Leadership on Campus: The Art of Recognition

CDT xxx

5 December 2008

Leadership on Campus

The Justin X. Carroll Residential Hall Honorary (XRHH) serves to cultivate leadership and service to residential life within the Washington University Community. Membership is comprised of past and current student government leaders on campus. It is devoted to the recognition of excellence among WashU leaders, believing that such recognition both rewards past service and encourages future action. To accomplish this, XRHH presents “Of the Month Awards,” ranging from Student Leader of the Month to Community Outreach Event of the Month, hosts a spring leadership retreat, judges the “Of the Year” competition between residential colleges, and awards scholarships to deserving student leaders. As the Publicity Chair of XRHH, I am responsible for promoting the group through Student Life, the WashU student run newspaper, and in presenting the awards to selected groups and individuals. In addition, although the honorary has had a long history at WashU, it had languished in recent years. I was one of a select group of students who re-established the honorary. Not only has it become a visible presence on campus, but it has also helped streamline many internal WashU administrative duties in regards to recognizing groups on campus.

Being in a small group environment, each of the members must pull his or her weight in order to make the group successful. To that end, I have talked to school administrators and student leaders in order to consolidate administrative duties and to serve the WashU community through better programming. I feel that the pressure ROTC places on being able to effectively “get the message across” has been essential to allowing me to perform my responsibilities in the organization. Getting up and speaking in front of other people has even, at times, become an enjoyable experience, especially since everyone in the honorary has known and worked with one another in student government. Being able to contribute to an honorary is important, and to that end, ROTC has helped tremendously. In addition, honorary members are responsible for one to two residential college councils and must advise them on ways to improve their service to their residential college. ROTC has helped me affectively communicate to councils, made up of mostly freshmen, on ways to improve the WashU experience. Unlike ROTC, where we can delegate to our subordinates, leading councils require guidance and patience. Leadership becomes an advisory role.

Moreover, besides the practical leadership attributes that have been taught, ROTC is in essence the practical application of the principle that there are other people and ideals out there that matter more than you do. While many college students choose to party their way through college, I have chosen to step up to the plate and take on what many people would characterize as a trivial matter: recognition. Recognizing student leaders and groups across campus not only shows them that the students care, but it also helps to improve other aspects of student life. When leaders feel that they are recognized through their hard work, whether that is through newspaper articles or a certificate of achievement, they transfer that appreciation back to the people they serve. In the past, when awards use to be bestowed without significant meaning, people, myself included, didn’t appreciate or care about them. However, with XRHH’s active encouragement of groups to make themselves better known and the publicity that they will receive, groups and leaders have started to reveal that they do care about being recognized for their efforts. Being a leader for me is doing all that I can to better the lives of other people.

-This was written as part of an assignment for the Gateway Battalion ROTC program.  XRHH is an honorary at Washington University in St. Louis dedicated to making leaders better through recognition and leadership retreats.  To learn more about XRHH, go to http://xrhh.wustl.edu.  The author is a current member and also an ROTC cadet.

Jenna Bush Weds Henry Hager at President’s Ranch

The father of the bride beamed Sunday as he reported that his daughter and her new husband had the wedding every family hopes for.

“Our little girl Jenna married a really good guy. The wedding was spectacular. It was all we could hope for,” President Bush said as he and wife Laura left for Washington, D.C., from Texas, where their Crawford ranch served as the location for Jenna Bush and Henry Hager to wed a night earlier.

“The weather cooperated nicely. Just as the vows were exchanged the sun set over our lake and it was just a special day and a wonderful day and we’re mighty blessed,” Bush said.

The intensely private wedding between the younger Bush twin and the son of Virginia’s former lieutenant governor was guarded by Secret Service, Texas State Troopers, a no-fly zone and a vehicle blockade.

Jenna Bush wore an Oscar de la Renta gown made of organza. It had a small train, and according to the band leader, she wore no veil. Hager wore a dark blue suit and powder-blue tie as did the president. Laura Bush also dressed in a metallic blue cocktail-length gown while Jenna’s big sister Barbara, the only bridesmaid, was decked out in a greek-style moonstone blue gown with a gold waistband.

The other 13 women in the “house party” were clad in seven different styles of knee-length dresses in seven different colors that match the palette of Texas wildflowers — blues, greens, lavenders and pinky reds.

The best man was the groom’s brother, John “Jack” Hager. Also part of the “house party” were 14 ushers, who walked with the 14 women down the aisle to their seats, but did not participate in the ceremony.

The band leader, Tyrone Smith of Nashville, Tenn., said the former President Bush and his wife Barbara spoke during the wedding. A store owner in Crawford told FOX News she woke up last night to the sound of fireworks over the ranch.

