Presidential Leadership Academy — Matt Klein

Instead of heading home after my last exam during finals week, I prepared for the commencement of the Presidential Leadership Academy, representing SGA.  I joined 22 other organizational presidents, coming from all corners of the campus with different experiences and perspectives. It was interesting to hear each of their stories, understand them and their organizations, and find commonalities as well.  While each president had a unique organizational and individual outlook, there was much we could learn from each other.

The academy was based off of four fundamental principles: empowering, purposeful, ethical, and inclusive leadership.  Each day we dove into one of these topics and discussed how it related to our specific organizations.  Each president came in as a leader with a mission for his or her particular organization, but we soon realized how similar we were in terms of how to be effective leaders.  A variety of offices came to visit us as well.  Their presentations were both meant to inform us about their resources, but also acted as an interactive discussion where we could give them feedback and ideas.  We learned about JMU alumni, annual giving, public relations, and athletics to name a few.

Lastly, we had a number of team building and critical-thinking activities which helped us take a step back and see the big picture.  After every activity, we were always asked to reflect, and during this time we all thought about how the activity could help us improve as leaders and as people.  From the high-ropes course at the beginning of the week, to the frustrating stick assembly activity, to the night where we all opened up to one another, we were always asked to tie everything together.  This week gave the presidents a new perspective both about the campus, but more importantly within themselves.  There were several activities and ideas I saw myself bringing back to the SGA.

This week was a privilege and opportunity beyond any other at JMU.  I not only networked and learned about becoming a more effective leader, but I also made lasting relationships with other president’s and offices.  It was a privilege to be a part of such an interesting and dynamic group.  We came in as leaders with a particular mission, but we left as a group of people beyond the leaders we came in to be.  At the end of the week, I didn’t just see the individual leaders of organizations, but I saw a collaborative group of friends who were ready to take on JMU together.

JMU Student Body President Reallocates $500,000 for Spring Break Trip

Student fees meant to be budgeted for student organizations like University Program Board, Student Ambassadors, Panhellenic, Interfraternity Council, and more are moved to his personal account.

President Pat Watral released the following statement today:

“Honestly, I didn’t see the money being used for anything at the time so I have decided to allocate it for an official spring break trip to Panama City Beach, FL for spring break with my friends.

I understand many of you now disapprove of the decision, but I’m sorry, the funds are now locked up in the all-inclusive Bikini Beach Resort and my tab at the oceanfront bar.

My friends Simon, G, and Chris are so pumped for this trip, because we are seniors and want to spend as much time together as possible before we graduate.  I would hate to tell them that I had to cancel our plans because just Student Ambassadors was afraid they wouldn’t be able to give tours next year and UPB wants to have a Spring Concert.  Besides, I did spend the money on a concert. It just the concert is private and it is in Florida and it’s next week.

Again, I am sorry many of you are so upset about this issue.  I swear I will post all my pictures in a special album on Facebook so everyone can see them and imagine they were at the wet t-shirt concert with us.”**

OKAY LET’S BE REAL.  I would never do something so horrifically irresponsible.  I am honored to be JMU’s Student Body President and have incredible respect both for the allocation of student tuition money and for the organizations that deserve the funds.

Tuesday February 28 the Student Government Association will be debating and approving the budgets of the other nine Front-End-Budgeted (FEB) student organizations on our campus. 

Front-End-Budgeted simply means that the organization has proven that they put on so many large events throughout the year for JMU students, that they do not have the time to hold fundraising for each one.  Therefore, administration and SGA create their budget BEFORE the start of the year that they can use.

Those FEB organizations are: Student Ambassador, University Program Board, Inter-Fraternity Council, Panhellenic, EARTH Club, Madison Equality, Black Student Alliance, C.A.R.E and the NCAAP.  (SGA is also a FEB group, but we cannot decide our own budget)

All JMU students should care about how the SGA will allocate your tuition money.  I hope my little story above shocked enough students into paying attention to how these budgets will be allocated. It is my sincerest wish that students would take part in this process by voicing their opinion to members of the SGA.

