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
*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
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). 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
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 or contact the SGA Committee on Legislative
Affars at (802) 656-8639.
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
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