Students of Concord,
This blog should be shorter than the previous ones, as I will simply not have as much to discuss now that I am in office permanently to where I report to the Senate every week. However, I do have a few points of interest to discuss in this blog that should be interesting for my readers to know.
First off, the library issue. The Senate discussed the initial proposal on Wednesday, and they tabled it until next week. The next day, Business Manager Belcher met with Dr. Rowe, and he found out that Concord was in fact charging us for some of the finals week as well as Sunday hours. Dr. Rowe, however, had enough money in his library budget to lower the cost of what it took to get the periodicals room down to approximately $1000. Once I found out this piece of news, I was overjoyed, and today, I confirmed to Dr. Flanigan, the Interim VP of Student Affairs, that I would take this amended deal to the Senate.
I have to give kudos to Matt on this one for helping to lower the bill. This only demonstrates that this year's Executive Board is a unified team that is working for the benefit of all students. Matt, as demonstrated by this meeting, will undoubtedly be a great manager of the student's money. The fact is that I should have discussed this deal with the entire Executive Board first before confirming it with the President, but at the time of the meeting I acted rashly and excitedly that we got the increased benefit that fast. I hope no one thinks less of me for making the mistake; as I mentioned before, my actions in securing the library deal were not perfect, but I did it acting in the best will of the student body--not necessarily the SGA itself. I still, however, do not see a problem with paying a one time fee, especially now that it's only $1,000, which is 1% of the SGA's budget, to give this great service to students. President Aloia, Dr. Flanigan, and I are all equally determined to improve academics at Concord, and hopefully once this library issue is ironed out, it will be the first of many improvements.
We were initially going to try to discuss this issue in our Joint Cabinet meeting with the administration in order to go over all the exact numbers before the first Senate meeting, but the SGA Executive Board had to cancel, as many of them had class. So, I had a with Dr. Aloia myself over various issues, alongside Attorney General Bill Lewis. I will discuss those in a minute. My greatest hope now is that this library issue passes without many qualms next week. Students will have the periodicals room that is monitored by the student worker (This worker will receive about $7.50 a hour pay for 10 hours a week), a monitored printer (since the SGA is helping to pay; we don't want any video game cheat codes being printed! :)) for about $900, with $1,000 being allocated for emergencies (such as getting a back up worker in case the scheduled worker does not show up). In my own opinion, I find this beyond reasonable. As I mentioned in my President's report last week, these are only the beginning of changes, as the 5.2 million dollar grant that the University is almost assured of getting from stimulus money should help to renovate an area for the rest of it, as well as fix leakage problems and to get new equipment.
I briefly mentioned ADA issues in my report last week, but since people seemed to be getting tired, I will elaborate some more. For quite some time now, students have had issues with the Fine Arts chairman in trying to get the Arts gallery up to ADA compliance standards. It does not have a ramp to get down to it, amongst other issues. I brought this up to Dr. Aloia in our meeting, and he mentioned that he was glad I brought it to his attention, and hopefully it will be taken care of this semester. I am thankful for this, as a student personally asked for me to do this so that his father could look at his art when it was presented in the gallery later this year. I will keep tabs over the course of the semester to make sure that's done. Also, with the 5.2 million grant, the new architect will work on bringing the Arts center up to code. Dr. Aloia is going to tear out all the sidewalks at Concord sometime probably next summer to bring those up to code, and we are also working on ways to improve the steep hill near the gazebo behind the Student Center. Progress is definitely being made in ADA compliance. As a student who has had knee surgery and who has been confined to wheelchairs and crutches in the past, I know how it feels to have to get around difficult places. ADA will not be the free committee that everyone goes to in this SGA; we will hopefully make some great progress.
For those who may have read the Concordian this week, I wrote a short blurb advocating for religious studies at University Point, which I mentioned several blogs ago. Look for a full article on that next week--just giving you a preview.
Dr. Aloia mentioned to the Senate that a parking garage might be in the works to fix the current parking problems on campus. This too would come from federal earmarking. Such a building would probably go behind Wooddell or near the President's house. In the meantime, however, our SGA needs to find ways of helping to improve parking on campus. It does not help that the "modular units" are blocking some spaces currently. The police staff are working hard to get students the best possible parking they can currently, but I will be encouraging the Executive Board to devise a plan to improve parking soon.
The SGA will hear about CUSAC's two proposed policies from last year, Visitation and Tailgating, by next week. I brought Attorney General Lewis to my last meeting with the President to talk about tailgating at more than just Homecoming, and the President seems receptive. However, these issues have to be hashed out in a University committee, and I am pleased to announce that a student representative will be on that committee. I would ideally like to serve if possible on that in order to help improve those services for students.
