Finals - RA Landon

  I dislike finals. There, I said it.  But hey, that's life. Sometimes we encounter things that we don't like to do. Who knew? My guess is that others feel the same. So maybe as a result we would rather not deal with the fact that they are approaching, or worry ourselves to death, or stress ourselves out until we become sick over them.
    So what is the appropriate way to deal with finals week? I think the answer is simple do your best and don't get crazy. I myself have at times mentally 'checked out' at the thought of having to take finals. Looking back, I laugh at myself for reacting like that. Students love to pretend that the end of the world is coming when finals week approaches. I used to think that too, but guess what? Life goes on. In less than three weeks we will be enjoying our summer and catching up on season latest season of Greys Anatomy or running around at some camp in the hills.

Vote for Dylan!

The SA President has less than nine months after election to complete their plans. If a presidential candidate has no vision at this point in the process, it will be increasingly difficult for them to get anything done next year. It is because this reasoning that I have drafted up my initiatives for my potential role as SA President next year. The plan is ready and for many of these ideas the ball is already rolling.

Petition Service For Students

A continuing problem on our University is the disconnect between students and administrators. This is something that many student body presidents have attempted to address in the past with varied amounts of success. We have lunches with Dr. Schubert, and programs that seek to find the next big idea on our campus. We have even tried surveys and polls in the past, but these fail to meet the immediate needs of students because of the time spent drafting the survey and breaking down the data. You see what if something needs to happen fast or the administration won’t change something until they can see then number of students who truly want it. The solution to this is a petition, where students submit an idea that they want to be petitioned on our campus. Examples from the past include the petition to bring back dead day or even the petition to get back the piano man back into the Bean. The idea is to have petitions idea submitted to the congress for approval. If the congress approves the petition then it will go up on the SA website and electronically sign the petition. If the petition reaches a certain number of students that is agreed on between the administration and the Students’ Association, then it is brought to the administrator that could best address the issue and the problem is assessed. This is proven to work in the past and only needs to be molded to fit ACU in order to fix the disconnect between students and administrators.

Online voting

We consider our university to be innovative yet we do not have a voting system that reaches all students with ease. I am working with a group of students right now to develop a program that should go out in the fall. The purpose with online voting is to reach the students where they are. This program could also be used for such elections as Homecoming Queen as well as Mr. and Ms. ACU. It will be interesting to see how the voter turn out is for this competitive election. Historically the turn out has been well below 20 percent and for me that is nowhere near high enough.

The Hiring of the Dean of Student

This position will drastically impact the future of students on our campus. I will push hard to make sure that the student voice is heard on who they want their next dean to be. This decision not only impacts this next year but also the 4-5 years after, depending on how long the position is held. This individual will be responsible for hiring the Associate Dean of Students, address the pressing need for improved Residence Halls, insuring a balanced budget in the office of student life, and merging the gap between the administration and students.

Increased communication with Dr. Schubert and his office

The transition from Dr. Money to Dr. Schubert has been an exciting trip, daily we are figuring out what the future will look like. It is my goal to make the relationship between Dr. Schubert, his executive team, and the students more fruitful. The relationship with the ACU President and SA President must be mutually beneficial and open. Students need to see him and he needs to hear students. I will encourage him and his team to be more involved on our campus. Students need to know who is running this University and who to go to if they have an issue. The role of the SA President is foster this growth, and to inform students about the decisions that are being made and to voice the opinion of the students. 

Living the Easter Life By RA Brandon

Easter weekend is coming up, and I don't know about you but I am excited. Easter, for my family is a huge holiday (yes I still Easter egg hunt). Easter, to me is a time to celebrate life. Life that we as humans don't deserve, but a life that is a gift from the one we serve. Next weekend is a time to celebrate the GIFT of life, and to also celebrate the Resurrection. We don't deserve life, but through Christ's Love have been given a second chance. I want to challenge you to think about your life, and how God has blessed you. Ask yourself if you've been living a life worth the sacrifice Christ has made for you, and enjoy the Easter holiday with your family. 

