Use Your Voice!

Tomorrow during Senate the One-Fund for Karl Rove will be up for review. This is a chance to stop the One-Fund. I encourage all of you, whether you support it or not, to contact your senators and let them know how you feel. I have discovered that lots of students on campus are not being contacted by their senators and as frustrating as that is, we can do something about it. We can contact them ourselves. So below is the current list of senators and the areas they represent. If you are in an area with more than one senator and are unsure of who represents your floor, I would contact all of them via email and let them know how you'd like them to vote. They are YOUR REPRESENTATIVES and in order for them to represent you, they need to know how you would vote. Should they be the ones contacting you first? Hell yes, but if they don't you need to take the initiative. Contact your senators!

Determined as ever.
-Kate

Senator	Area/Org.
Brian Fritsch	Scott
Alexander McNeil	Scott
Zachary Muench	Scott
Logan Soich	Scott
Alexandra Haen	TAJ
Tyler Hopewell	TAJ
Jennifer Keller	TAJ
McKala Kiessling	TAJ
Andrew Miller	TAJ
McKenzie Trelka	TAJ
Andrew Carballo	Quad
Shanalijah Hernandez	Quad
Ryan Riebe	Quad
Kamelle Van Der Leest	Quad
Diakeishaye Murphy-Gunnels	Alpha Chi Omega
Hannah Erdman	Alpha Delta Pi
Amy Lindsey	Kappa Delta
Nick From	Phi Delta Theta
Adam Orth	Phi Kappa Pi
Austin Oliver	Sigma Chi
Matt Koch	Theta Chi
Rebecca Ramage	Theta Sigma Tau
Alexander Hagen	Off Campus/Commuter

Speak Up!

In light of some recent events that have taken place on campus in regards to our Student Senate, I have deemed in appropriate to direct my frustration and anger to a source where it might actually do some good. I    wrote an email to our Dean of Students, Chris Ogle, and I thought I might post that email here so that I can hopefully inspire others to write something as well and propel this issue forward. Below is the email:

Hello, I am writing to you right now as an incredibly frustrated student who has lost some faith in her college and its morals. I have just been brought up to date on Senate's happenings from last night by a friend. I was aware Parallax's One-Fund failed. To be honest, it did not come as a surprise because Senate seems to be incredibly stringent when it comes to spending any sort money. Therefore I expected to hear that there were some discussions and then hopefully some revisions to the One-Fund and that it would be eventually passed. I am a great supporter of Parallax for many reasons. I am an English major who hopes to enter the world of editing/publishing/writing as a professional someday. But I am also an appreciator of the fine arts and therefore love to see anything of that nature on campus, especially when it is the work of students! You can imagine then, that I was aghast to learn that Senate approved a One-Fund for $15,000 that same night for something of which I am insanely opposed. My reasons and personal beliefs behind why Karl Rove should never step foot on this campus are besides the point, because what I am most upset about is the amount of money Senate suddenly deems fit to spend on a single speaker for a singular group with a small student base on campus. Yet they can find issue with the amount of money Parallax requested for an academic-based, student-led and created book of fine art. This is outrageous! I was informed that the Senate budget at the beginning of the year was around $87,000. To spend $15,000 on a single speaker would be spending almost 20% of our budget. I say "our" because the money belongs to the students. It comes from OUR activity fee and goes to fund OUR events. Thus, the students on campus should be able to have a say in where that money is spent. Last time I checked that was the point of Student Senate. A group of student representatives gather the opinions of their constituents and meet to vote on the ways in which our money should be spent. I no longer feel like that is how Student Senate functions. The way it runs now, a handful of students meet to decide how to spend our money based on their own opinions and views and leave those of their constituents out completely. I have felt that the senators in general have an air of self-entitlement. They forget they represent a larger entity beyond themselves. You can see why this would be problematic. Only the students (senators) in the room get to have a say. I can say this with confidence because I was a senator for a semester during my sophomore year. When I contacted my constituents I received responses and the first response I got was basically the same. The students responded saying they had no idea they had a senator before me and had no idea who it was or how to contact them. I have also discussed with other students who live in a variety of residence halls (and therefore have a variety of senators representing them) and they, too, have not been asked for their opinions or how they would like their senator to vote. As a senior I am currently living off-campus with my boyfriend and neither of us knew that there was a representative for off-campus students, much less who he is. This infuriates me. If I choose to not offer my opinion that is fine, but I deserve the right to be asked and should feel confident that my senator is going to voice my concerns and vote accordingly. However, this is not the case. And now that there are matters at hand about which I feel passionately, I feel cheated. I do not think the One-Funds presented at Senate on Wednesday night were decided upon fairly because I do not think students were made aware of what was being brought to the table. Students, like myself, were not given a chance to voice their opinions on how OUR money should be spent. Lastly, I am all for publicizing what a fantastic place and institution Ripon College is because, aside from this instance, I have been immensely happy and am proud to call Ripon my home. However, it appears that one of the main factors driving the argument to bring Karl Rove to campus was publicity. This just does not seem right to me. Karl Rove, regardless of whether someone likes him or not, is such a polarizing person and brings up polarizing subjects. Having such a controversial person on campus and then bringing in outside media seems shady. I do not want my college on the news and in the public eye because we brought a controversial speaker to campus. That is not what Ripon should be getting press for. This is attention-seeking in all the wrong ways and not all attention is good attention. Whenever I am in public as a representative of the college whether it was for the Orientation Committee or S.M.A.C., I and others are constantly being told that we represent the college and should be behave in manners such that we do the good name of Ripon College justice. I am discouraged and disheartened because bringing Karl Rove in as a media or publicity stunt seems to be doing just the opposite of that. Bringing such a polarizing figure seems like the exact opposite of "MORE. TOGETHER." Bringing him to campus will and already has, pulled people apart. There is a major upheaval being voiced by students through Facebook statuses and a "we support Parallax" group that grew to 287 members in one day. I would like to note that the people who support Parallax are not solely current students. Alumni have voiced disappointment in their alma mater in this situation as well. At this point, I want to know what there is I can do to reverse or hold the vote that was passed on Karl Rove until senators have appropriately contacted their constituents and have given them an appropriate amount of time to respond. I also think there should be some way for the executive board of the Senate to know for sure whether or not the student body is being reached in regards to the issues because I can almost guarantee that a majority of them are not, have not, and will not be given a say in these matters. I also think something needs to be put in place so that when things like Parallax are called into question that an actual discussion takes place. I was told that no one bothered to ask questions or have a discussion as to why there was any opposition to Parallax's One-Fund. Parallax cannot better itself or their proposal if they do not have a solid grounding in what the issues at hand are. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to stop this or help make these changes. Truly disappointed, Kate Amell

When I Grow Up...

I wanna be famous. I wanna be a star. I wanna be in movies. When I grow up I wanna see the world, drive nice cars. I wanna have groupies (boobies?). Okay so I'm not actually talking about the Pussycat Dolls song. This post will vibe with all those high school and college kids or recent graduates who are sick of being asked what they wanted to do when they grow up.

I know that nobody intends to piss you off when they ask that question but that's usually what happens. When you graduate high school people want to know where you're going to college, what you're studying and what you plan to do with that course of study. In college they still ask what you're studying and what you want to do with your degree. Then when you graduate everyone asks what you're doing with the expectancy that you have landed a great, high-paying job with benefits in the field of your major. Yeah right.

Even if we know where we want to go to college or what we want to study, the answer to the question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" or "What do you want to do with your major?" Is still a highly frustrating one. Even more so is when people assume that you are going to do one specific thing with your major, as if teaching is the only thing I can do with an English major.