Perhaps the best news I have to offer about the SGA itself is that there is a great deal of interest by freshman this year! During the past week, I have spent many hours interviewing over 10 applicants for our four senator positions (it was three, but Senator Zach Graham resigned for personal reasons). I asked the Senate to increase the Senate number last week for one pure reason. Most of our current senior leadership team includes seniors, and all of these applicants appear to be born leaders! It is making my job hard to decide amongst them by next week. I'm hoping that if that bill passes, I can appoint most of the others. I am pleased and thankful that I will hopefully get to choose the student body's next great group of leaders.
Vale,
President Yeager
Friday, August 28, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
President's Desk: Corrections from my last blog, Executive Retreat, Housing Disaster, and Freshman Orientation
Hello students,
Considering the rather controversial events that have gone on with the Housing issue at Concord over the past few days, I thought that I would write and join BOG Representative Curtis Kearns in his arguments against the temporary housing. Like Curtis, I believe that Rick Dillon and his team have done an amazing job with the Housing crisis. I was on campus today (and over the past few days) getting ready for freshman orientation, so Attorney General Lewis, Public Defender Lawson, and I all decided to take a tour of the overflow situation in all of our lounges. The Housing staff was very cooperative with letting us into rooms, keying us in, and allowing us to talk with students about the temporary housing. When I read Curtis's blog last night, he made an argument that while it's hard for the University to turn away students, it is also extremely difficult for students to succeed when they can't even get the most basic of needs taken care of at Concord--private space and shelter. After inspecting the rooms today, I completely agree with his argument. I inspected rooms in South Tower where bunk beds were stacked side by side (basically 2 guys were sleeping by one another on the top and bottom bunk--just in separate beds. That's how crowded it was). Another room had a big blot on the floor that literally looked as if someone died in there and left blood stains (it was rusted that badly). One room that students lived in within the North Tower didn't even have a door in the foyer that allowed the students living within it to have any privacy whatsoever. They did, however, have a pretty sweet kitchen. Wooddell temporary housing features the little room right next to the laundry room. In it, students are sleeping in a sweltering area (although it is very spacy) in the basement without much air coming in from the windows. The windows have to be shut since it's practically underground. For those students, I asked Rick to find a way to get them air conditioning, which he agreed to try to do.
Basically, I feel really bad for all these students. I feel bad for Housing as well. Rick and his staff have dealt with numerous frustrated people, people who have every right to be frustrated. He and his staff are waiting to see how many people don't show up. At that point, he can probably start moving people out of the lounges back into rooms; however, it's unlikely that people who don't show will give everyone a room. After examining the situation today, my SGA must act. I cannot sit by idly while students cannot even have a place to study. Concord is a school dedicated to academics. How can a student succeed living in the barracks? The SGA is currently pushing issues like the library hours because we believe that academics part is the most important thing here at Concord. Before the SGA can act though, it must first get a report from Rick on how the University is dealing with the overflow. It's just a shame that we must rely on people to get disgusted to not even attend this institution. By doing this, Concord is losing a great amount of academic potential. Before the SGA issues any kind of response, we will first assess the situation and then come to a unified decision as an Executive Board. This kind of decision, as important as it is to Concord, should not be up to me alone, Curtis, or the rest of the team. I feel that we should make a decision as your leadership team that we can all live with and agree on to represent our constituency.
Furthermore, I want to address some mistakes I made in my last blog. I had my first meeting of the year with President Aloia, who is a reader, and he pointed out some things that I must correct. First off, I mentioned in the last blog over the interim hires that the SGA needs to be consulted. I stated that "we are not idiots; we are a group of savvy students who demand a voice." By making that comment, I had no intention of expressing that Dr. Aloia thinks we're a bunch of idiots. My intention was to brag on my Executive Team and to express that we mean business. So, I apologize as well if this is how my readers took the comment, as Dr. Aloia does not think that way. I am still firm on my stance though that the SGA should at least have some input on interim hires. I also stand by the idea of the domino effect--that is, the possibility of interim hires not working causing other interim hires to fall back into their original spots--being a huge problem. The argument against the interim idea is that the University has no other choice because of the tight budget and the economy. I can agree to that in part, but I do not agree that all of the potential talent can be found at Concord. As much as I admire and respect the faculty and staff at Concord, I don't think they belong in administrative posts. They should be doing what they do best--teaching in the classroom. It's a disservice to our academic programs taking someone like Chuck Becker or Marshall Campbell, two outstanding professors, out of the classroom. But, I never meant to convey the idea that Dr. Aloia thought we were a bunch of bumbling buffoons; the fact that he is meeting with us and is listening to our concerns proves the exact opposite point. I also was vague when I mentioned who shot down the idea of a religious studies program at University Point. The administration did not do this; the faculty did. I did not express in my last blog who did not listen to the requests of the Concord history department, so I am clearing up that ambiguity that I left. That is why our Faculty Senate Representative, Ashley Green, probably has the most important job of any of us this year. She needs to work closely with the History department to insure that classes are taught at University Point to justify that project to students. If she can do that with my help and somehow convince the faculty of the importance (they pretty much don't want to hire another Philosophy professor), then our SGA will have truly done something worthwhile.