Students can make a difference by:

• Stopping by the SGA office to speak with SGA members (Taylor 203 above TDU)
• Attending the SGA meeting Tuesday night at 5:15pm in Festival Highlands room for FEB night where they can voice their opinions.
• Tweeting @SGAjmu about #FEBNIGHT

Being a JMU student is all about taking part in important decisions in our society, and educating ourselves so that we may be the change! See you at FEB Night.
Pat Watral

Student Body President

**This story is NOT real. Pat did NOT take the money. The story was meant as an attention grabber. Thank you**

John Alger Announced as JMU’s 6th President. Welcome to the Family!

As a JMU student, we rarely get the opportunity to see Presidential changes.  But that might be because there have only been 5 (now 6) in the HISTORY of the University. Being apart of such a monumental change was empowering as an individual, and made me feel like I belonged to something big.  While the meeting  was formal, the mood of the room was excited and ready.

The meeting progressed with speeches from the Rector of the Board of Visitors explaining the process of selecting the new President.  He was very informative and gave praise to Dr. Rose’s term in office while explaining that John Alger was going to be the perfect predecessor to what Rose had accomplished in his time.

While in the official meeting, Twitter was a blaze with students, alum and local Harrisonburg members alike, praising the newest addition to the JMU family.

Student Body President Pat Watral is excited to welcome the newest member of the JMU family and had these words to say:

“First of all, thank you to everyone who has welcomed our President-Elect to the community, such a warm welcome is a display of the incredible JMU spirit. President-Elect Alger made a good first impression on me.  His commitment to advancing JMU’s influence and plans to elevate this university to become a “national model of what it means to be an ‘engaged’ university” are exciting.  Likewise, when Rector Hartman of the Board of Visitors mentioned JMU’s distinctive institutional culture I spied Alger nodding appreciatively from his seat.  This to me is another good sign and I look forward helping introduce our ‘distinctive’ student body to our new President.”

As an organization, SGA would like to thank the Board of Visitors for their role in the process as well as the Selection Committee. Both groups provided their time, energy and support throughout this historic time, and we are grateful to them for that.

For all information about the Presidential search, our newest President, and all things involved in the process, click here.  See the video of the whole meeting here.

We are the Dukes of JMU

Madison, James Madison- We are the Dukes of JMU.

Tonight, as thousands of us packed the Convo center, we shared tears, hugs, smiles and laughs. I never thought moments of hardship would be be the moments that helped me to love this school more than I already did.

A very special moment for me was when Art Dean reminded us all that we ARE JMU and that WE CARE.

Katie, Jackson, Nick, Kristen, John, Rob, and Jane would be proud to see the community they have inspired. Together you have reminded the world of what it means to be a JMU Duke, and what it means to bleed purple.

Remember, “JMU knows no true obstacles, only things to build bridges over and tunnels under.”

We are JMU. We are All Together One. We Are the Dukes of JMU.

Click here to see an amazing composition by Evan Duffy of The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” and the Madison fight song.

Judicial Affairs Changes

As a JMU student, the student handbook is one of the most important documents governing the student body.  Whenever changes are made the Judicial Control Board made up of the Dean of Students, a faculty member, the current student body president and another student must convene to vote on approving the changes.  The Office of Judicial Affairs recently underwent changes in policy regarding sexual assault with the help of President Pat Watral and a recent SGA member Colby Kammerman.

The changes to the sexual assault section include:

• When determining a charge of sexual assault, The Office of Judicial Affairs will not refer the charge to mediation and restorative justice.
• The harassment section was amended to include:  J16-104 Conduct of a sexual nature that seriously and/or repeatedly affects an employee’s or student’s performance or creates a hostile work or study environment.  (Note:  Harassment falling under this section will follow the same processes as sexual assault cases.)
• If a student believes they have been harassed by faculty or staff theymust bring the charge to the Office of Equal Opportunity,1017 Harrison Street, MSC 5802,Harrisonburg,VA22807, 540-568-6991.
• The individual being accused has the right to utilize an attorney who can be anyone  licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

The rights of the accuser are still the same and begin with what is probably the most important aspect: The right to a fair and impartial hearing.  If you are unsure as to if sexual assault or abuse has taken place, still talk to someone about it.  Even the smallest thing has the potential to run a college experience.  JMU is fortunate enough to have the Varner House function as a counseling and student development center right on campus. 

 Taking the first step in understanding your rights as a student comes from reading over policies and understanding what you can do if a situation arises.  Educate yourself and be proactive.

