through that experience that it is hard for the SGA to solve any external issues without first solving its inner problems. At the same time, I want to work to solve all kinds of problems that students are complaining to me about, whether it concerns the library, parking, food, dorms, etc. To do this, I plan on making a unified team. My government, unlike others, will work together, despite disagreement, to fix and mend the reputation of those in the past. We will not betray you by going on a trip to DC, for example (which I did not do when I was elected to the AG a year ago). Instead, my team is coming back a week early in order to start preparing for the fall. We are firing up our war room early in order to get stuff done. We will stand united. As a team, this will make us even more effective and credible when we go to bat with the administration.
Furthermore, a restoration of integrity will also be beneficial to getting things done. People like Dr. Aloia need to know that the leaders of the student body have credibility and credence when he negotiates with them. We have had leaders like that in the past, but their good will has oftentimes been compromised by those who have cared about the country club mentality. As your President, I will not let that attitude take hold. As a credible institution, we will have a greater voice when we negotiate over these issues. A broken and laughingstock government cannot accomplish anything.
The last issue I want to address about external issues is compromise. Students are suffering. As the SGA tries to get improvements made on campus with a long wait, they still need services. This is why I made the difficult decision for the students to help the administration to fund the library for an additional 2 hours a day this fall, which is my first accomplishment in office. I do not intend on this being a long term fix, but I needed to help those students who need that service in the short term. If that plan is approved, I will seek to find alternative ways to fund these projects beyond the compromise plan with Dr. Aloia, but this has to do for now. If we look to compromise at least in the short term, we can get notable improvements for the campus, show the administration that these improvements are noteworthy and valid, and then persuade the administration to adopt that improvement permanently. Considering that the college's budget is tight with the recession, it will take these kinds of policies in order to get long lasting change with some improvements, despite how unfortunate it might be to have to resort to such a method to help every student. As a force, the Student Government can bring change to this campus in this way. We will also do our best to insure that all of the technology in the dormitories is up to date, and we will NOT compromise on this agenda. Early on, I will make sure that this college is using all of its bandwith, which it is clearly not doing. Marshall Campbell, Rick Dillon, and I are also trying to negotiate with dining in order to get longer hours for the cafeteria. More to follow on that one.
I thus hope to make the SGA a legitimate force on campus for the future as well as bring many improvements to students at Concord University with my leadership team. As a person who has been an advocate for internal issues, I hope to steer the ship in the right direction while at the same time making sure that it reaches its destination (making student life better). This is a daunting task, but it is possible, and it must be done.
Monday, May 25, 2009
My First Post
Hello all,
Just in case you do not know me, my name is Jeff Yeager, and I will be the President of the Concord University Student Government Association in the fall. If I would have thought that I would be saying those words a year ago, I would have thought that I was a bit crazy considering that I was aware of the stress of the job after watching President Cook's administration as a Senator, but here I am. Over the course of the past year, the Student Government Association has suffered several setbacks, and this is not entirely the past administration's fault. The previous administration (under which I served as Attorney General) was merely the victim of a faulty ideology that has plagued SGA over the past several years--that is, the infamous "Country Club". Instead of being an organization dedicated to helping the students, the Student Government has been mainly led by people focused on helping themselves or focused on helping a small group of people. Students have recognized this, and the fact that I, a person who has primarily been an advocate for progress over the past few years, was elected proves this point entirely. Change is coming.
I wanted to use my first post to tell how excited I am about the leadership team that has been elected by the students that are assembled as well as those whom I appointed to various posts in my first day in office. Vice President Akeya Carter Bozman has always been a solid advocate for the students. As a Senator and as the representative to the Board of Governors, she has always looked to what is best for students. Her passion and zeal will undoubtedly lead to great things as the Vice President as she plans Homecoming, Spring Fling, as well as making sure that all of our committees run effectively.
I am also excited about working with Business Manager Belcher. Although we oftentimes disagreed last year in the Senate over various issues, including when he got appointed to Vice President without the Senate's consent, I have developed a great deal of respect for Matt. He and I both agree that the rather hefty officer pay needs to be cut, and we have already polled all of the officers about cuts, and they are all fine with it. Considering that we may have made a few errors in evaluating those cuts, we will look at them again before the fall starts. I also plan on working with him closely to insure that the Budgetary Process this year runs a little bit more smoothly in the hope of not having a 8 to 9 hour long meeting.
Attorney General Lewis will undoubtedly give good insight in his role as AG. I believe that Bill realizes that the AG is a very powerful position in that it does more than prosecute cases. I know that Bill will do much more for reform than most in that role before him. I hope that he will help to revaluate Judicial Reform as well as further ethical reform. I'm also looking forward to seeing how he will bring his own unique fire and zeal to that role, especially considering one of the most boring guys on campus (points finger) held that job last year.
Board of Governors Representative Kearns will also do a great job as the Board rep. He and I have also not always agreed politically, but that has never stopped us from working together as a team. We will both work hard to insure that your tuition is not raised so highly this year, and we will make Dr. Aloia and the administration crunch numbers and we will make sure that this university is accountable for every dollar. As a team, we will both be a force to be reckoned with, pardon the cliche.
