Generally, I like watching new televisions shows because when a show is done right it can really be a lot of fun for the viewer. To that end, I’ve been watching this new show called Kings on NBC. Well, I guess I haven’t been watching the show in terms of sitting down in front of the television each week, but I am DVR’ing the show and watching the DVR copy at some point during the week. While I think that this is a very promising show, there are a few things about it that tick me off. [Read more…]
Tax Day 2009 Cometh!
Today is tax day. Whoo hoo! Or not… I’m only putting up a brief post this morning because I want everyone out there to keep an eye on their local media to see if the “Tea Parties” are covered. Some of the major cable news channels have been talking for a while about how Americans of all political parties will be taking part in “Tea Parties” today to protest the growing feeling of taxation without representation.
Granted, I don’t think that we are taxed without being represented, but we are definitely subjected to expenses (i.e. uses of our tax dollars) with which the majority of Americans would disagree. For example, when there is poverty in America, I’m confident that a majority of Americans would support using tax dollars to alleviate American poverty before alleviating poverty in other countries. That’s a random example, I know.
Anyway, keep an eye on the media to see if they have any coverage of these “Tea Party” events.
Quick Update on Going to the Gym
About three weeks ago I wrote a post on this blog talking about how I joined a new gym down the street. I thought that since I felt the need to make the announcement that I joined the gym, it might be worthwhile to provide a brief update on how things are going.
Since I joined the gym I’ve worked out over a dozen times, which isn’t so bad when you consider that most days I am out of the house from 7:30am until about 6:30pm and that I have a two hour daily commute which is completely exhausting. In fact, the two hours that I spend in the car are the two hours that most other gym-goers would spend working out, but I don’t want to start a digression about my commute.
In my trips to the gym, I’ve primarily focused on aerobic exercises – riding the bike and walking on the treadmill. I’ve only just begun to do some light weightlifting and not the type of weightlifting that I used to do in high school where I was trying to gain mass and strength. Nope. The weightlifting that I am going to focus on this time around will solely focus on maintaining a certain level of strength and wellness.
Unfortunately for most of the readers of this blog, I don’t have many funny gym stories just yet. The gym I am going to is not staffed at all times so there are occasions when I get to the building and the lights are off and no one is there except for me. I guess that’s a type of oddity, but I assume that a bunch of other gym-goers at this location have experienced the same thing.
In terms of overall health, I feel good, but I wouldn’t say that I feel completely different from before I began working out again in March. That’s probably because I’ve been attending the gym sporadically and not on a set workout regime. Once I change my workout habits to be on more of a schedule, I think that I’ll feel a physical change. I have lost a few pounds since I started working out, but nothing major to brag about.
As I spend more time at the gym, though, I’m sure I’ll eventually have stories and craziness to tell you about – so stay tuned!
Will the Economic Crisis Affect Fraternity Membership?
Back when I was the advisor for my local chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity, I signed up to be on a listserv for fraternity and sorority news. Every once in a while I get an e-mail with an article attached to it talking about something in the fraternity world (and since the media is sensationalistic these days, the articles are generally filled with bad news).
A few weeks ago, though, an article was sent out that talked about why some students are choosing to go Greek these days and why others aren’t. One paragraph, in particular, stuck with me:
The current economic crisis has changed the way students think about money, and Fouts acknowledges that perceptions about fraternity and sorority dues are no different. Chapters and student affairs offices, she said, will have to be “line-item specific” as to what these dues are for and how they will be spent to the benefit of the student. She argued that interested students should not be brought to think of their funds as “paying for friends,” as many an old cliché of fraternity life states.
Let me offer some comments. First, joining a fraternity is not paying for your friends any more than paying to go away to college is paying for a new social network or that joining any other organization that requires annual dues is paying for your friends. That’s a tired ass old argument that is so fundamentally flawed in both its view and application that it’s not even worth getting into extreme details here.
Second, I hope that students WILL begin to question where their dues are being applied – both locally and nationally. When I became the President of my local chapter many, many years ago one of the first things that I did was review where our money was flowing…and it wasn’t pretty. We were robbing one group of guys to pay for the next group of guys and creating a ridiculous cycle while accruing a massive amount of debt (it peaked at $9,000+ at one point). It was horrible. The guys who came before me either knew about the problem and didn’t fix it or didn’t know how to dig our chapter out of the hole.
To make a long story short, in the two years that I was in charge, we paid off the entire debt and reorganized our accounts in a more professional manner. Things went from very bad to very good (a little self-promotion, why not?).
When I began as a volunteer and began to dig more into where the money was going at the national level, while I understood the immediate needs and uses of the funds (which were all being used in a responsible manner), I began to worry about the future. My main concern was not with today’s financial issues, but with the financial issues of 2020 and 2050. With that in mind, I changed my main set of volunteer activities from assisting undergraduates (which is a lot of fun and the most rewarding experience in the fraternity) to focusing on how to build the financial future of our fraternity.
Can fraternities and sororities survive the current economic crisis? Yes – if they prove their worth. Fraternities and sororities need to be prepared to show the value that a new member gets for their dollars. If that “benefit” or value is the ability to attend fraternity-only parties, then the fraternity which is selling that product is likely going to find itself in dire straits. Any college student knows that there is always a party if they know where to look. Fraternity and sorority membership should provide lifelong benefits such as a built-in professional network and a built-in emotional support system.
Those fraternities that can prove their worth in the current economic climate will not only survive, but I expect them to thrive.
Happy Easter 2009!
Happy Easter, everyone! For the Christian translation of the Easter story, where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead to ascend into Heaven, click here. I’ll be spending the day up in North Jersey with my Mom and some family friends eating a big, Italian dinner!
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