So here I am, 7:55 AM, and I've just barely woken up (that's not a normal occurrence, usually I'm up by 5:30, sometimes earlier, to exercise). Blearily, I checked my phone on the window ledge, and guess what I saw!?
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| No, I don't wake up in the morning with a cup ready. |
I spied with my little eye a bunch of replies!
...but then I went straight back to sleep because I was tired, and for once, I listened to my body.
In retrospect, that was a bad idea.
I had calculus II homework due later which I had yet to start. Alas, the troubles that would plague me later meant nothing as I blissfully fell back into oblivion for several more hours.
Fast-forward to 10:36 AM.
I woke up and proceeded to do a little Irish jig elatedly as I sat down to read. After a few moments, I decided that I was, in fact, not going to put out Part II (or maybe ever), and would instead focus on responding to the gracious letter I was sent.
{Note: Emphasis will be added to parts of The Letter that I will address after that section as follows:
BOLD: Things I find amusing.
UNDERLINED: Things I want to clarify
ITALICS: Comments, concerns, and ideas (there will be blood)
If there is a mix of these, consider their meanings mixed as well. I might not explain everything. ;)
}
OH and I guess I should appease the political correctness sensibilities of some parties, so I decided to include this disclaimer:
WARNING: Opinions/thoughts that are personal to me are contained below, and, as I've mentioned before, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Continue to feel free to disagree, take offense, and/or berate me for being wrong or not holding myself with the proper etiquette befitting my societal position, in the comments below. I love dialog.
An Official Reply to "A Letter to a Mr. Horowitz," (Part I) from the desk of the Mr. Horowitz,A Letter to a Mr. Horowitz,
My name is Greg Carbo, Vice President of the 18 slate. I am writing this because I have taken a special interest in your work, Aram, and am here to answer your questions.
I am both intrigued and impressed by a concerned students’ ability to look at a SGA platform point with such a fine attention to detail. And no, I am not attempting to “butter you up,” per say, but seeing how your 7 part series of this SGA election has knocked on 18s doorstep I am taking the time to explain each and every platform point to show the heart behind every decision. With that being said I would also state that by no means am I writing this article to hush such an inquisitive voice like yourself, in fact, bring it on.
We like the questioning, it helps us grow.
We as an 18 slate have come together as a family focused on having tangible, obtainable goals. You said that we didn’t have enough substance, well my question is.. Do you want tangible ideas that are concrete, or lofty ideas that an umbrella terms? We as a slate have been working on our campaign for a long time- but by no means has it been a year of work. We are students, leaders, and involved in many different organizations throughout campus including SGA. We have friends, family, and lives outside of SGA. BUT, SGA is a 24/7 job and I’m glad someone finally let me write them all down and explain them.
You asked the question “so what?”
You could ask that for anything! We can ask that as to why you write articles, but we see that its part of the process. You ask that about our points, and we say its because we are attempting to not only implement these plans, but to be leaders on campus. This election is focused on how we want to bring change on campus. Lets look at how our plans might seem “simple” to you and how much work we have actually put into them.
I am going to go through our platform points individually and give you an insight to our plan and how reachable every aspect of it really is. We are fully aware that our 9 platform points seem like a small list compared to SUMMITS 16 points but that’s what we wanted. We have set the goals of our slate; those 9 printed in black and white. But we didn’t want to just have those and call it a day. We are seeing all the organizations on campus and what they need. We are writing things down, scheduling phone calls, and planning to take on the needs of the student body just as much as we are wanting to accomplish our platform points. The platform points are concrete goals that’ll help the student body. However, they’re large projects that require much work and dedication. So it’s a contrast you see, either come into the position with 16 platform points that focus on OUR agenda..or come into the role with less platform points and more room to actually accomplish what the student body needs.
In this piece I will focus on the platform points you had questions on following the formatting of your first article. I will also inform you, and hopefully any other student reading this, the background of each and every one of our slate members to explain why we are fit to lead this campus (in another comment most likely). When creating these ideas, we didn’t want general statements that didn’t have any actual traction or lack explanation; we wanted feasible, plans that reach every student. So here it goes:
I was under the impression that you were going to reply to my concerns as Greg Carbo, the fellow student, as per your student centered focus. Since, instead, you responded as Greg Carbo, Vice Presidential Nominee, I will treat all of the following letter as the views of ©18.
