Reflections on life as the President

So...it's been a while since my last post, but now I am back on the horse and ready to rock:

This weekend, the Minnesota Association of Private College Students (MAPCS) met at St. Olaf in the David Johnson Board Room to discuss various matters facing the 17 private schools in MN. This group consists of the Council of Presidents (the 17 Student Body Presidents) as well as a selected representative from each institution.

It was a really great experience to be able to host this group on our home turf- and we hit up many relevant and challenging topics such as:

- Rapidly rising tuition costs for private school students and lobbying for financial aid
- Very public race-related incidents at St. Thomas and Hamline, and what has been done since they occurred
- Safety and emergency-response initiatives each school has taken since the shootings at Virginia Tech
- Organizational structure of Student Governments and ways to make the best use of Student money

This was a great chance for me to get to know more closely the other Student Government Presidents from around the state. Our hope is that we can represent the voice of the private school student around the state, and join together to support this vast group.

If you have any questions or comments about ANY of these topics, feel free to drop me a line: hauger@stolaf.edu!

Peace out,
TyTy

Some great things to come!

Now that week zero and week one are finally done, I can slow down a little and breathe. It's been a crazy last couple of weeks, for sure, but it is really great to be back and meeting so many great people.

I think the highlight of my last two weeks was definitely seeing Ole the Lion get down with his bad self at the "Party in the Pause" during Week One. That Lion can dance!

It's hard to believe that we are already in full swing into a new year. Yet, that is how things always seem to go around here. At first you are gearing up for something new, the next second you are gearing up for the next something new.

So, in the spirit of our calendar-driven-fun-lifestyles around here at Olaf, here are some great things to look forward to from the fine people at the Student Government Association in the next month:

The STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE (SAC) is gearing up for Homecoming September 24-30th, all culminating with the Homecoming Football Game vs Gustavus on Saturday at 1 pm. Look forward to a comedian, a poker tournament, and more this packed week!

The BOARD OF REGENTS STUDENT COMMITTEE (BORSC) is busy writing reports from the student body to the Board of Regents for their meeting on campus October 4-5th. They will be gather student input in the next couple of weeks, and meeting with President Anderson as well as other officials.

The POLITICAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE (PAC) will co-sponsoring a panel on immigration and citizenship on October 3rd at 7 pm. Hear from a panel of experts in the field of immigration!

The PAUSE kitchen is officially open, yet the Pause crew is as busy as ever getting ready for the Fall Concert that will go down on October 6th in Skoglund. Curious who it is? Bwah ha ha. Find out next week!

The DIVERSITY CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE (DCC) will be co-hosting the 2007 Latino Heritage Month Annual Banquet in the Gold Ballroom on October 7th as well as working closely on tons of great events for Latino Heritage Month!

STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (SAA) will have a hospitality tent set up down at the Football game on Saturday, Sept 29th with free St. Olaf mugs and cider!

VOLUNTEER NETWORK (VN) just held their VN Fair to get people signed up for some great volunteer opportunities in the area and are co-sponsoring an Alumni-Student volunteer project with SAA for Saturday, Sept. 29th. Join alumni and others to held clean up Buckthorn in the Natural Lands from 8:30 - 11:30!

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE (SOC), after finishing up organizing the amazing Co-Curricular fair last week, is continuing their hard work of allocating SGA funds to all of the student organizations across campus! Make sure that you attend the student orgs financial training meeting this Wednesday, Sept. 19th at 6:30 in order to get access to SGA org funds!

SENATE will be meeting for the first time Tuesday, Sept. 25th at 6:30 pm in the Boardroom on the 3rd level of Buntrock. All students are welcome to attend!

ELECTIONS are Wednesday, Sept. 19th from 8 am to 8pm. Make sure you vote!

We'll continue to keep you posted on all the great things going on! Have a great week!

Peace,
Tyler

Welcome Class of 2011!

On behalf of the Student Government Association, I'd like to extend the official welcome to St. Olaf for the '07-'08 school year!

It is finally time to move in, get settled, and start a fresh 'Um Ya Ya' kind of year. Enough of the anticipation, enough of the waiting. Let's dive in and just DO this, right? Right.

While Week One will be a great experience, we're not going to lie when we say it is pretty hectic and exhausting. So, here are some things to think about for move-in day for our new class of 2011:

1.) Ole the Lion, our mascot, is your friend. As he roams campus this move-in day, be gentle and give him loving hugs; knowing, now, that he is your new mommy.

2.) Don't be afraid to ask for help at any point. Take advantage of your JC. After being a JC in Hoyme, I know what it is like to be asked a trillion questions; and we love it. That's why we signed up for the job! Don't hesitate to ask anything.

