[Oabs] Clearing up some confusion

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi OABS, 

 

As I have said before, I tend to be a much better writer than speaker in
some instances, and this is one of them.  I wanted to clarify what I was
trying to say at the meeting last night, so that we're all on the same page.


 

Regarding the expectations of officers, I was hoping we could have a
conversation about this last night, but the conversation just didn't come as
I thought it would.  However, any organization needs to have clear
expectations of and from officers as to what is expected of them.  While
some of the things I am going to talk about might seem like no-brainers,
they are things I have noticed that are not always happening in OABS.  I
have stated before that this is a building year for OABS, and that if we
want this student division to get off the ground as we said we do, then we
need to have key people in positions where they can do a lot of good work.
I think we accomplished the first part of this by getting a really good
board together, but we need to make sure that all the effort taken to get
that board in place was worth it.  I want to be very clear that what I am
going to say should not be taken as a dig towards anyone, because these are
very general observations I've made that were not just based on the actions
of one person alone.  

 

Of course, I'm not expecting anyone to be "perfect."  Everyone (myself
included) has and is going to make mistakes, but the important thing is that
we either learn from them or don't do the same thing repeatedly.  I also
don't expect anyone to put OABS at the very top of their list of priorities.
Obviously, we are students first, and then members of families, we have
jobs, etc.  However, I do know that most of us are involved in at least one
other activity, so in terms of making OABS a priority, I ask that you treat
it with as much importance as any other activity you are involved in.  In my
fraternity, there are fees associated with absences.  Illness and family
emergencies are always excused, and class and work conflicts can be excused
as long as you give advanced notice, but an absence for anything beyond that
or without notice at all isn't acceptable.  Attendance at our meetings has
been pretty good, but especially for regularly scheduled meetings, plan them
into your schedule as you would a weekly chapter meeting for another
organization if you are not doing so already.  The most important thing from
officers and general members alike is that we have a body of people in our
organization who participate; without participation things won't get done.
However, this is a little more important for officers, because we need the
board to be there so they know what is going on in the organization.    

 

Follow through is very important, because saying you're going to do
something isn't enough.  In fact, saying you're going to do something, and
then not following through is detrimental to the group because it leaves
everyone else waiting for the job to get done.  I have mentioned a few times
how everyone in the group is interdependent upon each other to get the tasks
we need to have accomplished done, and especially since we are so small, we
really need everybody to follow through on what they tell others they are
going to do.  We need both secretaries as much as we need a treasurer, as
much as we need president and vice president, as much as we need at-large
members, etc.  Don't leave your fellow OABS members high and dry.  

 

Finally, the point of a board is to advise the president on how to conduct
business.  So, if something is wrong, don't let it continue to get worse, or
do nothing about it.  Let me know what should be changed, and how you think
it could be changed so we can discuss possible solutions.  If it is a big
issue for you and I have not fixed it, then be a little more serious about
it and let me know what you're still noticing so I can try something new.
This will help to curb oversights on my part, and will make everyone happier
in the long run.       

    

Kaiti Shelton

University of Dayton---2016

Music Therapy Major, Psychology and Philosophy Minors, Clarinet

Ohio Association of Blind Students, President 

NFB Community Service Group, Service Project Committee Chair

Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma