It's been a crazy three days. I've been going door-to-door campaigning today and yesterday, and I've actually not felt all that well lately. I also may or may not have written an April Fools article for the Maroon-News saying that the Jug was renovating for two years, which some people actually believed for a while, but that's neither here nor there.
Anyways, I'm hoping for the best come Tuesday, but even if we don't win, Javi and I are still going to work hard to get things done here. It looks like the first-year mentoring program idea has the potential to get off the ground; I'm going to e-mail Dean Low next week to see if she is interested in helping out.
Until tomorrow,
Paul
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A Good Question
Hey,
My friend Jaime, Colgate men's hockey manager extraordinaire, posed a good question to me today. He wondered if I would still pursue all of these platform ideas if Javi and I didn't get the SGA nod. Short answer: yes. Well, I don't think we could get our Cruiser and green stuff done, among other things, but most of our platform is possible simply by taking the initiative with numerous administrators and student groups. Yes, having the backing of SGA would be great to get these things done, but really, all it takes is one to get something done.
Case in point: During my freshman year, Yankee games were not televised on campus. Being the big Yankee fan that I was (A-Rod has almost single-handedly destroyed my liking for that team), I went down to President Chopp's office during drop-in hour. This got the ball rolling towards a series of events, eventually leading to us getting Yankee games televised on campus in the summer of 2008, when the Time Warner cable contract was renewed.
So yea, Jaime... Javi and I will try our best to get some of our campaign promises done, whether we get the SGA gigs are not.
Peace.
-Paul
My friend Jaime, Colgate men's hockey manager extraordinaire, posed a good question to me today. He wondered if I would still pursue all of these platform ideas if Javi and I didn't get the SGA nod. Short answer: yes. Well, I don't think we could get our Cruiser and green stuff done, among other things, but most of our platform is possible simply by taking the initiative with numerous administrators and student groups. Yes, having the backing of SGA would be great to get these things done, but really, all it takes is one to get something done.
Case in point: During my freshman year, Yankee games were not televised on campus. Being the big Yankee fan that I was (A-Rod has almost single-handedly destroyed my liking for that team), I went down to President Chopp's office during drop-in hour. This got the ball rolling towards a series of events, eventually leading to us getting Yankee games televised on campus in the summer of 2008, when the Time Warner cable contract was renewed.
So yea, Jaime... Javi and I will try our best to get some of our campaign promises done, whether we get the SGA gigs are not.
Peace.
-Paul
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Veterans Day
I think I'm going to be pretty upfront with this blog posting.
It is pretty pathetic that we don't do a damn thing for veterans here at Colgate for Veterans Day. And with ROTC growing again here, I think it's about time we collaborate with them and do something about it.
For the Javi/Paul platform, I hijacked an idea my firehouse had back home. My friend and fellow fireman Andrew Forsyth, who is also a Marine, spearheaded an effort to bring down free clothes to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center back in June. I wish I could have made it, but I was at 'Gate doing work over the summer.
Well, it looks like Andrew is going to Afghanistan in June, which sucks, but if he goes out, I hope he can do us all a favor and kill Bin Laden. But I digress. We should follow Andrew's lead and start a huge charity drive for the soldiers during Veterans Day. We could get Greek chapters, who are already well-known for charity efforts, involved, and it'd be an awesome deal. We could also bring in a speaker and we could dedicate a plaque on campus to vets.
Regardless, the time is now for something to be done on campus.
It is pretty pathetic that we don't do a damn thing for veterans here at Colgate for Veterans Day. And with ROTC growing again here, I think it's about time we collaborate with them and do something about it.
For the Javi/Paul platform, I hijacked an idea my firehouse had back home. My friend and fellow fireman Andrew Forsyth, who is also a Marine, spearheaded an effort to bring down free clothes to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center back in June. I wish I could have made it, but I was at 'Gate doing work over the summer.
Well, it looks like Andrew is going to Afghanistan in June, which sucks, but if he goes out, I hope he can do us all a favor and kill Bin Laden. But I digress. We should follow Andrew's lead and start a huge charity drive for the soldiers during Veterans Day. We could get Greek chapters, who are already well-known for charity efforts, involved, and it'd be an awesome deal. We could also bring in a speaker and we could dedicate a plaque on campus to vets.
Regardless, the time is now for something to be done on campus.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Community Summit/Cruiser/Worst Weather Day Ever
Hey,
So I guess I'll talk about three things today.
I went to part of the Community Summit on campus on Fri-Sun. Because of this crazy campaign I'm going through, I was only able to go for four hours, but luckily my friend Emily went so she can fill me in on what I missed.
Essentially, the Community Summit was a gathering of Board of Trustee members, administration, faculty, staff, and students that gathered to talk about issues of diversity and how to make Colgate more of a community, hence the name.
I essentially went to listen to a multitude of different groups on campus, because I wanted to hear different perspectives and see what everyone would like at Colgate. My favorite part of the Summit was when Prof. Landon Reid got up and gave a ton of suggestions that I really liked. I have them all written down in my notebook somewhere, which is MIA under a barrage of stuff. But in essence, it was great to learn from a lot of people.