3.) Remember that your parents are most likely having a harder time with move-in day that you are. Look out for them today; give them big hugs and let them know that while you may be excited to move-in, they are still important to you.

4.) Wear sandals to the shower... Enough said...

5.) If you are asked to put down your school e-mail on any St. Olaf related forms, you can just put the beginning part. You don't need to put down the "@stolaf.edu" part. ex: hauger. It'll save you from hand cramps.

6.) Get time to yourself and just breathe. This week is going to be nuts with the amount of new knowledge needing to processed, the amount of people needing their names to be remembered, and the amount of cardboard boxes needing to be put in the "Cardboard Only" bins outside of the res halls. Yet, get some time just to reflect and rest in this new experience by yourself. Grab a smoothie from the Cage, take a walk in the natural lands, go star-gazing on Old Main Hill. Just breathe.

7.) Enjoy this week. Take lots of pictures- it's fun to look back on them.

The Student Government Association is devoted to serving you this week, as well as this entire year. As you will soon find out, SGA is related in pretty much every part of student life, and we look forward to serving you and working with you. So, stop in and say hello! You can find all executive members of SGA in Office of Student Activities (BC 107). It's not a scary place, we promise.

Swing by my and the SGA Vice-President, Ishanaa Rambachan's, office in BC 107A some time this week. Introduce yourself! We'd love to get you involved. If you are looking for ways to get involved this year, give us a call: you can find us at x3323 or e-mail me directly at hauger@stolaf.edu.

I am very excited to have you as part of our community! Have a great move-in day, and again, a warm welcome to the Class of 2011!

Peace,

Tyler Hauger
SGA President

The Prairie Dog Days of Summer

It seems that my time to take over this blog has begun, and while that may be a little intimidating after living in the shadow of President Witt's articulated stylings, I am up for the challenge.

Allow me to introduce myself officially. My name is Tyler Hauger and I am from Bismarck, North Dakota. Now I realize that most people would bat their eyes and turn on the "Sucks to be You" face upon hearing that I am from North Dakota, but I thought this would be a great time to give you some interesting information about the Peace Garden State to show you how wonderful it actually is!:

1.) North Dakota has more registered vehicles than it has residents.

2.) More ducks reproduce in North Dakota wetlands than anywhere in the nation.

3.) The parking meter was invented in North Dakota.

4.) North Dakota is the only state in the nation to never have an earthquake.

5.) If North Dakota seceded from the Union, it would be the world's third strongest nuclear power.

6.) In North Dakota it is unlawful to serve beer and pretzels at the same time in any bar or restaurant.

7.) In 1947 and again, in 1989, North Dakota attempted to change its name simply to “Dakota,” but the Legislature rejected the idea. David Letterman had a top 10 list of new names for the state, and number 1 was "South Canada".

8.) It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on in North Dakota.

and finally...

9.) If you are in a covered wagon, it is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback. That'll show you, General Custer!


Now that you've had an incredible lesson about the vastness of the state, it should be obvious that growing up in such an enchanted home could not be bad at all! Plus, I've made hundreds of friends in the Bison and Prairie Dogs!

The point of this is that I hope you are all having a great vacation at home, still at school, or wherever you are this summer. Value what you have, and never take it for granted. Sometimes even the crazy mundane can be exactly what you need. And NEVER fall asleep with your shoes on in the state of North Dakota. Word.

For me, I am spending my summer out in Glacier National Park in Northwestern, Montana. North Dakota will be back soon, and Olaf is just around the corner.

So stay safe this summer, make quasi-smart decisions, and buckle your safety belt, people!

Peace and Love,
TyTy

It's been toooo long

To all of my loyal readers (aka, my mom),
I apologize that I have not posted in a while. Midterms, spring break, Easter break... life happened.
I have a lot to say, but first off, I'd like to say that we indeed have wonderful staff, faculty and administrators here. Most of us feel that way, but it is easy to complain when we feel we've been wronged.
After spring break, some of my friends and I were in a car accident and had to go to the hospital, miss school, etc. We're all back now, so it's all good. But, the point of this blog is to say that Olaf treated us well. Roz, the dean of students for first-years, was with me at the hospital until 4:00 am when I told her that she really, could go home. The Dean's office also came in and unbunked and rearranged my friends' beds so they didn't have to worry about it when they got back. The Political Science department sent me a Get Well card. The Admissions office sent me a lovely floral arrangement. All of my professors have been willing to work with me on plans so I can graduate and finish my courses. The custodians and Res Life made sure the private bathroom by our pod is clean so that my friends who can't use the showers can use the bathtub. All in all, everyone has been fabulous.
Naturally, the students have been wonderful, but we know our friends are great.
It's crappy that it takes something scary to remind us how great life is sometimes. So, I wanted to make sure that I could use this opportunity to let everyone know that indeed, the Olaf community is great :) um ya ya.
xoxo,
Vanessa

Take a break blog?!

