It’s more than wearing a name tag
Leadership is action, not position. Perhaps many have seen the current leadership around campus sporting the new t-shirts with this motto tattooed on the reverse. One may question whether or not there is foundation behind this statement or if it’s just empty words. I, for one, can vouch for it.
This archived article was written by: Willy Woodruff
Leadership is action, not position. Perhaps many have seen the current leadership around campus sporting the new t-shirts with this motto tattooed on the reverse. One may question whether or not there is foundation behind this statement or if it’s just empty words. I, for one, can vouch for it.
In a recent discussion, I asked other Student Body Presidents from around the state of Utah what they were getting out of their presidency and, as far as monetary value in stipends and scholarship, I get dirt in comparison. The other members of student government and leadership on the campus are no different. SUN Center leaders, with the exception of the presidency, receive nothing in monetary form. This brings up a question. Why do it? Why sacrifice so much for such a little gain? And the answer is impossible to explain to those who have never given without thought of receiving.
If it seems like I have pride in myself, I must apologize. My purpose in writing this article isn’t gratification of my own pride. My hope is that you will gain confidence in us. That together we will have a common goal. That together we will have a common vision. One that, with each other’s help, we can and will achieve. As our most recent student body president retiree Andrew Hardman often said, “Let’s make CEU, MY CEU.” We, as leaders, would love nothing more than to see this happen. Our goal is not without plan.
Saying that, I do so cautiously. Our plans are not flawless. In correlation with Mr. Hardman’s former statement, we would love nothing more than to hear from you. Our greatest success comes when we work together getting the voice of the body rather than a member; to get a unified opinion of what you want. We have an upcoming dance which, in years past, has been a huge success. We bring experience to the table with a repeat serving as Vice President of Activities of Davey Cox and fresh ideas and brilliant people skills with the new inductee of Whitney Oliver serving as your Vice President of Student Services and Academics. The Lite Brite dance, coming on the 9th of October, will run brilliantly, and I can promise that. I can also promise that without you attendance, it will be a complete and utter failure. We also understand that, even though we have a Student government that varies in personality, views, and ideas, we cannot cover the whole student body.
What is missing in this formula is you. Without your voice, we can never reach our goal, our vision. We need you to communicate with us. If you have ideas, please share them with us and I promise that we will hear you. As I said before, we aren’t in this for the money. There isn’t any to be had. We do this for you. We have people whose sole purpose is to make sure you are being heard and looked out for. One in particular is our Student Advocate, Rachel Ryan. She knows how to make sure your voice gets to the right people. If you don’t know her, I highly recommend getting to know her.
I end where I began, with leadership being action, not position. If this statement is true, then our actions must be on your behalf. Please help us to fulfill our reason for being: YOU.