Col. 3:23

In HIS service, 

Brandon

A New Wildcat

I know that it’s February and that it’s heart month and Valentine’s Day and all that cute, fun stuff. But I also know that like me, you are ready to move on past that stuff and leave it to the girls. We would rather talk about sports, and good food, and Nerf Wars (which I am pushing to have again), so I decided to switch it up and go with something different, like the changing of tides at ACU.

Forever, ACU has lived off of the good ole same traditions like Sing Song, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” chapel, and for some reason the wildcat that looks something that lives in the bushes of our campus. I am not trying to bash traditions, because there are some great ones like Sing Song, but maybe it was time to switch our logo and redesign our basketball court and apparel. School spirit for not only sports, but just in general, has been going down the drain for the last few years. It is sad to see the football games start of full and then empty out at halftime because socialization hour has ended. Or to see our women’s basketball games have half the number of students as people from the community, when they still have 3 games left and have their most wins since 2005. The logo wasn’t just a move to get rid of a silly little mascot because we are going Division 1. The change was done to revive the school spirit that we once had. School spirit is something we will need next year if we want to compete on the big stage. Turnouts of maybe 100 people to basketball games won’t cut it. If we want good teams, then we are going to have to get behind our teams and cheer them to victory, no matter how rough next season is. So I encourage you to go to at least one of our girls last two regular season games, or make the not-so-long drive to Allen to watch them in the tournament. And yes it is a nice cheap (FREE!!!) date with a girl, but it is also a chance to watch the possibly 58^th national championship team (knock on wood) or legendary athlete compete at our school for a limited time.  So let’s show them what we are made of and get more pumped up than we get for Sing Song!

Signing out,

Nate

It isn't about having a New Year, but about having a New Mind

One of the most dangerous things that can and will occur in life is stagnation. Life isn’t about being stagnant, but is about growing. Growing: spiritually, purposefully, mentally, and physically, emotionally, and even recreationally. Just like a plant, if we do not grow we will die.

One of the most traditional excitements most of us, if not all engage ourselves in, is the celebration of an old year and the ushering of a new year. The emotional climax we experience during the new year sagas are quite remarkable and positive. Most of us reach a level of excitement to where we create what we call ‘New Year Resolutions.’ However, somewhere around February and March, the excitement dies down and we return to the ‘normal’, ‘regular’ person we were for years, while at the same time forgetting the goals we set to reach for the year. Before we know it, year in and year out we become stuck being the same person. Perhaps some of us are still living in 1988 because of the dangerous comfort of stagnation.

Brice Point: If we choose to only get excited about the ending of an old year and the ushering of a new year and have not made a choice and an effort to grow in our lives, then the only thing we will end up being excited about is a new number.

Yours truly,

Steven, Assistant Director

Blog Shot ~ Change

Whatever circumstances you are dealing with in life, be careful not to be stagnant in the pit of complaining. Rejoice in the freedom to make a change

Remember To Be Thankful !

As Thanksgiving Day draws closer and the schoolwork stops for a second, I believe it is a time of reflection for many people. In many homes, we are supposed to discuss what they were thankful for on Thanksgiving, and remember who gave us these blessings.

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and a relaxing moment to enjoy the little things in life. What does Thanksgiving mean for you? For me, it’s the warm turkey, dressing, gravy, and most importantly, the sweet pecan pie (How do you pronounce that?). But we all know that it’s more than that. It’s the things God has blessed us with that make us who we are today. It’s God’s gifts that he has bestowed upon us that have allowed us to preserve through the struggles we have faced.  Be grateful for the blessings that the Lord has given you, and humble yourself as you feast on the delicious foods. Never take for granted the moments you have this week. It’s a blessing!

Safe travels to all and God bless!

In HIS service,

                                    Brandon Wianecki