Once a Duke, Always a Duke — Rheanna Martino

A few weeks back, I found myself sorting through and organizing all of the things
I’ve brought to and from as well as acquired in my last three years at JMU. As
daunting as the task was, it was one I found enjoyable in a sense because it
allowed me to revisit memories that I had forgotten as well as reminisce those
ones that I’ve loved. From little things I’ve received from friends– birthday
cards, little notes of well wishes for rough days, congratulatory cards for the
milestones that have come up, to things that will forever remind me of my time
at JMU– my freshman year Mappy (which, I proudly admit, to this day– stays in
my backpack and goes EVERYWHERE with me), my name tag from when I was a 2009 FrOG and my fight song t-shirt given to me at my freshman orientation – I found myself moving along a path of tokens and nostalgia that brought upon me many bittersweet feelings. Of course I was happy—I was looking at things from JMU—things that brought my insurmountable joy and memories and would continue to do so for years to come. I was getting ready to head back to JMU—back to friends that have become family, my favorite professors, back to what I consider one of the greatest places on Earth.

But of course, blended into those feelings of joy, were the ones that stemmed from the fact that in just a few days, upon my arrival back to this wonderful place, I will begin my 4^thand final year as a JMU student.  I will begin my last year of football games on the weekends, long nights of studying in Club Carrier, impromptu lunch dates on the Quad, having doors held not because people feel like they have to, but because they want to and my last year of being a Duke. Being an overly sentimental person, I let the negatives get the best of me and I became overwhelmed quickly. I knew that I the best thing to do was get myself something that would help me get through the rest of my work. Of course, being a college student, one of the best ways to fuel my productivity is to fuel it with coffee.

Proudly sporting my Purple Out t-shirt, I dragged myself out of my house and away from memory lane and dropped in to my local coffee shop for my little pick me up. There I stood in the line, patiently awaiting my turn so I could move on with my seemingly normal day. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned expecting to see someone from my hometown looking to say hello while we waited together. However, to my surprise, my attention was being requested by a young couple whom I had never seen before. The first thing the man said to me, with a joyous grin on his face, was “Go Dukes!”  Smiling, I repeated his statement and began asking him how he knew of JMU.  As he and the woman glowed with happiness, he began to inform me that he and the woman - whom I learned was his wife - met during their freshman orientation at JMU before graduating in 1999, and then marrying a few years later. My heart instantly grew 10 sizes as I listened to them talk of their time together that led them to fall in love and return to homecoming in 2000, where he proposed to her on the kissing rock and how it has been history ever since. Heart a glow, I eventually I order my drink and attempt to pay, when the man behind me jumps in and insists that this one be “their treat”. Grateful, I thanked him kindly as he proceeded to tell me: “You’re welcome. But please, we are Dukes. We believe in paying it forward and only wish we could go back, even just for a few days. Please, allow us to pass this one on.”  Completely shocked and
taken back, I accepted this kind act and simply moved aside. As I received my
drink, with tears almost forming in my eyes, I said my goodbyes and final thank
you’s to my fellow Dukes and was soon on my way.

Back in my car, ready to head back to my mountain of memories and belongings, I found myself frozen for a moment. The man’s words “We are Dukes”, streamed repeatedly in my mind, and it was only in that moment that it clicked:

I am going back to finish my time at JMU, but that does not mean that I am done being a Duke.

In that moment, it was as if every part of the world aligned perfectly. These kind
people—ones whom I shamefully admit I never even exchanged names with—just gave me every bit of assurance I needed to move forward and begin the end of my journey through college. Yes, it is true that in a few days I will begin my
last year at JMU. It’s true that there will be no more meal plans, dining
dollars, or afternoons on the Quad. Yes, my friends and I will move on to live
distances apart, erasing the ability to hang out at any given moment. And yes,
much as I try to avoid the inevitable, I will being to take more and more steps
to adulthood, therefore releasing the younger years of my life that I’ve
enjoyed hanging on to so for long. But the one thing that will not be changing,
the one thing that will never be taken from me no matter how far away I move or
how old I grow, is the fact that I am a Duke.  I am now and forever will be a JMU Duke.  The learning, giving, growing and sharing that you learn during your time as a JMU student don’t stop just because your undergraduate career does—they simply move on with you, waiting to be applied to the newest verse of your life. With a rejuvenated smile on my face, and a glow in my heart, I headed home to move myself further along memory lane.