Secretary Lopez will also undoubtedly do well in his role. Based on what I have seen from him so far, he is very serious about his position, and I am sure that the Senate will tell a big difference in the efficiency of that job this year compared to last. He will also be a solid voice to the Executive. Gavin Ward has a solid knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure based on his time in SGA as well as his taking the course from Dr. Brichford. He will undoubtedly be an asset to me in helping to keep the Senate running efficiently. No one can say enough about Ombudsman Keys, who has done a magnificent job over the past few years. I look forward to working with her again.
With this team, the Yeager Administration WILL bring change to this campus for the greater good. We are a diverse group of people who have not always been on the same page, but I can promise you, we are all on that level now. With strong leadership, we hope to make the SGA a credible institution again by restoring its integrity to both the students and the administration so that we will be a completely legitimate voice on this campus. As your President, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, and most importantly--a leader for the rest of the government to follow. As I lead this diverse team of smart, capable students who all are capable of great things together as a unified whole for the betterment of this campus, great things will come. To do this, I will always need your patience but at the same time this administration always needs constructive criticism as well in order to know what it is doing is right.
Just in case you do not know me, my name is Jeff Yeager, and I will be the President of the Concord University Student Government Association in the fall. If I would have thought that I would be saying those words a year ago, I would have thought that I was a bit crazy considering that I was aware of the stress of the job after watching President Cook's administration as a Senator, but here I am. Over the course of the past year, the Student Government Association has suffered several setbacks, and this is not entirely the past administration's fault. The previous administration (under which I served as Attorney General) was merely the victim of a faulty ideology that has plagued SGA over the past several years--that is, the infamous "Country Club". Instead of being an organization dedicated to helping the students, the Student Government has been mainly led by people focused on helping themselves or focused on helping a small group of people. Students have recognized this, and the fact that I, a person who has primarily been an advocate for progress over the past few years, was elected proves this point entirely. Change is coming.
I wanted to use my first post to tell how excited I am about the leadership team that has been elected by the students that are assembled as well as those whom I appointed to various posts in my first day in office. Vice President Akeya Carter Bozman has always been a solid advocate for the students. As a Senator and as the representative to the Board of Governors, she has always looked to what is best for students. Her passion and zeal will undoubtedly lead to great things as the Vice President as she plans Homecoming, Spring Fling, as well as making sure that all of our committees run effectively.
I am also excited about working with Business Manager Belcher. Although we oftentimes disagreed last year in the Senate over various issues, including when he got appointed to Vice President without the Senate's consent, I have developed a great deal of respect for Matt. He and I both agree that the rather hefty officer pay needs to be cut, and we have already polled all of the officers about cuts, and they are all fine with it. Considering that we may have made a few errors in evaluating those cuts, we will look at them again before the fall starts. I also plan on working with him closely to insure that the Budgetary Process this year runs a little bit more smoothly in the hope of not having a 8 to 9 hour long meeting.
Attorney General Lewis will undoubtedly give good insight in his role as AG. I believe that Bill realizes that the AG is a very powerful position in that it does more than prosecute cases. I know that Bill will do much more for reform than most in that role before him. I hope that he will help to revaluate Judicial Reform as well as further ethical reform. I'm also looking forward to seeing how he will bring his own unique fire and zeal to that role, especially considering one of the most boring guys on campus (points finger) held that job last year.
Board of Governors Representative Kearns will also do a great job as the Board rep. He and I have also not always agreed politically, but that has never stopped us from working together as a team. We will both work hard to insure that your tuition is not raised so highly this year, and we will make Dr. Aloia and the administration crunch numbers and we will make sure that this university is accountable for every dollar. As a team, we will both be a force to be reckoned with, pardon the cliche.
Secretary Lopez will also undoubtedly do well in his role. Based on what I have seen from him so far, he is very serious about his position, and I am sure that the Senate will tell a big difference in the efficiency of that job this year compared to last. He will also be a solid voice to the Executive. Gavin Ward has a solid knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure based on his time in SGA as well as his taking the course from Dr. Brichford. He will undoubtedly be an asset to me in helping to keep the Senate running efficiently. No one can say enough about Ombudsman Keys, who has done a magnificent job over the past few years. I look forward to working with her again.
With this team, the Yeager Administration WILL bring change to this campus for the greater good. We are a diverse group of people who have not always been on the same page, but I can promise you, we are all on that level now. With strong leadership, we hope to make the SGA a credible institution again by restoring its integrity to both the students and the administration so that we will be a completely legitimate voice on this campus. As your President, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, and most importantly--a leader for the rest of the government to follow. As I lead this diverse team of smart, capable students who all are capable of great things together as a unified whole for the betterment of this campus, great things will come. To do this, I will always need your patience but at the same time this administration always needs constructive criticism as well in order to know what it is doing is right.
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