I feel like my amusement at the first two emphasized points is self-explanatory. If it needs to be stated outright, there's a problem. The very fact that you took the time you took to write the letter and then had the guts to post it on the blog, spoke for itself. You had my respect. Also, I love that you said, "...bring it on."
When I read it, I thought, "Now, there's a slate with some fire."
...but now we come to the question, "Do you want tangible ideas that are concrete, or lofty ideas that an umbrella terms?"
To be honest, I want both.
For something to be both manageable and adaptable (because hopefully, we all know that bureaucracy is a pain in the butt), it must have both aspects to be complete. You speak about lofty ideas as if they're something to be denounced and if a campaign is based upon them, a slate won't accomplish anything concrete.
They are not.
Take Atlas for an example; they had 21 platform points and managed to complete all of them. Compared to the 9 and 16 platform points that you both 'hope' to accomplish throughout your terms, that kind of seems like chump change.
These 'lofty ideas' form the backdrop for all the specifics, they are the motion giving life to the plans, for they are the scene where the actors perform. To neglect the 'lofty ideas' is to state that you want to do things your way and that there is no other option.
Side-note: I never was interested in comparing the SIZE of your platform lists. I'm more interested in the 'lofty ideas' and what you planned to do with them.
Are we not supposed to expect that our Executive Slates increase in quality every year? If Atlas can accomplish something as great as 21 points, shouldn't we expect the same from our future executive slates? Or is that too much for you?
You have 'lofty ideas.' They are the basis of all points for ANY campaign.
If I were to state both SUMMIT's and your campaigns in simple 'lofty ideas,' SUMMIT's would be, "Focus on the little guy (whether it be achievable, desired, or long lasting)," while yours would be, "Students need more media. We'll provide that. (whether you like/want it or not)."
Now you can complain that I've misinterpreted something down the line, but except for 3 (out of 9) platform points (18%[though it could be argued otherwise because of the vague definition of what it would go toward], Security, and Continuing Previous Initiatives) that you have chosen to make your mission, the rest are directed at increasing media presence on campus. Whether it be 'Hyping' or partnering with the Nest, whether it's media to create, or media to display, it's all about increasing/communicating something (presence, ideas, opinions, facts, etc.) through media.
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| 24/7 is such a catchy phrase. Especially when describing a job... |
Which brings me to our next point: Needs. Both slates are after what you feel the student body needs from your perspective. What you see as a need could very well be valid, but not necessarily so just because you see a bigger picture. That picture you see may be part of a grander scheme, or distorted through a funhouse mirror. Your slate and the general student body could disagree and be seeing completely different futures. The same goes for the overarching hand of the administration.
We as humans have very basic needs; when you start talking about the needs of a student I get squicky, because what you are describing are nice wants, not needs. As a student, all I need is a teacher and a desire to learn. A beautiful campus, media technology, school 'pride,' athletes and athletics programs, are all commodities when talking about the needs of a STUDENT. As a student, I can learn anywhere, whether it's in the alleyways of China, the slums of India, the rain forests of Brazil, or the ghettos of DC (speaking from experience on this last one, even with the sirens blaring, random yelling, and gunshots booming at all hours of the night).
Sure, in some places learning is more accessible, yet saying that we, as a student body, need more is going a bit far. As a student, we pay for our education, it's true. It's also true that it's becoming more and more necessary to have a degree to even get a mediocre job. But, I could just as easily get a degree at a community college if I wanted to pay less.
You could argue and rationalize this aspect of your platform many different ways, all day 'erreday, and if you want, I'd certainly be available to do that some other time.
We live in a society that confuses wants with needs. Do we really need to propagate that problem in an academic environment as well?
Signing off on Part I of III
The original questions to ©18
the questions to Summit
Part II
Part III
Conclusion