President Bush walked Jenna down the outdoor aisle to a limestone alter and cross next to the lake. The father and daughter danced to “You Are So Beautiful.” The bride and groom danced first to “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal.

Security was so tight that the 200 guests had to go to an off-site location, get checked by Secret Service and then get bussed to the ranch.

Denver Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan, whose daughter was a college roomate of Jenna’s, told FOX News Radio it was a great, elegant night, but would reveal little else.

The couple heads to a honeymoon in Europe before they settle down in Baltimore, where they’ve bought a house together.

In his weekly radio address ahead of Saturday night’s wedding, Bush noted the event as one of the highlights in their storied family history.

“This is a joyous occasion for our family, as we celebrate the happy life ahead of her and her husband, Henry,” Bush said in his Saturday radio address. “It’s also a special time for Laura who this Mother’s Day weekend will watch a young woman we raised together walk down the aisle.”

Jenna, 26, is the 22nd child of a president to get married while their father was in the Oval Office. Their ceremonies have ranged from Tricia Nixon’s extravagant wedding broadcast live from the Rose Garden in 1971 to the 1992 Camp David wedding of Jenna’s aunt, Dorothy Koch. That one was kept so secret that the press didn’t find out about it until it was over.

“All of them are different. This one really reflects the personality of both Jenna and the George W. Bush family,” said Doug Wead, a former aide to President George H.W. Bush and author of a book on presidents’ kin.

“If they’d have gone on TV, the wedding would have been shown all over the world and Jenna Bush would have been an international celebrity — and she would have been a target. They’re preparing the transition to private life and they’re not particularly interested in seeing Jenna Bush become a huge celebrity.”

The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston officiated.

Festivities began Friday with a bridal lunch, rehearsal dinner and post-rehearsal dinner celebration in Salado, a tiny tourist village, which used to be a stagecoach stop. Jenna, her sister and the first lady were in Salado, more than an hour’s drive south of Crawford, all day Friday and the president arrived in the evening by motorcade.

The rehearsal dinner for about 100 people was hosted by the parents of the groom, who turned 30 on Friday. Hager’s father, John Hager, is the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party and is former lieutenant governor of Virginia and former U.S. assistant secretary of education.

The rehearsal dinner crowd, including the president, then walked down a street in Salado with the Belton High School Marching Band from Belton, Texas, to a “Texas-sized celebration” at another establishment. All the wedding guests were invited to this event. They were entertained by the five-member Duke Merrick Band from Charlottesville, Virginia, which performed classic Texas songs and original pieces by Merrick, a relative of the Hager family.

The groom’s family also hosted a barbecue lunch Saturday in Salado ahead of the wedding.

Henry Hager met Jenna during her father’s 2004 re-election campaign. He graduated from Wake Forest University and worked as an aide to Bush’s former top political adviser Karl Rove. He is set to receive a master’s degree in business administration later this month from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Between February 2005 and January 2006, he was an economic policy aide in the office of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and regularly briefed the secretary on economic data. “He was widely regarded as a super star,” said Ann Marie Hauser, press secretary at Commerce.

-foxnews.com

“Why I Vote” by Jake Laperruque

I have always viewed this election as incredibly important, not just because it is a presidential election, not just because it is an election during a war, recession, and crisis in healthcare. I view it as important because 2008 is a chance to realign the country, to end the politics and political traditions that have caused all the problems we have and disillusioned the populace to what government ought to do.

This election is about issues, policies, proposals ideas, but it is about much more. It is about reaching out to the people, and acting in their interest, instead of catering to lobbyists and playing the same political games that have been common in Washington for my entire lifetime. It’s about having the courage to stand for an unpopular idea. It’s about admitting when you’re wrong. It’s about telling people the truth, even when they might not like the answer. It’s about looking towards individuals, and rejecting special interests. It’s about putting public benefits before political bickering and personal ambitions. It’s about being idealistic, and finally, for once, having a leader who above all else wants to do what is truly right.