It’s surreal to think that the last three years have gone so fast. If you ask my parents, they still see me as the little girl sprinting off down the hallway in her
dress to her first day of kindergarten, anxious to take on the world. While I
can’t see exactly that far back, I can however see myself as the nervous
freshman moving into Wampler Hall, starting a new journey 5 hours from home,
ready to write a new chapter of her life. And now, as I sit here and type this,
belongings sorted, packed and ready to head back to the last layer of my JMU
experience, I see myself as the young adult who is ready to write a perfect
ending to this chapter of her life before joyously beginning another one. I
don’t know where this year will lead me, or what adventures are in store. It
will be sad, for sure, knowing that each experience of something will be my
last– my last Homecoming weekend as a student, my last punch in DHall, my last time walking through campus on a beautiful day just to faces smiling back at
me.  However, dealing with these lasts will be made less painful knowing that I have my friends beside me, the entire class of 2012 experiencing these things with me and a long line of Dukes that will be there to help me along every step of the way.

So here’s to us, JMU class of 2012. We’ve got a short time
left; let’s make it the best one of our lives.

In the spirit of Madison and all things JMU. Keep smiling
and Go Dukes!!

- @RheannaMartino, @JMU_2012 President

Expect the Unexpected – Matt Klein

Hey Dukes! I hope that all of you are having awesome summers and are ready to head back to JMU soon!! It is so exciting to think that in a week we will all be heading back to our friends, organizations, and that brand new football stadium!

For me, my summer has been busy with a lot of unexpected events. I didn’t know what this summer was going to look like a few months ago; everything sort of fell into place as part of an amazing plan, and it seemed that no matter where I went, I couldn’t escape JMU. I somehow ended up being around Dukes, promoting JMU, or being around people who knew about our stellar reputation!

My journey started nowhere else, but at JMU. I decided to start my second summer of college in a row taking Maymester classes while I waited to hear back about my acceptance into the business school. With the new rankings for the prestigious JMU College of Business, I knew I needed to work hard to attain the business degree I’ve been seeking since day one of my freshman year. So, here I was at JMU for a stressful month from May to June taking 6 credits of Statistics and Macroeconomics, not some of my favorite courses.  After a month of late nights and caffeine consuming, I made it through Maymester and needed to find a job.

Luckily, a co-ambassador hooked me up with one of his previous jobs at Hermitage Country Club. Yes, I’m from Fairfax and this was in Richmond, but my sister is a VCU grad student so it seemed to work out. It was nice to know that in a tough job market, I could rely on my fellow Dukes to help me when I needed it. At Hermitage, I had on the job training to learn how to make an assortment of products. Okay, I’m a cook at a country club, but it’s a fun summer job working with college students from the area. Most of my co-workers just so happened to be Dukes, and we were able to look forward to August together.

Early in July, my family headed up to New York to visit family and had tickets to the Yankees game where Derek Jeter had his 3,000th hit.  Who would’ve guessed that I’d be able to witness such a marvel? As a lifelong Yankees fan, it was a dream come true to see the baseball hero of my generation hit one of the greatest hits of his career. It was definitely a profound moment that will stay with me the rest of my life.

 Literally right after our trip to New York, my family went on a last minute vacation to Hawaii.  Later, it became an “ohana” vacation. We learned down in Hawaii that everyone is considered part of your “ohana,” and everyone was deemed your “cousin.” This community reminded me of the open-the-door-for-anyone community that is offered and embraced at JMU. At a local luau, I represented JMU as a selected member of the ohana to call out to the fish as part of the Hawaiian ritual, grass skirt and all. Cousin Marcus, our tour guide, told me that I served JMU well. He had only good things to say about the University, and I was surprised to hear something about it all the way out in Hawaii! Meanwhile, throughout the trip I enjoyed hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, sea-turtle swimming, and many other adventures.

After all of these extraordinary events, at the end of the summer, the best day came when I received an email a week earlier than expected. I opened it not knowing what the results may be. Then I saw the word, “Congratulations!” That word alone was enough to make me burst with excitement and make me want to throw my little smartphone up in the air.  I had finally heard that I would be taking COB 300 in the fall. My plans for the semester were set, and my future as a business major was established. The first thing for me to do was to spread the news with my family, suitemates, and then Facebook of course.

