[nabs-l] Finding a niche in campus orgs

Mon Apr 7 09:14:41 UTC 2014

Good morning, Justin,

         Good advice, if you are of a belief that working within the 
system which is, it sounds like, already stacked against you will be 
somehow, effective.
So-called leaders will always have political strings manipulating 
their limbs so none of their  actions ought to be taken at face value.
for today, CarAt 01:28 AM 4/7/2014, justin williams wrote:
>Have you approached the leaders of the fraternity? I'm sure you have, but I
>just have to at least ask.  If so, it does not sound as if they are
>responsive.  If not the leaders, then maybe the advisor.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton
>Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2014 6:31 PM
>To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>Subject: [nabs-l] Finding a niche in campus orgs
>
>Hi all,
>
>For the past 2 years I've struggled to find my place in organizations on
>campus.  I felt the same way in high school, but here is my situation now.
>
>Freshman year I was in a club for my major, as well as a community service
>fraternity.  I ended up leaving that fraternity at the end of my freshman
>year because of a few things, but mainly because I felt the chapter was run
>in a very beaurocratic style, and the same people always did everything and
>never let those of us who were on the outside do much.  The elections seemed
>more like a popularity contest, with really personal digs made by current
>exec board members against candidates who they did not want to see in future
>exec board positions.  Though I didn't run for anything, even as an
>outsider, a member just watching and casting my votes, it left a bitter
>taste in my mouth.  If that was how it was going to be run, I didn't want to
>be a part of the organization.
>
>That spring semester I pledged another fraternity that I liked a lot better.
>This one is a professional organization more geared towards my major.  It is
>smaller, and still does service, which I like.
>However, I have increasingly felt like I am not a part of the group.
>One of the main problems this year has been a lack of communication and
>access to the google docs resources.  Of course, these things work fine for
>the other 20 members of the chapter who are sighted, but they do not work
>for me.  I feel that when I miss a piece of information that was posted
>online, or when I don't know to do something because I can't see it, people
>are like, "Well, she screwed up again," rather than thinking, "Oh, I wonder
>if she didn't see it."
>
>This all sounds much more bitter or dramatic than I really feel, but I am a
>bit frustrated by this.  I have good ideas, and can do my job very well if I
>know what is expected of me and have the accessibility to do it.  However,
>with the google docs system, and the lack of communication I receive from my
>sisters about visual things they just pick up on naturally, I am unable to
>contribute in the way I want to.
>
>I think my struggles with these things has also impacted me socially.
>We had elections a few weeks ago, and I was the only junior who was not
>elected to an exec board position.  I ran for 2, and really wanted the
>recording secretary position.  I feel like the issues I had this year have
>made me seem like I am uncapable of carrying out these responsibilities to
>my sisters, when they really don't know my situation and never asked.  I
>specifically chose to run for recording secretary because I have particular
>experience with this position, and I also know that the minutes are taken in
>Word Docs and member standing is kept track in a spreadsheet.  I would have
>run into no technological glitches whatsoever, so this position would have
>been great for me.  I also gave up membership in other clubs and musical
>ensembles in order to make time for an exec board position should I have
>gotten one, so I'm thinking false social perceptions have gotten in my way.
>
>I also feel socially left out sometimes because not all members of the
>chapter will talk to me.  I mean, I'm certainly not expecting to be best
>friends with everyone, but some of them just don't even speak to me, which
>isn't a good feeling.  And yes, I do try to speak to them.
>They don't openly shun me, and it's not nearly that bad, but unless I say
>something to them they won't say hi, or ask how I'm doing even when we're
>sitting next to each other.  This is not just a chapter issue; the people
>this happens with also don't really socialize with me in classes, and I'm
>one of those awkward people who gets along more with people who are older
>and younger than her than with students in my year.
>
>I really don't want to sound whiney, because that was not my intent at all,
>but I'm wondering how people in similar situations got through these issues.
>
>--
>Kaiti
>
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