The Democratic nomination is down to two candidates, and the differences between them are clear and obvious for me. One stood against a war when I and the rest of the country called out for it, and the administration and media labeled those who opposed it as unpatriotic. The other not only authorized and approved of it, but to this day refuses to apologize and say that her decision was wrong. One calls for all troops to be out by 2009, the other opens the possibility of leaving troops for training missions, permanent bases, forces to protect bases, and on going combat missions. One went to Detroit to give a speech on helping the environment and rebuilding the American auto-industry. The other says that it is wrong to raise taxes on those who make over $100,000 a year to prevent social security from collapsing. One has not taking a single dollar from special interests during this election and has stated he will not allow any lobbyists in his White House. The other takes money from the insurance industries that turn away dying Americans to increase their profit margins, and says that corporations being able to manipulate our government is a good part of the political process. One wears his minority status with pride but never exploits it, never tells you to vote for him because of it, never tries to make the election about black and white, but rather about what is best. The other uses gender stereotypes whenever it can be done to her advantage, has campaign officials say that anyone who cares about women’s issues must vote for her and those who endorse her opponent have betrayed women, and is even willing to engage in racial politics if it might help her. For Barack Obama to respond to his win in South Carolina by saying “I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina” is noble. For Bill Clinton to respond to it by saying, “Well, Jessie Jackson won South Carolina” is disgusting.

I see one candidate who is ready to look to the people, all of them, regardless of age, race, gender, or political affiliation. I see another who is willing to do anything – whether it be to ban flag burning, vote for war with Iraq, war with Iran, compromise on environmental policies, sell out to special interests, or use any dirty political tactic – to advance and achieve personal ambitions. I see one candidate who is happy to accept our broken system, and another who wants to create a new one.

Barack Obama is not a perfect candidate. His healthcare policy is not the best I’ve ever seen. His environmental stance is not the best I’ve ever seen. But I’ve never seen a candidate with whom I agree completely, even the one I believed in so much that I was willing to devote months of my life to.

But what I do agree with about Barack Obama’s campaign is its most fundamental principle:

This election is about change. And change does not just mean a Democrat and not a Republican. It does not just mean new policies. It is about changing the nature of the political system, changing the priorities of our politicians, changing the influence that corporations and special interests have, changing the ruthlessness of “the game” that puts winning elections over helping people.

It is about rejecting the idea of simply turning a new page, and instead trying to write a new book.

For my entire life I’ve only seen presidents named Bush and Clinton. For my entire life I’ve lived under leaders who have lied to their people. For my entire life, I’ve had to accept the idea that the country is divided between red and blue, liberal and conservative. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of a government that is unprincipled, unwilling to take risks, and unable to listen to people over politicos and lobbyists advising them on how best to win the next election. And I’m sick of people saying that there is nothing wrong.

I want a New America. And Barack Obama is the only candidate who offers it.

Just One Other Thing I’d Like To Leave You With.

There Are Two Video Links Below, And I’d Ask You To Watch Both In Their Entirety.

The First Is The Moment I Realized I Would Never Be Satisfied To Vote For Hillary Clinton.

The Second Is When I Decided I Would Be Proud To Vote For Barack Obama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isi6c2s353c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iVAPH_EcmQ

-a note by my friend Jake Laperruque, who spent months working for the Edwards campaign and now devotes his time to supporting Obama here at Washington University in St. Louis and the surrounding areas.

Former Indonesian President Suharto dies at 86

Former Indonesian dictator Haji Muhammad Suharto — the “smiling general” who ruled his country with an iron fist for three decades — died Sunday at a hospital in Jakarta, said his doctor. He was 86.

He was rushed to Pertamina Hospital on January 4 for treatment of a failing liver, heart and lungs, his doctors said.

He had been suffering at home for five days.

His death comes just a day after his doctors said he appeared to be making a remarkable recovery.

Suharto, who, like other Indonesians, only has one name, was president of Indonesia from 1967 until he was forced to resign — under immense political pressure — in 1998.

He is credited with shaping modern Indonesia by boosting the economy and making the sprawling archipelago a regional power.

However, he also reigned as the nation was beset by internal corruption and, at the end of his rule, economic decline.

“He was known as the smiling general. He could be very charming, but behind that smile was this streak of steel,” said Richard Woolcott, Australia’s former ambassador to Indonesia.

“In the short term, he’ll probably be judged fairly harshly by Australian critics and others in the West, but in the longer term, I suspect historians will see his contributions to Indonesia in a very positive light,” Woolcott told CNN.

-CNN.com

Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said.

The Academy Award nominated actor was 28.

Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne.

“Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed,” he told CNN.

“This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet.”

Browne later told reporters some prescription medications were found in the room, including sleeping pills.

But he stressed police have made no determination of the cause of Ledger’s death — that would be done by the medical examiner.

He said the pills were not “scattered about.”

No note was found and there was no indication of foul play, Browne said. Ledger was found at about 3 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel about 3:30 p.m.

-CNN.com

Marion Jones sentenced to 6 months in prison

Marion Jones was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying about using steroids and a check-fraud scam, despite beseeching the judge that she not be separated from her two young children “even for a short period of time.”