I brought my triumphant attitude to the Virginia 21 conference at William & Mary. With fellow SGAers both from JMU and Universities across Virginia, we discussed higher education funding from the students’ perspective and how that funding can be put to better fulfill our needs. It was inspiring to hear that some of the same concerns, as well as some different ones, were felt at various Universities.  Having the opportunity to discuss our possible future was exciting. It gave me a promising outlook for the coming year at JMU. After the daylong conference, we proceeded to get to know the other representatives through a trip to Busch Gardens – I love rollercoasters, so it was a blast!

I’m so excited to be going back to see everyone, and also to welcome those who are coming in as a First Year Orientation Guide! There are so many opportunities to interact with different people from year to year, and having the chance to impact an incoming student or any student on a daily basis is certainly something to anticipate. I’m looking forward to serving my second year as the President of the Class of 2013. We have many new ideas and traditions in store for the coming year, and we are excited to get back and get the ball rolling!

For me, every year is a new slate where I can pursue something or someone new and have an impact on them. There is always something that can be done to progress yourself or the University, and I hope you take advantage of every moment. No matter where you go in your travels or what you do in the future, remember what you love most about JMU and act on it. Continue to be the change, JMU.

-Matt Klein, Class of 2013 President @Matthew_Klein

Local News Coverage on a National Issue

In case you aren’t in Harrisonburg, the following story was run by local news station WHSV 3 on June 27, 2011 about Pat Watral‘s involvement in the #DoWeHaveADealYet campaign as well as the conference call he participated in with President Obama and White House leaders. There is also a video link of the story you can find here.

As the debt debate continues in Washington, concern is rising for folks across the country who are worried about the consequences of default. At James Madison University, Student Government President Pat Watral is concerned about his student loans.

“Honestly, I first thought of myself and my brother’s student loans that we’re taking out just to attend college, and God forbid that something doesn’t happen, and the interest rates on our loans skyrocket. That would be disastrous for our whole family,” says Watral.

It’s likely intrest would skyrocket if a deal isn’t reached in time, so Watral teamed up with other SGA presidents to take their concerns straight to the top in a conference call with President Obama. The message was sympathetic because the SGA presidents understand that democracy isn’t always a fast process.

“We elect people because we want them to lead. We don’t want them to talk to us forever and ever and ever when we literally have a ticking clock,” says Watral.

It’s not just student loans, Watral is also worried about the loans taken by the university for construction projects. He says he thinks Obama took their non-partisan message to heart. The President thanked them for speaking up for what they cared about.

“By all of us student body presidents standing up and being engaged, it definitely caught their attention,” says Watral.

Special thanks to reporter Janelle Lilley for taking an interest in the effort.

© Copyright 2011 WHSV / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Presidental Phone Call Part II

Yesterday I joined a conference call between other student leaders and senior White House advisers, plus President Obama himself.  Our topic of conversation was the stalemated negotiations in Washington and the looming debt crisis.

 

We meant not to add our voices to the continuous babble about one plan vs another, or one party vs another. But instead to urge all leaders to cut it out and to start making tough decisions, it’s why we put them there.

The President seemed to get our message- that we’re not interested in the political game anymore- we want to see a country headed for financial stability, and that we know it won’t be easy for anyone.

 

How to get there? Agreeing on something seems to be Washington’s problem… if only our leaders had the courage to BE THE CHANGE.

 

Help us get the word out- say “DO SOMETHING!”Contact your rep or senator
https://writerep.house.gov​/writerep/welcome.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/gene​ral/contact_information/se​nators_cfm.cfm

And visit http://www.dowehaveadealye​t.com/ to keep tabs on and share the student movement. Join the conversation on Twitter #DoWeHaveADealYet.

-Pat

Presidential Phone Call

This afternoon the members of the Do We Have A Deal Yet campaign will participate in a conference call with Senior White House Officials, as well as the President himself.

Student Body President Pat Watral will be on this call and may have the ability to ask your questions about the situation.

Submit questions via the blog or Twitter @Pat_Watral #DoWeHaveADealYet by 11:15 am EST.  Check back for an update!