Editing and publishing was my answer to the dreaded question for a long time because it was a semi-obvious career for an English major that wasn't teaching. But as time wore on it just became an answer to a question. A way to deflect deeper questions and inquiries because if I gave them the truth to the question, "I have no f*&%$@g idea," those questions and inquiries would be sure to follow.

A lot of adults in the working world today are still under the delusion that kids with college degrees today will go into a field relative to what they majored in and will have the job for most of, if not all of, their career. That just isn't how it works today. We live in a world of betterment and progress and are constantly trying to improve our situations. People today get jobs and work their asses off to try and move upwards. It might be a different position, it might mean a whole other company or field. The working world is constantly in flux because of this betterment mentality. It isn't necessarily a bad thing but just because you've had the same job for 40 years with the same company in the same tiny office, don't expect us to want that. We'll feed you a bullshit answer if you want one: "I'm an English major, and I want to go into editing and publishing." But it's going to be just that, bullshit.

If you want the truth, ask what we're interested in. What are our passions? Did we like school and the subject we studied? Do we have any interest in graduate school? Those sorts of questions are apt to draw out more specific responses and are less likely to drive a student up a wall or into a corner where they feel bad telling you the truth that they don't know what they want to do when they grow up.

And let's be honest, did you always know what you wanted to do when you grow up? Did you do it? Are you in the same field you told everyone you'd be in? Are you working in the field of your major? Did you ever want to sneeze in someone's face when you were asked for the ten bazillionth time, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Well, did you?

Respectfully,

-Kate

Well Let's Pack It Up! We're Moving Out!

Well the time is fast approaching for Andy and Alex and I to move out! In case anyone doesn't know, we are currently living the dream out in my parent's basement. (I always feel a little cliche when I tell people that part). However--we have found an apartment, have signed the lease, and are slated to move in on the 1st of August! We are more than thrilled, and impatient little me has wanted to start packing for weeks. I am happy to allow myself the privilege of beginning to pack things up! Unfortunately I have the classic case of overpacking.

When I pack for a weekend visit I usually begin with an overstuffed duffel. Then after going through the bag and packed outfits at least twice and taking out the three extra T-shirts (just in case) and the extra pair of jeans and sweats (you never know!) I can usually manage to zipper my bag shut.

I have discovered that this problem extends beyond mere weekend trips. It has followed me to college where each year I sit down and think about what I really need in my dorm room and end up leaving half a car load behind. Somehow, though, I still manage to have a closet overstuffed with clothes that I only wear once (if at all) and bins underneath my bed full of games and craft supplies that I was sure I would have a use for.

Our apartment is a small one with only one closet and I am more than a little fearful that we will have the place filled to the brim before we are even halfway done emptying the truck. So not only am I packing but I am also repacking and eliminating. And for every two boxes that I am taking with us, there is one box that I am leaving behind for my parent's attic.

And lord knows that even after all that, we'll still have too much stuff. (Talk about a first-world problem).

Why Backwards?

The title of my blog, Going With It: The Backwards Life of a Twenty-Something, may seem a little odd. For one who does not know my story and I personally, it would indeed be confusing to use the word "backwards." I hope that by sharing a bit of my story that I might begin to shed a little light upon the thought process behind the title.

I am in my early twenties, still in college, and in a happy relationship with my boyfriend of 19 months. As you may know from mentions in my previous posts, I am also a mother to a 4 month old baby boy, Alex. Alex was far from being part of the plan. Thus I have accepted the fact that I am going to do my life backwards.

I had my kid first, am finishing college second, hoping to get married third, have some sort of a job or career fourth, and then perhaps have some more kids. It typically goes college, career, marriage, kids, and then more kids. My life is a mixed up version of that and due to this backwards order I have needed to develop a "go with it" philosophy.

Having Alex before completing college, getting married and all that other stuff threw me for a major loop as well as tossed in a whole heap of unexpected challenges. The best way that I have found to deal with them thus far is to just go with it. Resistance will get me nowhere and only create hassles. So there you have it--Going With It: The Backwards Life of a Twenty-Something.