“I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be,” said Jones, who cried on her husband’s shoulder after she was sentenced.

The disgraced former Olympic champion was ordered to surrender March 11 to begin her term.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas said he gave her the maximum under the plea deal to send a message to athletes who have abused drugs and overlooked the values of “hard work, dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship.”

“Athletes in society have an elevated status, they entertain, they inspire, and perhaps, most important, they serve as role models,” Karas said.

Later Friday, Karas was to sentence Jones’ former coach, Olympic champion Steve Riddick, who was convicted in the check-fraud scam.

The 31-year-old Jones also was given two years’ probation and supervised release, during which she will be required to perform 800 hours of community service.

“As everyone can imagine, I’m very disappointed today,” Jones told reporters outside court. “But as I stood in front of all of you for years in victory, I stand in front of you today. I stand for what is right.”

“I respect the judge’s order, and I truly hope that people will learn from my mistakes,” added Jones.

The judge said Jones’ community service requirement would take advantage of her “eloquence, strength and her ability to work with kids.”

It was her children that worried Jones as she pleaded for a lighter sentence, talking at length about her two boys, including the infant son she’s still nursing.

“My passion in life has always been my family,” Jones said. “I know the day is quickly approaching when my boys ask me about these current events. I intend to be honest and forthright … and guide them into not making the same mistakes.”

The sentence completes a stunning fall for the woman who was once the most celebrated female athlete in the world. She won three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

After long denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted last October she lied to federal investigators in November 2003, acknowledging she took the designer steroid “the clear” from September 2000 to July 2001. “The clear” has been linked to BALCO, the lab at the center of the steroids scandal in professional sports.

She also admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son Monty, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. Montgomery and several others have been convicted in that scam.

“The revelation that one of the sport’s biggest stars took performance-enhancing drugs and repeatedly lied about it, in addition to being a party to fraud, has no silver lining,” USA Track & Field president Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback said in a statement. “But, it is a vivid morality play that graphically illustrates the wages of cheating in any facet of life, on or off the track.”

After her guilty pleas last October, Jones made an apologetic and teary-eyed statement outside court, saying, “It’s with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust.”

-MSNBC.com

 

Benazir Bhutto assassinated

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday after addressing a large gathering of her supporters.

The suicide bomb attack also killed at least 22 others, doctors said. It was not immediately clear if Bhutto died from shots fired before the blast, or from wounds caused by bomb shrapnel.

Her body was removed from Rawalpindi General Hospital late Thursday night, about six hours after the assassination.

President Pervez Musharraf said the killers were the same extremists that Pakistan is fighting a war against, and announced three days of national mourning.

Video of the scene just moments before the explosion showed Bhutto stepping into a heavily guarded vehicle to leave the rally.

John Moore, a photographer for Getty Images, said he heard at least two gunshots before the bomb was detonated.

Police sources told CNN the bomber, who was riding a motorcycle, blew himself up near Bhutto’s vehicle.

Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital — less than two miles from the bombing scene — where doctors pronounced her dead.

Chaos erupted at the hospital when former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived to pay his respects to Bhutto less than three hours after her death.

Hundreds of Bhutto supporters crammed into the entrance shouted and cried, some clutching their heads in pain and shock. Sharif called it “the saddest day” in Pakistan’s history. “Something unthinkable has happened,” he said.

Sharif said his party will boycott Pakistan’s January 8 parliamentary elections in the wake of the assassination.

Police warned citizens to stay home as they expected rioting to break out in city streets in reaction to the death.

Rioters burned tires and blocked roads in Karachi and other cities, police sources said. Police fired on an angry mob, killing two people, in the city of Khairpur in the Sindh province, Geo TV reported.

Bhutto’s husband issued a statement from his home in Dubai saying, “All I can say is we’re devastated, it’s a total shock.”

President Bush said those responsible “must be brought to justice” and praised Bhutto as a woman who had “fought the forces of terror.” He said: “She refused to allow assassins to dictate the course of her country.”

-CNN.com

Indian villagers walk a dozen miles to charge cellphones

While we’ve even seen politicians in India text citizens pleading for votes come election day, some remote locales of the nation still don’t have electricity — but that doesn’t mean those messages aren’t being received. Reportedly, about 30 to 40 individuals living in a Dalit village some 50 miles from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh are trudging around 12 miles per day just to get their mobile phones juiced back up for the next 24 hours of yappin’. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of electricity being piped out to this remote region in the not-too-distant future, but considering how handsets enable the aforementioned denizens to contact outsiders in case of emergency (or to pass along the latest gossip), it doesn’t look like they’ll be ditching the hike anytime soon.

-Engadget.com