September Monthly Report to Council.
Dave Tompkins, President 1996-97


"Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl. With yellow ribbons in her hair, and a dress cut down to there. She would merenge, and do the cha cha. And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar. Across the crowded floor, she worked from 8 til 4. They were young and they had each other, who could ask for more? AT THE COPA, COPACABANA" - Who doesn’t sing this song?

"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music." - Angela Monet

"University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small." - Henry Kissinger


The Students

September arrived just in time to remind me why I took this job in the first place: The students. Thanks for making this campus so exciting!

Frosh Week

What can I say? Thanks to Meg, O-Staff, the USC InfoSophs, and everyone who participated. Personal magic moments will include:

USC Baseball vs. The Admin

It was a fun game, but we got our butts kicked by the Administration. Catch of the day went to Allison "Vogue" Gibson, and we all underestimated Peter "Boom-Boom" Mercer. There will be a rematch ...

Smith Panel

There was a fair amount of time spent meeting to discuss the UWO response. Now we have to focus on the OUSA response, and the USC response. We’re not even at the half way point yet.

Council Meetings

The September meeting of council was a long one, and a tad on the "dry" side. We should all try to keep the tempo moving at an appropriate level. Please keep your suggestions and feedback flowing. Don’t forget to get your posted motions in by Thursday. Posted motions and agendas will be ready for Fridays, while the rest of the council package will be ready for Mondays.

Resolution Six

I can’t believe that we’re working on elections stuff already. I had to spend some housecleaning time on the Election policy before the fall by-election. Hopefully people will stop calling it "Resolution Sucks".

Affiliated Colleges Meeting

This is one of those spiffy committees that Jerry chairs, and I get to participate in. I thought it was nifty, and despite Daan’s (King’s) bickering, we got to talk about some issues. Faculty grants and ancillary fees were some of the juiciest topics.

The Spoke

I love the new Spoke. Warning! The stuffed animal machine is very addictive.

Operation: Face-Lift

Operation: Face-Lift is destined to be the project at the edge of the universe. I’ve referred to it casually in these reports and in many conversations. The project seems to change more frequently than booths in the UCC. So what’s going on here? My original idea got shot down by my executive quickly and shall warrant no more mention. The project then evolved into what is commonly referred to as the "puzzle piece" theme, which incorporated the four main principles we wanted to uphold: Accessible, Accountable, Responsive, Partners. After some feedback, it became clear to scrap the cheezy metaphors, and stick to making it a goal setting document. Furthermore, the format, scope and nature of those goals has changed numerous times. Throughout the project there were feedback mechanisms, board meetings, candid conversations, a billion different timelines, and an understaffed but highly talented and well fed ad-hoc committee. My biggest fear was that this project was going to lack direction and substance. So am I scared? No, not at all. At the October 9th meeting of council we will pass a document that we will use as a blueprint for our year. The document will outline our commitment to ourselves and our commitment to the students of Western. When asked by a friend what we’re going to do this year I came up with a good analogy: "We’re not building any new superhighways this year - that’s been done - we’re just doing a few smaller roads, and we’re taking the time to fill in some of the existing potholes."

The Executive

On March 23rd, I sat down and had dinner with my executive for the first time. On September 27th, we sat down for dinner and celebrated our first six months together. It is really hard to believe that it’s been that long. There are things that I know about them that I wish I didn’t know, and there are some things that I will never know. Sometimes they are predictable, and yet they never cease to surprise me. Gentlemen, (and I do use the term loosely) thanks for making the first six months so entertaining.

In Summary

Well, It seemed more like Stmbr than September. The month was crunched together, and when I think back it seems like there are some parts missing, but I still managed to sail through. I can’t emphasize enough how exciting and exhilarating it is to have thousands of students running around on campus. I feel rejuvenated, and I’m really looking forward to Otobr.

In Brief…

SCUP
UCC "Discussions"
CHRW Morning Show
Jr. Alumni
New Whiteboard
Code of Conduct
CIAU Academic All-Cdn.
Goodman Lectures
Mayor’s Action Team
Lunch with ZK & WDG
Bought some plants
Squash

The New 3M Centre
Joined some Clubs
Wore a dress for Pravda
Jim’s Strategy Days
Fun with IFC
A Trip to King’s
A Friends’ New Business
Fun with PTMSA
Rahim’s Radio Show
Council Training
Unity Group
All-Presidents’ Meeting

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