Column by Meghan Price
Price is a junior elementary education
major and can be reached at
meghan.price@drake.edu
First, let me start this by saying my views are not a representation of any of the organizations I am in, but ones that I have myself as an individual Drake University student.
Being involved on campus can have many perks including meeting new people, being engaged on- and off-campus with students, faculty and staff and making a difference somehow. The Adams Leadership Convocation, previously known as Leaders and Luminaries Student Leadership Awards Ceremony, allows individuals and organizations to be recognized for all of the great things they do throughout the school year. Being nominated for an award, whether personally or through an organization, is an honor in itself. Attending the ceremony is something I encourage everyone to do in his or her Drake career at least once, whether participating or not. The problem is that street painting is the same day.
I am sure you are reading this and thinking how this isn’t a problem, and it is possible to do both on the same day. As the president of a small organization, I am the representative of the organization at Convocation and am the delegator for tasks such as street painting. I see this as a problem. Many individuals in my organization are very involved in other organizations and are nominated for awards, too. Can I expect them to put our square above others or to skip out on part of the Convocation for our square? The answer is simple, no.
Street painting isn’t just street painting from the schedules I have seen. You have background painting, sketching and then the actual painting. Or rather paint throwing and dumping. Confession: I have yet to participate in street painting. Now you are probably thinking that something has to be wrong with me not to participate. But is there really something wrong if I would rather spend the day celebrating the great things people and organizations have done this past year instead of throwing paint on people? I think not.
Yes, street painting and the Convocation are not actually at the same time, but times do overlap and are cutting it close. I shouldn’t have to cut short my time at the reception to make it to street painting, and I shouldn’t have to worry about being at both or whether or not the square is ready for painting. Yeah, as president I could just delegate this stuff out, but as I said before, that isn’t fair to the other members.
Sure, this does seem a little crazy and ridiculous, but I am fine with that. I do plan to participate in street painting during my senior year, whether I go for fun or go to help an organization I am part of. Adams Leadership Convocation comes first for me, though. After spending time nominating students and programs and filling out award information, I want to go and see who receives the awards. To me, that is what April 19, or whatever date it falls on that year, is about: validation for what students do, not getting covered in paint as tradition.