I'm not sure whether I should be offended or flattered that my blog was categorized last week as a blog that is not a part of SGA. Aren't I writing this as the President of SGA?

My blog relates the students to the members of SGA, provides good advice for making good life decisions, talks about what's happening on campus, and other sweet stuff like that. I mean, doesn't PDA's blog do the same thing? Well, not really. But, whatever.

If you want your SGA and St. Olaf news in light-hearted manner, "take a break" with me. If you want uptight news from Nate, the webmaster, you can read his SGA blog in the official SGA section.

xoxo,
Vanessa

P.S. I have no real malice towards Nate. If I did, I could fire him. Moo ha ha.

Spring Fever

March Madness. 60 degree days. Midterms. Budding romances. Spring break in the number of days you can count on your hands. Daylight Savings Time... I'm telling you, the anticipation of spring does crazy things to people.

Honestly, think about how you behave in the spring. Look at how your friends are acting. Crazy stuff happens now. We all know it.

We're restless. The snow is melting, the days are longer. The semester seems almost like we're ready to write it off, yet those term papers and tests just won't go away. Basketball is on 24-7. We're fake baking in anticipation of Spring Break. I'm gonna throw it out there, people are looking to mix it up.

For many, this means entering a relationship (or I'm not one to judge, maybe just a fling). I'd put down the names of my friends who are doing this senior scramble, but they'd hurt me. Some release their craziness by stirring the pot, saying crap like President Anderson hates vaginas and the natural lands. Others just freak out... about their lack of a job or internship, their intense class load, their relationship status, the list goes on and on. Or conversely, some just blow off their obligations, stay in their sweats and watch movies. Whatever floats your boat.

If none of these describe you or your posse, I commend you for your dedication to life, despite the internal need to emerge from the dreariness of winter. If you can relate, well, I really have no good conclusion to spring fever except for this... Look around, see how your friends are handling their stir-craziness, then, dare I say, look at yourself. Hopefully you're not doing anything that will mess up the rest of your life. Maybe just something juicy enough that one day, it will be page-turner in your memoirs.

xoxo,
Vanessa

the REAL student government association. part II.

I have tried to solicite more SGA gossip since the last post. Sadly, none of the rumors I've heard have been confirmed, and I mean, we try to be classier than unaccounted rumors :) haha. So, for this follow-up, I thought I'd mention some of the special talents that SGA members have:

-Webmaster Nate can kick his face. But probably more importantly, he lives with a Limestone.
-Hoyme Senator Will draws sweet fake tattoos. He said he'd draw one for me. I'm not holding my breath...
-Athletic Board Senator Annie, Intercampus Senator Tom, SGA Financial Director Petz and BORSC PR lady Jenna are all distance runners on the track team. They like to run far. For fun. Interesting...
-Intercampus Senator Tom, the one pictured in spandex above and previously mentioned, also roped in All-MIAC Sportsmanship honors. He's a good runner, a good senator, and a good citizen.
-IHC Chair Paulson is an All-MIAC hockey player. He could take you down. On skates.
-Senate Groupie Greta makes omlettes in the caf.
-Oh yeah, and Stortz has a girlfriend... ERICA JAASTAD.

I'm sure I'll think of more; and of course, I will accept submissions.
xoxo,
Vanessa

the REAL student government association. part I.

Perhaps you have an idea as to what is SGA. But do you really know WHO is SGA?
At the most basic level, we're over 200 students... programmers, senators, coordinators, etc. But those descriptions aren't the ones that make you feel connected. So, I've decided to periodically give some dirt about the members of SGA. This time, I'll throw out the inter-SGA relationships.

First, we have SAC Coordinator Nicole and Off-campus Senator Tom.
Second, came PR Director Fox and Athletic Board Senator Annie.
Finally, we have VP Stortz and GEC Senator Erica.
If there are more inter-committee/inter-SGA flings going on, I'll take anonymous tips.
And remember, if you see any of these couples around, maybe they're working on SGA stuff... or maybe they're working on something else... if you know what I'm saying...
xoxo,
Vanessa

Smells like Team Spirit

Oles have been representing well on campus lately. Black History month was well-received. Elections had a record turn-out. Boe Chapel's infamously delayed organ made its grand debut. But in the world of athletics, it has also been a great time to be an Ole.

Men's basketball made it to the play-offs for the first time since any of us have been students here. They even advanced past the first round in a gut-wrenching overtime game that very likely contributed to my bronchitis, because of the intense amount of cheering.

Women's swimming placed 2nd in the conference meet to Gustavus, and the men topped Gustavus for the title. If you are even accquainted with anyone on the swim team, then you know, beating Gustavus is more important than actually getting first place. We also produced both the men and women's diver of the meet; the men's swimmer of the meet; and the diving coach and men's swimming coach of the year. Um Ya Ya.

