Hello all,
I hope that everyone is enjoying a fantastic summer. Mine has been going fairly well, and as it progresses, I continually look forward to working for you in the fall. I am writing this blog to update you briefly on perhaps analyzing both of the potential choices for the Student Center Director position in the fall. I am also going to update you on my stumbling onto one of many of the university's problematic policies--its forcing on campus students to pay for a meal plan.
So everyone knows, I am continually studying to be an effective leader from the start this year. I have reviewed further over our Constitution and Bylaws (which still have not been updated--something that the President should not have to do but is going to have to do in order to have a good copy for the start of the fall), and I see many problems to hand over to the SGA Affairs committee this year. Likewise, I am studying Robert's Rules closely as well in order to be a competent chairman. We do not need our long Senate meetings (if I have anything to say about it, they will be long because we'll be doing a lot) dragged on even longer by questions over parliamentary procedure, just as it was last year.
With that said, I hope that I am not divulging too much information when I say that the Student Center Director, whose job duties monitor the Student Center, help SAC plan activities, is in charge of the community service committee, and whose job duties signifies that he/she be SGA Advisor (which is in direct conflict with our Constitution--which gives me the ability to appoint a staff advisor) has come down to two candidates. Billy Fraley and Abe Lilly, who both have histories with Housing as RD's, have both went to Dr. Aloia from the committee's consideration. The committee to select the director interviewed 3 people, and just from the way the committee was leaning (it is Dr. Aloia's ultimate decision--he can pick any of the 3 who applied), it will come down to either one of those 2 gentlemen. I was personally impressed with both interviews. Billy was my RD in Wooddell during my first two years. He is quite competent and capable. Abe of course RD's South Tower and has had conflicts with SGA in the past. He is though, of course, a very hands on kind of guy, which the Director should be. It will be interesting to see who Dr. Aloia chooses. I feel that both will be fine in the position, although I'm sure that both will handle the management duties of the Senate in different ways, coinciding alongside Dr. Brichford, who has agreed to be our faculty advisor again. I felt that all 3 people were certainly qualified who interviewed, hence the committee's inability to choose. It has almost been a month since I served on the committee as well, so I hope that the good resumes have Dr. Aloia scratching his head as well.
Another issue I want to talk about in this short blog is the Board plan. In my attempt to economize and shorten my budget for the fall, I have been inquiring about my ability to perhaps stay on campus (with lack of rental property available) and drop a meal plan. I found out that this was not possible, even with a letter from a doctor. When I spoke to one of the people in charge, he said that the cafeteria would try to "accomodate" your food needs, even if you have a condition (I have an endocrine system condition where if I do not get enough water and nutrients of a certain kind I can dehydrate quickly and have to be hospitalized). He mentioned that the cafeteria even made baked chicken for one kid all year. Considering that the board plan costs an arm and a leg, and considering that the food we get in return for the money is less than subpar (You could almost eat at Applebee's 5 days a week for what you are paying for this), I find this policy highly outrageous. Students should not have to pay for a plan if they have cheaper, better alternatives. Instead, Aramark and Concord have practically conspired to create a food monopoly of sorts on campus, where we are all forced like little children to adopt a meal plan. This is very problematic. It's no wonder that our food does not get any better, each and every year; they know that they pretty much have us by the throat. I am sure that 98% of students who stay on campus would choose to get a meal plan if a choice was enacted, but as your President, I feel that you should have a choice and that you should not have to pay for a service that you do not want. Because of my stumbling into this issue, this will be a new initiative for us to tackle in the fall--giving on campus students a choice. You should not have to be forced to pay for something you do not want; it is your basic right to at least have that fundamental choice. This is one of many dining issues that I want to address. The Dining Committee over the past few years has been very friendly to the administrators of Dining (to the point that the Executive Board last year attempted to fire the chairman of the committee). Under my presidency, I am going to encourage VP Akeya Carter Bozman to appoint a fiery personality to chair that committee. Being exploited by College Dining has got to stop. It is time that the SGA change its philosophy to dining, or else we will be eating cardboard and drinking oil (I think Aramark food is more expensive than a crude barrel) for breakfast. If need be, I will chair the committee myself.
Until I blog again, cheers to the students. I wish you all well, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of your summer.
President Yeager
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Summer Update: Appointments, Committees, Plans, and Student Loan News
Hello all,
It has been a while since I have written to you from the President's Desk, but the Student Government at Concord University naturally slows down during the summer. As a matter of fact, I am the entire government during the summer, but considering that I am not on campus this summer, my actions are limited. I have asked Attorney General Lewis to look over day to day affairs in our government and report to me on anything that needs my attention. Besides that, I am continually planning for big things in the fall myself, and I hope to have a large agenda to show to the Executive Board during our planning stages for the fall before we go back to school.
Everyone knows that my administration thus far is going to be taking a small pay cut as well as pay half in keeping the library hours open longer, pending Senate approval. I look forward to seeing people be able to study longer and thus have more flexibility in the fall. By showing the administration that we will make use of our increased hours, we can persuade them to adopt a long term policy.
Besides the library issue, several new things have come up. As everyone knows, Marshall Campbell is now the Human Resources Director at Concord University. I applaud this selection of Dr. Aloia, for I feel that Marshall will do the job to the best of his ability, and he is undoubtedly the most qualified person for that position. Unfortunately, that leaves the SGA in a bit of a dilemma. It has traditionally been the role of the Student Center Director to be the SGA Staff Advisor. As a matter of fact, according to former President Noland, being an advisor to the SGA is a part of the job duties. Fortunately enough, I am going to be traveling to Concord whenever the hiring committee for the new Student Center Director takes place, and I will personally be a part of that university committee. I will make sure that I advocate for the person that I see fit. I am not yet sure who has applied, but I will be an effective voice for students. However, let it be known that I will not automatically select the Student Center Director for the staff advisor if I do not feel that that person might be the best fit for SGA. I have not yet spoken to Marshall about still being the staff advisor. We would all welcome him to return, but if he chooses not to, we have a dilemma on our hands. What I'm saying is that just because someone might be the Student Center Director might not mean that they be our official advisor. That person is likely to get the position, but if that person has known to have a bad record with SGA, I will be immensely skeptical in selecting that person. As a part of the job duties, the Student Center Director would have to advise the SGA, but that does not mean that that certain person would be the official advisor. With that said, I am also going to contact Dr. Brichford to see if he will represent the Faculty again, which I'm very sure that he will do.
Besides the Student Center Director committee, I am also serving on Coach Quick's Human Institutional Development advisory committee. During our initial meeting (we've had 1), most of the administration, the President of the Faculty, myself, and a few others discussed ways that the institution could work on obtaining funding so that it could avoid another tuition raise. There was not much of anything of interest for me to discuss beyond basic ways of reaching out to alumni and whatnot. I mentioned that it might be good for the committee to formulate a mission statement of what it hopes to achieve and then follow through with its plan. One possible thing that they might do is have high caliber weddings at University Point once it is completed. As a place to hold weddings, University Point could definitely rake in some cash for the University. Based on the committee, I, like Board Member Kearns, have complete confidence in Mr. Quick in this role. I think he is a very personable man who can communicate well with people. I believe that he will be very friendly with SGA, and it will undoubtedly be interesting to work with him during Higher Ed day this coming year (which will be an interesting thing for me to do as well, considering that I haven't even gotten to do that yet, considering my brother had a birthday during the last one).
Other things of minor interest--I have appointed Curtis Kearns and Vice President Bozman to serve on a summer university committee for Marshall Campbell to serve as student representatives in an advisory role similar to the one that I am serving on for Mr. Quick. I have also appointed Curtis to the Academic Dean search committee. Dr. Rowe is only in that job for an interim role, and Curtis will be looking for his permanent replacement. Considering that Curtis will be working with the Academic Dean in the future with policy, I thought he would be a great choice, and he will undoubtedly be our advocate behind closed doors. This is an example of a decision that I, the President, had to make during the summer while the Senate was not in session. Curtis will be confirmed for the full time role in the fall.
Judicial Reform planning is also getting underway. We managed to do a lot during the time that I chaired the committee last year as Attorney General. Several questions still loom over our Judicial Board though. We still have a few procedural issues we need to clear up. Full restrictions is still a faulty system of sanctions that cannot be enforced, and the community service plan we made last year has the ability to fall on its face from a lack of service opportunities if many people get sanctioned to it. We still need something else--we just have to decide what. There's a lot the committee still needs to do. During the first meeting of the year, I plan on re-starting this ad-hoc committee, and I will most likely appoint Attorney General Bill Lewis as the chair. Although Bill has not yet put his feet in Judicial waters, he will learn quickly, and I feel that he will be an effective moderator of debate, similar to the hands off approach that I took to leading the committee last year. As the President, I serve on all committees, so I will be advocating for more reform behind closed doors. Since I am no longer the Chair, I also look forward to putting more of my own ideas out there.
One last thing I wanted to make students aware of is loans. I know that many students have to take loans, especially with tuition raises and whatnot. Although I have had a full scholarship as an ALEF fellow, there is the possibility of even me losing my scholarship this year due to issues that have arisen within ALEF that I will not get into, despite the fact I have a great GPA, due to some issues that I won't discuss. With that being said, I have done some research on loans. If you are currently thinking of taking a loan for the fall, do NOT do it until after July. Interest rates are going down to an all time low due to things going on in Obama's stimulus. If you want to read for yourself, check out this link:
http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/525-interest-rates-on-federal-education-loans-to-drop-july-1
One more thing--I have been asked to look into getting a boxing speed bag and a boxing bag for the fitness center. More news on that later--it completely slipped my mind until I went looking through some e-mails. I will contact the appropriate channels.
Until I have further news, cheers. I hope all Concordians have a good summer, and I look forward to working for you in the fall. Change and progress is coming soon, August 2009.
It has been a while since I have written to you from the President's Desk, but the Student Government at Concord University naturally slows down during the summer. As a matter of fact, I am the entire government during the summer, but considering that I am not on campus this summer, my actions are limited. I have asked Attorney General Lewis to look over day to day affairs in our government and report to me on anything that needs my attention. Besides that, I am continually planning for big things in the fall myself, and I hope to have a large agenda to show to the Executive Board during our planning stages for the fall before we go back to school.
Everyone knows that my administration thus far is going to be taking a small pay cut as well as pay half in keeping the library hours open longer, pending Senate approval. I look forward to seeing people be able to study longer and thus have more flexibility in the fall. By showing the administration that we will make use of our increased hours, we can persuade them to adopt a long term policy.
Besides the library issue, several new things have come up. As everyone knows, Marshall Campbell is now the Human Resources Director at Concord University. I applaud this selection of Dr. Aloia, for I feel that Marshall will do the job to the best of his ability, and he is undoubtedly the most qualified person for that position. Unfortunately, that leaves the SGA in a bit of a dilemma. It has traditionally been the role of the Student Center Director to be the SGA Staff Advisor. As a matter of fact, according to former President Noland, being an advisor to the SGA is a part of the job duties. Fortunately enough, I am going to be traveling to Concord whenever the hiring committee for the new Student Center Director takes place, and I will personally be a part of that university committee. I will make sure that I advocate for the person that I see fit. I am not yet sure who has applied, but I will be an effective voice for students. However, let it be known that I will not automatically select the Student Center Director for the staff advisor if I do not feel that that person might be the best fit for SGA. I have not yet spoken to Marshall about still being the staff advisor. We would all welcome him to return, but if he chooses not to, we have a dilemma on our hands. What I'm saying is that just because someone might be the Student Center Director might not mean that they be our official advisor. That person is likely to get the position, but if that person has known to have a bad record with SGA, I will be immensely skeptical in selecting that person. As a part of the job duties, the Student Center Director would have to advise the SGA, but that does not mean that that certain person would be the official advisor. With that said, I am also going to contact Dr. Brichford to see if he will represent the Faculty again, which I'm very sure that he will do.
Besides the Student Center Director committee, I am also serving on Coach Quick's Human Institutional Development advisory committee. During our initial meeting (we've had 1), most of the administration, the President of the Faculty, myself, and a few others discussed ways that the institution could work on obtaining funding so that it could avoid another tuition raise. There was not much of anything of interest for me to discuss beyond basic ways of reaching out to alumni and whatnot. I mentioned that it might be good for the committee to formulate a mission statement of what it hopes to achieve and then follow through with its plan. One possible thing that they might do is have high caliber weddings at University Point once it is completed. As a place to hold weddings, University Point could definitely rake in some cash for the University. Based on the committee, I, like Board Member Kearns, have complete confidence in Mr. Quick in this role. I think he is a very personable man who can communicate well with people. I believe that he will be very friendly with SGA, and it will undoubtedly be interesting to work with him during Higher Ed day this coming year (which will be an interesting thing for me to do as well, considering that I haven't even gotten to do that yet, considering my brother had a birthday during the last one).
Other things of minor interest--I have appointed Curtis Kearns and Vice President Bozman to serve on a summer university committee for Marshall Campbell to serve as student representatives in an advisory role similar to the one that I am serving on for Mr. Quick. I have also appointed Curtis to the Academic Dean search committee. Dr. Rowe is only in that job for an interim role, and Curtis will be looking for his permanent replacement. Considering that Curtis will be working with the Academic Dean in the future with policy, I thought he would be a great choice, and he will undoubtedly be our advocate behind closed doors. This is an example of a decision that I, the President, had to make during the summer while the Senate was not in session. Curtis will be confirmed for the full time role in the fall.
Judicial Reform planning is also getting underway. We managed to do a lot during the time that I chaired the committee last year as Attorney General. Several questions still loom over our Judicial Board though. We still have a few procedural issues we need to clear up. Full restrictions is still a faulty system of sanctions that cannot be enforced, and the community service plan we made last year has the ability to fall on its face from a lack of service opportunities if many people get sanctioned to it. We still need something else--we just have to decide what. There's a lot the committee still needs to do. During the first meeting of the year, I plan on re-starting this ad-hoc committee, and I will most likely appoint Attorney General Bill Lewis as the chair. Although Bill has not yet put his feet in Judicial waters, he will learn quickly, and I feel that he will be an effective moderator of debate, similar to the hands off approach that I took to leading the committee last year. As the President, I serve on all committees, so I will be advocating for more reform behind closed doors. Since I am no longer the Chair, I also look forward to putting more of my own ideas out there.
One last thing I wanted to make students aware of is loans. I know that many students have to take loans, especially with tuition raises and whatnot. Although I have had a full scholarship as an ALEF fellow, there is the possibility of even me losing my scholarship this year due to issues that have arisen within ALEF that I will not get into, despite the fact I have a great GPA, due to some issues that I won't discuss. With that being said, I have done some research on loans. If you are currently thinking of taking a loan for the fall, do NOT do it until after July. Interest rates are going down to an all time low due to things going on in Obama's stimulus. If you want to read for yourself, check out this link:
http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/525-interest-rates-on-federal-education-loans-to-drop-july-1
One more thing--I have been asked to look into getting a boxing speed bag and a boxing bag for the fitness center. More news on that later--it completely slipped my mind until I went looking through some e-mails. I will contact the appropriate channels.
Until I have further news, cheers. I hope all Concordians have a good summer, and I look forward to working for you in the fall. Change and progress is coming soon, August 2009.
Monday, May 25, 2009
A Little Background History on your President...
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.
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.
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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