[nabs-l] Justin Salisbury for NABS President

[Littlefield, Tyler]

Hello:
first, I want to make it clear that I'm not associated with NABS in 
terms of NFB conventions and the like. I find this list really useful, 
so I sort of lurk here and do what I can to help out. I did happen to 
read this and some of the messages that came after though, and I have a 
few concerns/comments.

First of all, using this procedure as a way to start a campaign and 
garner sympathy, anger or a revolution feels really underhanded to me. 
As has already been pointed out, there is a pretty valid reason to have 
this in place, even if it should probably be listed in the constitution; 
the goal behind this, at least from what I understand of it is not to be 
vindictive or exclude those who are presenting, but to keep a forum in 
which people can speak free of campaigning. So what we have here is a 
message beginning with a point of contention, initially used to evoke 
shock, anger and incredulity. From here on, this message seemed to 
really strongly play up a specific person, while simultaneously slapping 
the current board in the face with a policy,  which as I understand has 
been around at least since Arielle was president. If one wishes to run 
for any elected position, I believe it is crucial to develop a working 
relationship with those current officers. Taking a policy out of context 
in order to launch your campaign not only hurts the current elected 
board members, but it does not further any relationships that one will 
need in the future to insure success; after all, an elected member can 
not take over operations fully without a lot of information and incite 
from previous officers, even if that member is already on the board. It 
also seems as if as a current board member, the responsibility to 
disclose such information would have been before now if it does truly 
need to be changed and not as a pivotal point for a campaign.

As I mentioned before, this message and to a point the beginning of this 
campaign rubbed me wrong, but I had to reread it a couple times before I 
could actually put a finger on it. So I'm going to be perfectly honest 
here, since I've already mentioned the cause this was based on; I have 
just mention my thoughts with quotes, taken directly from the message 
itself.

"I always focus on preparing and empowering my successors, evident in my 
article on leadership philosophy in the April 2014 Braille Monitor. I do 
not hold grudges." My first question was exactly what one would have to 
hold a grudge about. Subsequent to this though, I took a bigger look at 
this post in general. It feels as a self-glorification, littered with 
numerous subtle and not-so-subtle references to past deeds, while still 
attempting to remain humble. While a campaign might be about showcasing 
your past achievements, the part about grudges really caught me off 
guard. If one really truly wishes to go forward and change, then it 
should be evident; there would not need to be any scattered hints or 
references to a grudge in a place where it does not belong.

"I grew up on a gravel road in northeastern Connecticut and attended a 
regional high school on the UConn campus." This again felt a bit odd; 
it's almost as if there is an attempt being made to put in something for 
everyone here, but it again is really out of context, as is the 
following information.

"I have a decorated resume with many titles and accomplishments, but I 
want voters to focus on my love for NABS and my fellow blind students, 
on the railroad that we can build
together, and on the effort to achieve equality, opportunity and 
security for the blind." If one wishes not to be noticed for something, 
the best way to insure that it doesn't happen is to start by not 
mentioning it. If you wish for your decorated resume not to be a 
pedestal, then there is no logical reasoning in mentioning it.

I do know that transparency is a goal any organization should strive for 
and I am glad this is being brought up, as it will allow for discussion 
and makes this public knowledge. Perhaps this was private policy, though 
I do question the timing of mentioning it now; or perhaps it was just a 
policy, which should have been written into the constitution, but which 
was created without intentions of excluding those who wish to speak from 
simultaneously running for a position. I would also say that further 
involvement from the board would be excellent, especially with an 
organization such as NABS. I have personally been curious as to how I 
can become involved, but have not seen an outlet to do so as of yet. I 
do follow this list fairly closely and have really only seen Darrian 
mention confirence calls from time to time. I believe that any member 
wishing to run for a position should strive to further involve the board 
with current NABS members, and perhaps work to create outlets through 
which members can become involved. I would similarly like to see more 
ideas being proposed; as I have already stated, the only real change 
that I seen mentioned was to somehow remove this policy of contention.

Thanks,
Ty
On 6/5/2014 7:41 PM, Justin Salisbury via nabs-l wrote:
> Fellow Federationists:
> Did you know that the National Association of Blind Students board, a bunch of people I love, has a private agreement that presenters on the agenda cannot run for officer positions? I think the mere fact that I am blowing this whistle tells you where I stand on it. I am running for President of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) because I love NABS, including my fellow board members, and don't like the way NABS functions today. I was going to disappear from the board and NABS leadership because I was discouraged.  I wanted to focus on chapter, affiliate, and division development, legislative advocacy, and the broader initiatives of the National Federation of the Blind. I wanted to "participate as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind," which I quote from the NABS constitution, but I did not feel like NABS was a vehicle to do that.  I had come to believe that the primary role of NABS had become a blind student networking outlet. Thankfully, some frien
>   ds and role models of mine from Baltimore picked me up off the ground and told me not to give up on NABS.
> We will not have to sacrifice the social element of NABS if we move it to our peripheral attention. People love people, and I have faith that we will always build personal relationships. I want us to focus more on activity between the big, face-to-face gatherings that only happen a couple of times per year. I want our board to be more hands-on as regional representatives, and, fundamentally, I want to bring more organization to our organization. The National Federation of the Blind is the organized blind movement. I have led workshops and written an article in the Student Slate about creating advertising directories in student divisions. This master email list through which I am contacting you was my idea and my project. I want to focus on unified communication structures for student divisions, like Facebook, Twitter, and NFBnet email lists. The power that comes from being organized is tremendous; a little organizing goes a long way. Then, we can focus on both student-specific issues
>    and the broader efforts of the National Federation of the Blind. If we look around the country, college campuses are hotspots for legislative advocacy. I want NABS to reflect this in the organized blind movement.
> I have a mind for organizing everything except my apartment. The more highly we prioritize organization, the more organized we will be and the stronger the organization skills of our members and leaders will be.
> I have the kind of love that enables me to work all night long to further our movement, and it's because I love NABS and my fellow blind students that I am not giving up on NABS. I always focus on preparing and empowering my successors, evident in my article on leadership philosophy in the April 2014 Braille Monitor. I do not hold grudges. I grew up on a gravel road in northeastern Connecticut and attended a regional high school on the UConn campus. I attack a problem with the same tenacity and work ethic that has produced two years of dual NCAA men's and women's basketball championships from my hometown UConn Huskies. This job will not be easy, but I will not give up on NABS.
> I love doing the work of the Federation so much that I have left my top-ten economics doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to attend Louisiana Tech University to become a cane travel instructor. I am in the pool of potential speakers for our agenda so that I can tell everyone how my experience at the Louisiana Center for the Blind changed my life and career path. I pray that I will have the opportunity to share my story, but I understand that this would violate the private agreement within the NABS board and will attempt to get it adjusted in my case. Whether I speak or not, I am writing my story as another article to submit to the Braille Monitor.
> I am proud to be a national leader in our movement and even more proud to have other national leaders supporting and encouraging me. I have a decorated resume with many titles and accomplishments, but I want voters to focus on my love for NABS and my fellow blind students, on the railroad that we can build together, and on the effort to achieve equality, opportunity and security for the blind.
> I will be forever grateful for your vote, Justin Salisbury for NABS President, at our national convention. I guarantee that countless other blind students and non-students will be grateful, as well.
>
> Love,
>
> Justin Salisbury
> Board Member
> National Association of Blind Students
> president at alumni.ecu.edu<mailto:president at alumni.ecu.edu>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/tyler%40tysdomain.com


-- 
Take care,
Ty
http://tds-solutions.net
He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that dares not reason is a slave.