Track had their indoor season qualifying meet, producing quality times and distances. This weekend, Tostrud hosts the MIAC Championship. Stop on down to see some of St. Olaf's finest sweat it out in body-clinging spandex.

Both men's and women's hockey finished out the regular season strong, garnering the 4th and 2nd seeds respectively, in the play-offs. Men play Tuesday night at the Structure. Women play Thursday. The games are home. Go support them.

Looking ahead to spring, the baseball team, fresh off of a NCAA tournament appearance and MIAC championship, start their season at the Metrodome on Tuesday night. Hop on the baseball bandwagon this season if you want to ride a team to the championship again.

If you need you a dose of school spirit, want to feel associated to a winning organization, or really just want to look at some attractive people working hard... follow our St. Olaf athletics in the next week.

xoxo,
Vanessa

Safety first

What up Olaf,
I'm writing this blog, stuck at my parents' house with a sinus infection and accute bronchitis. Gross. I know I'm not the only one who has been afflicted by some sort of bug recently. The only reason I went to the doctor is because my friend, Nick Anderson, told me tons of people have bronchitis... and I looked like crap...

So, here are my 5 ways to stay safe this weekend...

5. Wash your hands. I'm not sure if you saw the old caf flyer, but, um, wash your hands.
4. Don't swap spit with sick people. No matter how tempting that might be.
3. Bundle up. Apparantly, it's going to be a snowstorm for the record books. So, pull those boots and scarves back out. Spring isn't here yet.
2. Load up on vitamin C. Nobody has used up their flex dollars yet, so grab a Naked smoothie from Robbie in the Cage.
1. Let me preface this piece of advice by saying, I received it from one of my best friends, who likes to pretend she keeps a low profile... "But seriously guys, use a condom."

xoxo,
Vanessa

Transitions

Last night it hit me hard. It is the beginning of the end. As a member of the class of 2007, I participated the 100 Day March, which celebrates the fact that we only have 100 days left before graduation. Crazy. Walking down to the Reub with all of my classmates was actually an amazing experience. I figured I'd just hang out with my friends and it would be like any other night out. But, as the herd of us descended the Hill, singing the Fight Song, being led by the police escorts, I was overwhelmed by the sense of camraderie. After a walk that was colder than we all planned for, we were welcomed by dancing, drinks, nacho supreme and a night of fun. Anyways, seniors, I hope you had a good time. Juniors, sophomores, and first-years, in my opinion, you have something to look forward to.

In terms of SGA, the end seems a lot closer than 100 days. It's election season now, as I'm sure most of you know. Posters are up, fliers are being distributed, facebook minifeeds are showing the changes people have made to reflect their support. It is strange not being a part of this process. There are 3 candidate teams running for my position. I've talked to all of them, and they all show amazing levels of enthusiasm for the job and passion for improving the lives of St. Olaf students. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds. I strongly encourage everyone, even seniors, to be engaged in this election, at all position levels. Go to the Candidate Forums (Monday and Wednesday), read the platforms on Oleville, and most important, vote.

Alright, time to get back to my homework. I wish 100 days meant less work. Sadly, it does not...
xoxo,
Vanessa

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! For those of you who got one of the Krispy Kremes, I hope you enjoyed it! We went through 500 in less than 25 minutes. If there is another holiday coming up in which SGA can show how much it loves St. Olaf students, we'll have to get something sweet again.
And, um, if St. Olaf students want to show how much they love themselves (and SGA), they should remember to vote in executive elections, a week from tomorrow, on Thursday February 22. Don't worry, I'll send out more details soon ;) til then...
xoxo,
Vanessa

Krispy Kremes!!

On February 14, around 10:00 am, during Chapel, SGA will be giving out Valentines and...
KRISPY KREMES!!
Yup, we have 500 of them to give to you. Because SGA loves you... ahhh...
But really, come down and get one.
xoxo,
Vanessa

Welcome

Hi everyone. Welcome to Oleville, SGA's hottt new website for St. Olaf. For my first blog, I figured I should just introduce myself a little. My name is Vanessa, I am the current President of SGA. I'm a senior from Edina, MN. My majors are Political Science and Economics, with areas of emphasis in Management and International Econ. For fun, I am one of the student managers of the baseball team, with my friend Wendy. We like to call ourselves Dugout Girls. Getting to the hott personal stuff, I'm a Sagittarius who enjoys long walks on the beach and puppies... not really. I like to do most things involving sports, watch Grey's Anatomy, and go out with my Podmates.

Already, I have some sweet updates about what's going on in SGA. Stay tuned for my next post... it's going up in like 5 minutes...
xoxo,
Vanessa