The SGA Executive retreat is also underway. We arrived back on Thursday and have had 2 4 hour meetings planning for the year. Basically, to this point, we've talked about a ton of ideas, as well as planned the agendas for the committees to examine this year. The only money that we have spent, unlike previous SGA's, is meals together in the cafeteria, which we have spent talking about how we can improve dining, as well as some lanyards so that freshman could identify us at orientation. On the business side of the retreat, we still plan on coming up with specific agendas for officers to handle, but some of these things are obvious. Under this government, I, for example, do not want the focus of the Attorney General on impeaching the President. That is the faulty ideology of infighting that has made the SGA a mockery. I would much rather see him focus on Judicial and Ethical reform in our government. I want the Vice President to run the committees effectively to insure that our work is done. People can blame the Executive branches of the past all they want to, but when committees week after week give a "No Report" to the Senate, something is wrong. Those kinds of reports are going to be looked at with disdain in my administration. In order for this SGA to work, we need an enthusiastic Executive, an enthusiastic Senate, and a less than enthusiastic, hands off Judicial (I digress).
The freshman orientation, besides the overflow situation, also seemed like a great event. My team was on the campus shaking parents' and students' hands as they moved in today. They talked to incoming students, got their stories, and offered help for any concerns. I spoke to incoming freshman on stage, encouraging them to get involved and to seek our help if they needed it. It was overall a good day that could not have been successful without the hard work of my entire team. We all probably pulled 12+ hours today. I was probably the first one to tire out--the rest of my team went to the freshman party, but at that point, I had had enough!
Please, for all of my readers, I always appreciate constructive criticism/thoughts/concerns/ideas. As I mention in all of my messages, I cannot do my job effectively without ideas from the students. I am here for you. If I'm not doing this job right, tell me. If there is something I need to address, let me know. The transparency in this government is open to anyone, and by doing this, we can create a better government for the people. Chris Slater alluded to this in his last blog, and as Ashley Green mentioned in her response, it is not me alone; my entire executive board wishes to be accountable with transparency. Sometime over the next week, instead of a President's desk blog, expect a youtube address just as our Attorney General did.
One more thing--next Tuesday, August 25, the day before the first Senate meeting, my entire cabinet will meet with Dr. Aloia's entire cabinet. This kind of event is unprecedented in Student Government at Concord. Trust me--we will be the most fully prepared and the most professional SGA that he has ever seen in his entire career that day. That's a promise.
Cheers,
President Yeager
Considering the rather controversial events that have gone on with the Housing issue at Concord over the past few days, I thought that I would write and join BOG Representative Curtis Kearns in his arguments against the temporary housing. Like Curtis, I believe that Rick Dillon and his team have done an amazing job with the Housing crisis. I was on campus today (and over the past few days) getting ready for freshman orientation, so Attorney General Lewis, Public Defender Lawson, and I all decided to take a tour of the overflow situation in all of our lounges. The Housing staff was very cooperative with letting us into rooms, keying us in, and allowing us to talk with students about the temporary housing. When I read Curtis's blog last night, he made an argument that while it's hard for the University to turn away students, it is also extremely difficult for students to succeed when they can't even get the most basic of needs taken care of at Concord--private space and shelter. After inspecting the rooms today, I completely agree with his argument. I inspected rooms in South Tower where bunk beds were stacked side by side (basically 2 guys were sleeping by one another on the top and bottom bunk--just in separate beds. That's how crowded it was). Another room had a big blot on the floor that literally looked as if someone died in there and left blood stains (it was rusted that badly). One room that students lived in within the North Tower didn't even have a door in the foyer that allowed the students living within it to have any privacy whatsoever. They did, however, have a pretty sweet kitchen. Wooddell temporary housing features the little room right next to the laundry room. In it, students are sleeping in a sweltering area (although it is very spacy) in the basement without much air coming in from the windows. The windows have to be shut since it's practically underground. For those students, I asked Rick to find a way to get them air conditioning, which he agreed to try to do.
Basically, I feel really bad for all these students. I feel bad for Housing as well. Rick and his staff have dealt with numerous frustrated people, people who have every right to be frustrated. He and his staff are waiting to see how many people don't show up. At that point, he can probably start moving people out of the lounges back into rooms; however, it's unlikely that people who don't show will give everyone a room. After examining the situation today, my SGA must act. I cannot sit by idly while students cannot even have a place to study. Concord is a school dedicated to academics. How can a student succeed living in the barracks? The SGA is currently pushing issues like the library hours because we believe that academics part is the most important thing here at Concord. Before the SGA can act though, it must first get a report from Rick on how the University is dealing with the overflow. It's just a shame that we must rely on people to get disgusted to not even attend this institution. By doing this, Concord is losing a great amount of academic potential. Before the SGA issues any kind of response, we will first assess the situation and then come to a unified decision as an Executive Board. This kind of decision, as important as it is to Concord, should not be up to me alone, Curtis, or the rest of the team. I feel that we should make a decision as your leadership team that we can all live with and agree on to represent our constituency.