Cruiser: I waited 40 min. at the COOP for the Cruiser today, which was a no-show. Well, unless the people I was waiting with in the COOP just didn't see it as we were talking. Regardless, let's say Javi and I get elected and post signs at the Cruiser stops. Well, I think if the Cruiser continues to be off-schedule, we have a much, much better idea of how off-schedule the Cruiser is with signs publicizing the Cruiser schedule all over campus, and much student unrest would lead to Birnie Bus being more accountable for their actions. So it'd be a domino effect of sorts, leading to a solution to the problem. Fixing the Cruiser problem, shouldn't be, and isn't, hard to do at all. And guess what? It's cheap. We can fix the Cruiser problem, everyone, it's just going to take a little effort from everyone involved.
Side note, today was absolutely disgusting outside. 40's and windy and raining? On March 30? What a pain.
So I guess I'll talk about three things today.
I went to part of the Community Summit on campus on Fri-Sun. Because of this crazy campaign I'm going through, I was only able to go for four hours, but luckily my friend Emily went so she can fill me in on what I missed.
Essentially, the Community Summit was a gathering of Board of Trustee members, administration, faculty, staff, and students that gathered to talk about issues of diversity and how to make Colgate more of a community, hence the name.
I essentially went to listen to a multitude of different groups on campus, because I wanted to hear different perspectives and see what everyone would like at Colgate. My favorite part of the Summit was when Prof. Landon Reid got up and gave a ton of suggestions that I really liked. I have them all written down in my notebook somewhere, which is MIA under a barrage of stuff. But in essence, it was great to learn from a lot of people.
Cruiser: I waited 40 min. at the COOP for the Cruiser today, which was a no-show. Well, unless the people I was waiting with in the COOP just didn't see it as we were talking. Regardless, let's say Javi and I get elected and post signs at the Cruiser stops. Well, I think if the Cruiser continues to be off-schedule, we have a much, much better idea of how off-schedule the Cruiser is with signs publicizing the Cruiser schedule all over campus, and much student unrest would lead to Birnie Bus being more accountable for their actions. So it'd be a domino effect of sorts, leading to a solution to the problem. Fixing the Cruiser problem, shouldn't be, and isn't, hard to do at all. And guess what? It's cheap. We can fix the Cruiser problem, everyone, it's just going to take a little effort from everyone involved.
Side note, today was absolutely disgusting outside. 40's and windy and raining? On March 30? What a pain.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Debate/Mentoring Program
Hey,
I'm wicked tired right now. I stayed up until 3 a.m. preparing for the SGA debate today. I honestly went into the debate pretty nervous because I had been told multiple times that Mike Schneider, the opposing SGA Presidential candidate, is the best debater in this school. Well, it just so happens that 'Gate has one of the best debate teams in the world, so it was like David meets Goliath heading into debate.
But you know what? Javi and I did pretty well. We made great points today about the feasibility of our initiatives and how they represent what this school really needs. Granted, I was pretty nervous and reflected that during the debate, but I threw out some great statistics and anecdotes that helped me move along.
I mentioned the importance of a student mentoring program for first-years, in which upperclassmen could mentor first-years and help them at Colgate if they encounter trouble. After speaking with Mark Thompson (director of Conant House) and Dawn LaFrance(started programs at Conant and works there), they were VERY receptive of the idea, saying that it was a great plan and there is enough interest from both sides(upperclassmen and first-years) to get this done. I think if we work on this in the summer, definitely with Dean Low, this could be done and be introduced at Orientation. I think something like this would be enormously helpful to first-years that are having trouble adapting to Colgate. 37-40 percent of students in a graduating class go to Conant. Honestly, I think that's 37-40 percent too many. A mentoring program could also really help Conant in terms of helping students find alternate support via students, and Conant could also work on other initiatives to meet student's needs. Quite frankly, from what I've heard about Conant from others who regularly visit there, it's an amazing resource for help. So I think working with them to pull off this program will be both feasible, practical, and most importantly, extraordinarily beneficial to students.
Peace.
I'm wicked tired right now. I stayed up until 3 a.m. preparing for the SGA debate today. I honestly went into the debate pretty nervous because I had been told multiple times that Mike Schneider, the opposing SGA Presidential candidate, is the best debater in this school. Well, it just so happens that 'Gate has one of the best debate teams in the world, so it was like David meets Goliath heading into debate.
But you know what? Javi and I did pretty well. We made great points today about the feasibility of our initiatives and how they represent what this school really needs. Granted, I was pretty nervous and reflected that during the debate, but I threw out some great statistics and anecdotes that helped me move along.
