Fellow Students, Welcome back! We hope you had an enjoyable, relaxing break. For some of you this is the final stretch, while others of you are still finding your footing at UVM. Whatever the case, we look forward to serving you this semester and hope you will let us know what the SGA can do to address your concerns and make your voice heard. As a reminder, our SGA Senate meetings are every Tuesday night at 7 pm in the Livak Ballroom of the Davis Center, with our first meeting being held on January 15. Included in this message is a special, belated farewell to the recent graduates and information about the fast approaching Mid-Term Elections. Read on! Always at your service, Kesha and DaVaughn ------------------------- In this email: *December Graduates: Farewell and Good Luck! *Run for SGA! Mid-Term Elections Are Coming Up... *What Is SGA Doing For You? *This Week In Athletics... *Juniors: Join Mortar Board *Like Walking Backwards and Showing Off UVM? Apply to be an AdvoCat! *Exciting Summer Travel Courses in London and Mexico ------------------------- DEAR DECEMBER GRADUATES: Firstly, I must apologize for missing December's ceremony. As some of your family members may have experienced when making their travel plans to Burlington, the coming snow storm was causing severe flight delays the weekend of December Graduation. I was really looking forward to sharing your big moment and a few words of wisdom and I am truly sorry to have missed it. To demonstrate my sincerity, I want to share with you the story that I planned to tell in my ceremonial speech, called "The Investment Banker and the Fisherman." As you may have gathered from the title, it is not quite a relic of ancient wisdom that has survived several generations. My mother heard it on the radio and told it to me when I was in the emotional throes of college applications and acceptances. The tale has come back to me in anxious, fearful moments brought on by thoughts of the inevitable cycle of "getting ahead" and "keeping afloat" in the unknown world beyond university life. Also, since December graduates sometimes get stereotyped either as those content to wander through some extra semesters beyond the traditional four years or those who fast-forwarded their college career to move on to the next big thing, perhaps some of you can identify with one of the two characters. So without, further ado, I give you this anonymous tale... One day, an American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "Only a little while." The investment banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The Mexican replied, "Well, I have enough fish to support my family's immediate needs so I am content with what I have caught." The banker was perplexed: "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The fisherman answered, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the profit from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually New York where you will run your expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the American banker replied, "Fifteen to twenty years." "But what then?" The banker laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions...and then what?" The American beamed: "Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos." Luckily, as part of the UVM community, the most important things in life--friendship, love, laughter, music--are never out of reach. However, we all succumb to measures of outward success and the pressures of our day-to-day needs. I hope this story and the memories you have of your time here will keep you sane and help you find happiness when these inevitable stressors creep in. I wish you all the best of luck as you enter the "real world" and I will see you out there in six months! Congratulations! Kesha ------------------------- /A MESSAGE FROM SGA ELECTIONS CHAIR EMMA GRADY.../ Dear Students, MID-TERM ELECTIONS FOR THE POSITION OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION SENATOR ARE QUICKLY APPROACHING! Attached to this message is the platform sheet that needs to be filled out and returned to me at [log in to unmask] by TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008! If you would like to include a photograph of yourself, please send it as a 'jpg' or 'gif' file. The sooner you can get them in to me, the better. Also, mandatory election packets are now available at the main desk of the SGA office and on the SGA website (click here for the pdf[1]). The packet includes rules and regulations for campaigning and a petition (80 signatures from your fellow undergraduate students), which must be returned by FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2008. ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ONLINE ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 22 FROM 9:00 AM TO 12:00 MIDNIGHT. Candidates can spend a maximum of $50 toward their campaign efforts, and receipts must be turned in to the SGA office by 4 pm on January 22, the day of the election. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [log in to unmask] Good Luck, Emma Grady Elections Chair Student Government Association ************************* MID-TERM ELECTIONS CALENDAR /Sunday, December 13/ Platform sheets available via this email and on the SGA website Petitions available for sign-out in the SGA office /Tuesday, January 15/ Platforms must be typed and turned in to Chair Emma Grady at [log in to unmask] /Friday, January 18/ Petitions must be turned in to the SGA office, complete with 80 signatures/Tuesday, January 22/ Students may vote online from 9 a.m. to 12:00 midnight Candidates must turn in their campaign receipts by 4:00 p.m. in the SGA office January 15 ? January 22 Candidates may campaign during this time following all rules and regulations ------------------------- WHAT IS SGA DOING FOR YOU? A NEW YEAR, A NEW SEMESTER, WHY NOT A NEW WORK STUDY ROLE WITH SGA? If you are interested in working in the Davis Center alongside the student leaders of the SGA, this is the perfect job for you. We are looking for motivated individuals with the ability to work as part of the SGA team and on independent projects on behalf of the student body. On site training offered, flexible work hours, and a pay scale adjustable to your needs. Interested? Contact SGA Vice President, DaVaughn Vincent-Bryan ([log in to unmask]). WINTER ACTIVITIES FAIR! SGA will be holding the Winter Activities Fair on Tuesday, February 5 in the Davis Center Atrium. It is a great opportunity to recruit new club members as well as raise awareness about your organization. Stay tuned for more details! For more information, please contact Student Activities Chair Marissa Couzens ([log in to unmask]). LOOKING FOR OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING? Safe, high quality apartments in Burlington are now on the market for June 1 leasing. If you are moving off-campus after this semester, now is the time to start thinking about making the transition. Still not sure where to go from here? Visit the UVM Rental Database. If you have further questions, comments, or concerns about renting or would like more information about living off-campus, stop by the Office of Student and Community Relations[2] or contact the SGA Committee on Legislative Affars at (802) 656-8639. ------------------------- THIS WEEK IN ATHLETICS... Wednesday, January 16 Women's Basketball vs. Albany: Patrick Gymnasium @ 7:00 PM Friday, January 18 Track and Field vs. Middlebury w/ McGill: Burlington @ 4:00 PM Swimming vs. Siena: Forbush Natatorium @ 4:00 PM Men's Hockey vs. Northeastern: Gutterson Fieldhouse @ 7:05 PM /Saturday, January 19/ Men's Hockey vs. Northeastern: Gutterson Fieldhouse @ 7:05 PM /Sunday, January 20/ Women's Basketball vs. UMBC: Patrick Gymnasium @ 1:00 PM /Monday, January 21/ Men's Basketball vs. Stony Brook: Patrick Gym @ 7:00 PM /Wednesday, January 23/ Women's Basketball vs. New Hampshire: Patrick Gymnasium @ 7:00 PM ------------------------- Juniors: An Announcement About UVM's Mortar Board... If you have junior standing, have a 3.2 or better GPA, and expect to graduate in either December 2008 or May 2009 (there may be some exceptions to these general graduation dates), you are eligible to apply for membership in Mortar Board, a national senior honor society. For more information about Mortar Board and for application materials please visit this website: www.uvm.edu/~mboard ------------------------- Do you LOVE UVM and want to share your enthusiasm with the world? Apply to be an AdvoCat (campus tour guide)! The Admissions Office is currently accepting applications for next years' AdvoCat position. This can be a great opportunity to make some money, build your resume, and gain leadership skills. If you would like to learn more, we have two information nights coming up on 2/5 and 2/6 from 6-7pm in the Admissions Visitor Center. Download an application at www.uvm.edu/studentleaders/?Page=featured.html Applications are due Friday 2/8. For more information email [log in to unmask] ------------------------- Looking for some exciting travel courses to fill the upcoming summer months? Come visit these information sessions to learn more about spending time in Mexico or London this summer: Literary London Information Session January 22, 2008 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Boulder Society Room, Davis Center Come meet Professor Robyn Warhol and Professor Tom Simone to talk about spending July focusing on "British Theatre and Literature" while exploring London! Mexico Spanish Immersion Information Session January 22, 2008 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM SGA Presidential Conference Room, Davis Center Come meet Professor Patricia Riley to learn more about spending May 15 - June 27, 2008 studying Spanish and Music Education in Mexico. For additional information please contact the Department of Continuing Education at 656-2085 or go to http://learn.uvm.edu/?Page=worldwide.html Links: ------ [1] http://www.uvm.edu/sga/documents/midterm_election_application_2007_-_2008.pdf [2] http://www.uvm.edu/cses/?Page=OSCRcontact.html