Furthermore, I want to address some mistakes I made in my last blog. I had my first meeting of the year with President Aloia, who is a reader, and he pointed out some things that I must correct. First off, I mentioned in the last blog over the interim hires that the SGA needs to be consulted. I stated that "we are not idiots; we are a group of savvy students who demand a voice." By making that comment, I had no intention of expressing that Dr. Aloia thinks we're a bunch of idiots. My intention was to brag on my Executive Team and to express that we mean business. So, I apologize as well if this is how my readers took the comment, as Dr. Aloia does not think that way. I am still firm on my stance though that the SGA should at least have some input on interim hires. I also stand by the idea of the domino effect--that is, the possibility of interim hires not working causing other interim hires to fall back into their original spots--being a huge problem. The argument against the interim idea is that the University has no other choice because of the tight budget and the economy. I can agree to that in part, but I do not agree that all of the potential talent can be found at Concord. As much as I admire and respect the faculty and staff at Concord, I don't think they belong in administrative posts. They should be doing what they do best--teaching in the classroom. It's a disservice to our academic programs taking someone like Chuck Becker or Marshall Campbell, two outstanding professors, out of the classroom. But, I never meant to convey the idea that Dr. Aloia thought we were a bunch of bumbling buffoons; the fact that he is meeting with us and is listening to our concerns proves the exact opposite point. I also was vague when I mentioned who shot down the idea of a religious studies program at University Point. The administration did not do this; the faculty did. I did not express in my last blog who did not listen to the requests of the Concord history department, so I am clearing up that ambiguity that I left. That is why our Faculty Senate Representative, Ashley Green, probably has the most important job of any of us this year. She needs to work closely with the History department to insure that classes are taught at University Point to justify that project to students. If she can do that with my help and somehow convince the faculty of the importance (they pretty much don't want to hire another Philosophy professor), then our SGA will have truly done something worthwhile.
The SGA Executive retreat is also underway. We arrived back on Thursday and have had 2 4 hour meetings planning for the year. Basically, to this point, we've talked about a ton of ideas, as well as planned the agendas for the committees to examine this year. The only money that we have spent, unlike previous SGA's, is meals together in the cafeteria, which we have spent talking about how we can improve dining, as well as some lanyards so that freshman could identify us at orientation. On the business side of the retreat, we still plan on coming up with specific agendas for officers to handle, but some of these things are obvious. Under this government, I, for example, do not want the focus of the Attorney General on impeaching the President. That is the faulty ideology of infighting that has made the SGA a mockery. I would much rather see him focus on Judicial and Ethical reform in our government. I want the Vice President to run the committees effectively to insure that our work is done. People can blame the Executive branches of the past all they want to, but when committees week after week give a "No Report" to the Senate, something is wrong. Those kinds of reports are going to be looked at with disdain in my administration. In order for this SGA to work, we need an enthusiastic Executive, an enthusiastic Senate, and a less than enthusiastic, hands off Judicial (I digress).
The freshman orientation, besides the overflow situation, also seemed like a great event. My team was on the campus shaking parents' and students' hands as they moved in today. They talked to incoming students, got their stories, and offered help for any concerns. I spoke to incoming freshman on stage, encouraging them to get involved and to seek our help if they needed it. It was overall a good day that could not have been successful without the hard work of my entire team. We all probably pulled 12+ hours today. I was probably the first one to tire out--the rest of my team went to the freshman party, but at that point, I had had enough!
Please, for all of my readers, I always appreciate constructive criticism/thoughts/concerns/ideas. As I mention in all of my messages, I cannot do my job effectively without ideas from the students. I am here for you. If I'm not doing this job right, tell me. If there is something I need to address, let me know. The transparency in this government is open to anyone, and by doing this, we can create a better government for the people. Chris Slater alluded to this in his last blog, and as Ashley Green mentioned in her response, it is not me alone; my entire executive board wishes to be accountable with transparency. Sometime over the next week, instead of a President's desk blog, expect a youtube address just as our Attorney General did.
One more thing--next Tuesday, August 25, the day before the first Senate meeting, my entire cabinet will meet with Dr. Aloia's entire cabinet. This kind of event is unprecedented in Student Government at Concord. Trust me--we will be the most fully prepared and the most professional SGA that he has ever seen in his entire career that day. That's a promise.
Cheers,
President Yeager
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