I mentioned the importance of a student mentoring program for first-years, in which upperclassmen could mentor first-years and help them at Colgate if they encounter trouble. After speaking with Mark Thompson (director of Conant House) and Dawn LaFrance(started programs at Conant and works there), they were VERY receptive of the idea, saying that it was a great plan and there is enough interest from both sides(upperclassmen and first-years) to get this done. I think if we work on this in the summer, definitely with Dean Low, this could be done and be introduced at Orientation. I think something like this would be enormously helpful to first-years that are having trouble adapting to Colgate. 37-40 percent of students in a graduating class go to Conant. Honestly, I think that's 37-40 percent too many. A mentoring program could also really help Conant in terms of helping students find alternate support via students, and Conant could also work on other initiatives to meet student's needs. Quite frankly, from what I've heard about Conant from others who regularly visit there, it's an amazing resource for help. So I think working with them to pull off this program will be both feasible, practical, and most importantly, extraordinarily beneficial to students.
Peace.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Cruiser Sign Idea
Hey,
It seems as though a lot of people don't really know when the Cruiser is supposed to come around. 5 dollars to the person that tells me when the A Cruiser is supposed to get to Frank post noon. I don't even know when... :23 and :53 minute mark maybe? I honestly don't take the Cruiser after I moved to Birch, which is somewhat ironic when I think of it.
Javi and I figure we should change that. Why not have signs at Cruiser stops so people know when the Cruiser is going to arrive(well, supposedly).
Then I had another idea. Why not just staple laminated Cruiser schedule signs to the light posts, or tack them on to the stop signs or post them on the walls inside the COOP and Gate House, etc.? It's so cheap and easy.
Then, if there are still big problems with the Cruiser not showing up on time, we have a much more organized idea as to how late the Cruiser is, and we could work with Birnie Bus further to make changes.
Peace.
It seems as though a lot of people don't really know when the Cruiser is supposed to come around. 5 dollars to the person that tells me when the A Cruiser is supposed to get to Frank post noon. I don't even know when... :23 and :53 minute mark maybe? I honestly don't take the Cruiser after I moved to Birch, which is somewhat ironic when I think of it.
Javi and I figure we should change that. Why not have signs at Cruiser stops so people know when the Cruiser is going to arrive(well, supposedly).
Then I had another idea. Why not just staple laminated Cruiser schedule signs to the light posts, or tack them on to the stop signs or post them on the walls inside the COOP and Gate House, etc.? It's so cheap and easy.
Then, if there are still big problems with the Cruiser not showing up on time, we have a much more organized idea as to how late the Cruiser is, and we could work with Birnie Bus further to make changes.
Peace.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Great News About Colgate Sports Fan Bus Idea
Hey everyone,
Great news to report about my idea concerning getting a fan bus to Colgate sports road games, but first, a basic preface about my idea.
Our attendance at football games this year was on average 5,473, which is a huge increase from last year and our biggest number since 2003, the year when Colgate was a finalist in the D-I AA Tournament. Furthermore, soccer fan attendance grew in bunches as well, as anyone can attest to that went to the Patriot League Tournament games this season.
Therefore, I thought it would be great to send fan buses to big road games, where students could travel and cheer together as a section for games. I think there'd be a huge following to go to the Colgate-Cornell men's hockey game in Ithaca (usually a really crazy game), and a road football game or two within conference. Furthermore, we could send fans to Patriot League, ECAC, or NCAA Tournament games. I think the increased attendance at games calls for us sending a bus at least 2-3 times per school year.
So I spoke with representatives from the Colgate Activities Board, who were really nice and gracious enough to let me talk to them, and they thought it was a great idea that could be done. I also talked to an Assistant Athletic Director who loved the idea as well. Colgate has done this in the past (2003 NCAA D I-AA Championship Football Game, 2008 Patriot League Basketball Game), but it hasn't been done with any sort of regularity. I think this is a tradition that should, and after meeting with CAB and Athletic representatives, can be started.
More from me later tonight about further progress,
Paul
Great news to report about my idea concerning getting a fan bus to Colgate sports road games, but first, a basic preface about my idea.
Our attendance at football games this year was on average 5,473, which is a huge increase from last year and our biggest number since 2003, the year when Colgate was a finalist in the D-I AA Tournament. Furthermore, soccer fan attendance grew in bunches as well, as anyone can attest to that went to the Patriot League Tournament games this season.
Therefore, I thought it would be great to send fan buses to big road games, where students could travel and cheer together as a section for games. I think there'd be a huge following to go to the Colgate-Cornell men's hockey game in Ithaca (usually a really crazy game), and a road football game or two within conference. Furthermore, we could send fans to Patriot League, ECAC, or NCAA Tournament games. I think the increased attendance at games calls for us sending a bus at least 2-3 times per school year.
So I spoke with representatives from the Colgate Activities Board, who were really nice and gracious enough to let me talk to them, and they thought it was a great idea that could be done. I also talked to an Assistant Athletic Director who loved the idea as well. Colgate has done this in the past (2003 NCAA D I-AA Championship Football Game, 2008 Patriot League Basketball Game), but it hasn't been done with any sort of regularity. I think this is a tradition that should, and after meeting with CAB and Athletic representatives, can be started.
More from me later tonight about further progress,
Paul
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