Pete’s Plans for ‘03 - ‘04

The “What is Pete Doing Next Year” survey has garnered 17 votes, which is more than I expected. International President ended up winning with 7 votes, District Governor was a close second with 5. “Get a Life, you big Circle K Nerd” was next in line with 3. But there’s one precinct that isn’t yet reporting, and it’s the only one that matters.

To a certain extent, however, my plans are now as solid as they’re going to be until District Convention. It’s really odd to me that so many people are interested in my plans for next year. I’ve had people IM me that I’ve never spoken to before wanting to know what’s up. Most of them were polite enough to make small talk before they finally got around to asking what they wanted to know. Most of them. Before I let the cat out of the bag about what I AM doing, I thought it’d be better to talk about what I’m not doing, and why.

For starters, I’m not running for District Governor. While some of the folks that I expect to win Gov in other districts are super cool, this year has been a hard one in Alabama. I’ve lost a lot of faith in the district and, while you can be sure that I’d do everything in my power to reverse this year’s little trend, I believe there are folks running for district offices with more (and more recent) District Board experience. I think they’ll do a great job, and regardless of what I end up doing (and not doing), I’ll be around. I’ve been ‘around’ in the district since my first month on campus, willing to help whenever asked, and I’ll continue to be around until I stop spending nine months a year in Alabama. This year’s board has found that to be more of a nuisance than a benefit… but we’re not going to go there right now.

I’m also not running for any elected club office. We have an outstanding (and young) membership, and they NEED to be in office. I’ve seen what can happen when old farts like me hog the club leadership for four years and then spring the club onto unsuspecting underclassmen. Whomever decides to take the reins will be well coached and primed to do great things next year. This first semester has been about winning the little battles, and that started with reversing a nasty trend of disorganization and shrinking. We’re on the rebound, and we’ll continue to improve in the Spring, but I think the 03-04 board will be in a great position to do remarkable things.

So what AM I going to do? Well, at this point, your guess is as good as mine. There are a lot of intangibles and variables that have yet to come into focus. The next step in my plan, however, is to run for endorsement for International Office at District Convention. Before you get all excited (or pissed off) this does not mean anything about what I’ll be doing in Indy this summer. I want to put off that decision until after my term as club president is over, but I want to be in a good position to pursue an Int’l Office if that’s what I decide to do.

I have a tendency to not answer questions. I say “it depends” quite a bit, and I’m always asked on what it depends. This is not a complete list, by any means. I think I have the ability, patience, and vision to serve on the International Board again. The thing that I don’t know about yet is motivation. Club President can be the most demanding office in the organization. Going into my senior year, and coming off a hard term like that of UA’s club president, I don’t want to make a decision to run now and then have to change it in April because I realize I’m burnt out and want to focus on school. School is another issue. My grades, of late, have been getting better, but they’re not yet where they need to be if I want to grace a Law School with my presence next year. Additionally, it depends on whether the potential leadership at the Club and District Level pans out. I don’t like to see gaps in the leadership in the club or district, so I may be compelled to do something like that in order to make things run smoothly.

If I decide against a run at the IBoard, I would probably look for a club and/or district chairmanship.
So there you have it. Comments and criticisms welcome… you can use the little comment box or the feedback form. Really… don’t just sit there, say something!