Section
Pepperdine Links
Online Publications
Over the course of my term as SGA President, I have realized one thing: The closer my term is to its completion, the more I feel prepared for my position. It is my belief that this is the biggest struggle in a student-leadership position, especially with a group like our SGA, which has a considerable amount of freedom and flexibility. It is impossible to create a great organization overnight, or even in one year’s time, even with the most structured plan. SGA is a fluid organization that relies on student input and ideas to operate, making it impossible to have a set agenda, and even harder to predict the future.
This struggle can be alleviated by having a long-term vision. Proverbs 29:18 states “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I believe that the biggest problem over the past several years has been a lack of long-term vision within SGA. Each administration has come in with the mindset that their ideas are better than those of the past and the group needs restructuring. I am an advocate of change and the innovation it brings, but what we saw was continuous restructuring and discontinuity among an organization that has the potential to be great.
At the beginning of the year, we found ourselves with a $13,000 debt, limited formal structure and no long-term vision. Being the motivated individuals we are, we thought we could be the miracle workers who could turn this organization into something great in one year. Looking back, we were being unrealistic, but I am glad we set our dreams high, because I think we have come very close to what we looked to accomplish. We have achieved financial security and will be leaving next year’s group with a positive number on the books for the first time in several years. We have established a formal structure and created training materials. And we have worked to establish a foundation for future administrations with a long-term vision and mission for SGA.
Unfortunately, with a considerable amount of energy being put into the behind-the-scenes aspect of SGA, I was disappointed that we were not able to show the student body more tangible results of our hard work.
An organization is only as strong as the people within it. This year’s SGA was a group with amazing talent and dedication, and I wish we would have been able to put more energy into harnessing that potential. Each member played a key role in not only the changes made on campus, but also the framework that will serve as the foundation for many years to come.
The next step in taking SGA from a good to great organization relies on the student body. In order for SGA to be an effective organization on this campus it must meet the needs of the student body, but this is impossible if we do not know the needs or desires of the student body.
I urge every student on this campus to speak up. Send an e-mail to sgapres@pepperdine.edu or call ext. 4360 with any of your thoughts or suggestions. Change is more than possible, especially at Pepperdine, but change takes time, so please share your ideas and opinions today.
Hopefully communication will be vastly improved with the addition of a new SGA Web site. It has been over a year in the making and will allow much stronger communication channels between the student body and SGA. This is just one of the projects that originated this year. Others include: plasma screens located throughout campus to advertise events, improved campus food services, improved bookstore, online travel board for ride sharing, online student directory, extended library hours, updated student handbook, music in the cafeteria and main campus and an updated Safe Rides program.
This year was in no way a one-man show, but rather a cumulative effort of 2,900 students orchestrated by 51 committed individuals. It is because of these individuals we had such a great year and it was a pleasure working with and serving each of you.
Carl Kasalek, senior
SGA President
As a graduate student in the Communication Division, I happened to glance at a copy of the Graphic last week on my way to class. I was disheartened to see the juxtaposition communicated on the front cover between Pepperdine University faculty Dr. Ronald Fagan and Dr. Lynn Reynolds. I don’t wish to engage in any kind of speculation, going beyond what I appropriately know to be true, but several factors have been on my heart and mind this week.
The decision to put the two stories side by side was a poor choice despite the somewhat analogous tenure issue presented. Dr. Fagan is an individual who has clearly violated standards of ethical conduct, and is receiving a demoting slap on the hand (not total ejection) from the academic community. Dr. Lynn Reynolds is going through an appeals process for being denied tenure and continuance of employment. She has not engaged in any kind of unethical conduct whatsoever.
We know that in this media-information-saturated age people often do not have time to process the full information given them. Headlines and pictures are about all that many people will get through. Glancing at the front cover, many may inappropriately infer similarities between the two stories, especially in regards to the unethical behavior of Dr. Fagan. Please remember that words are not the only communication form that can impress unwarranted negative public sentiment toward an individual. The simple act of putting one story by another is a choice that carries with it ethical responsibilities too.
To her credit, I have had the privileged opportunity to take a class from Dr. Lynn Reynolds this semester and have found her professional, caring and unflappable in her academic teaching and devotion to her students. Dr. Reynolds exudes a passion for her area of expertise that is contagious. I have been most impressed with the respect and empathetic individual attention that Dr. Reynolds gives to her students — “above and beyond” I would expect to distinguish a Pepperdine faculty member from the soul-deadening and lifeless experiences I hear many of my peers at other schools have with their professors. Without engaging in hyperbole, she is a model for this community. I hope the university will reconsider her case with due process, using broad paradigmatic lenses and the same outspoken, heartfelt dedication that Dr. Reynolds has shown so many of us.
Don Waisanen, communication graduate student
MALIBU, CA
