As we begin the third official week of classes today, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say that your planners already are full.
No doubt you've pulled them out of your bag countless times since Aug. 28, sculpting your forearm so nicely that you don't even need to stop by the AFC.
And, if you're like every other over-achieving University student, packed planners mean free food. I mean, meetings.
Call it a Palm Pilot, call it a day-timer or a little black book, call it what you will, but the bottom line is that full planners mean schedules crammed with meetings.
University students are involved in making great things happen all over Grounds and all over Charlottesville, but all those great things need a game plan. Game plans, as we all know, need people behind them.
And that's why I've called this meeting -- the get-togethers are getting out of control.
Perhaps we wouldn't mind the meetings so much if there weren't so many of them. But U. Va. students are notorious for having their hands in so many cookie jars that it looks like we're running a Mrs. Fields operation out of Newcomb Hall.
Or perhaps we wouldn't mind the meetings if they were productive or, at least efficient. If I could walk into a meeting at 6 p.m., listen to the president talk for 10 minutes about our objectives and make something happen by 6:30 p. m., I could be out the door in 30 minutes. And off to my next meeting.
But this scenario is as rare at U.Va as a snow-day.
My experience over the last two years, and especially in the last two weeks, has made me a rather cynical participant in the planning process of extracurricular events.
Tell me if these anecdotes sound familiar to you:
Early this week, I received an e-mail about an evening meeting for an organization that I became involved with last spring. The e-mail gave one start-time, my friends swore by another and the meeting actually began at least 20 minutes later than both.
I'm already displeased because I wrote the meeting time in pen in my planner, and had to cross through it three times. Scheduling in pen was my first mistake, of course.
But I realized the importance of organizing our efforts for the upcoming year, and settled in for a productive hour of planning. I expected some committee reports and the addition of new events for the semester. What I got was a whole lot of nothing.
They actually called the meeting to tell us when we would have our next meeting. And that was set for the end of September.
What part of this could they not have accomplished over e-mail?
Speaking of e-mail, that brings me to my second anecdote.
We have sorority chapter meetings each Monday, God love 'em. And although the purpose is to plan events and take votes on chapter policy, we also use the time to catch up with sisters and be together.
The latter part I love. The other elements of chapter meetings, like all meetings, can be a test of endurance. My personal favorite is the Information Flood. It hits when someone stands up to deliver their announcement and lets us know we'll also be receiving it in five other forms. The Flood usually begins with an acknowledgment that we've probably already read the e-mail about this issue, but just to reiterate the point
And it doesn't end there.
Not only have we already read the e-mail, but we're listening to the announcement again and she's passing around an information sheet.
Naturally, after she collects all the names, she'll be sending out an e-mail.
Suddenly, I feel like I'm on the set of a Snickers commercial, and a low, God-like voice says, "Not going anywhere for a while?"
In my case, I couldn't just grab a Snickers. I'd need the whole pack.
I'll come down off my soapbox now and try to offer some suggestions. I've spent the column urging people to hurry up and get to the point, so now I'll get to it.
Call a meeting when we need one. Rather than, say, calling a meeting to let us know you've scheduled another meeting. If the organization is ready to move forward and plan an event, elect new officers or form committees, then you need us there. If you call too many worthless meetings, I guarantee we'll start skipping them. Some of us even have classes we need to focus on. Go figure.
If you've already sent an e-mail or passed out a paper, sit back down. Or at least be more selective. The members of your organization were perceptive enough to make it through high school and into the University, so be confident that they'll get the message the first time around. When you've got the floor, use it to get some feedback on your e-mail or address any changes. Don't simply reiterate.
Pass out an agenda and stick to it. It always helps me focus when I can follow along with the announcements and make notes as we go. An agenda also alerts me to listen up for the issues that concern me directly, so I don't zone out and miss my reason for being there. And, for our sanity, the agenda means we know when the leaders get side-tracked on unimportant issues so we can reign them back in.
I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I realize you may be at the end of your rope by now.
Or, at least, at the end of your last Snickers bar.
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