The holidays are a time of best intentions -- and, often, less-than-stellar follow-through.
Winter Break was more than three weeks long, and most of us probably had grand plans for how to spend it. Some were going to visit friends. Others were going to work and save money.
I was going to sleep. A lot.
But time gets away from us. Faced with family commitments and the pressures of the holidays, the best-laid plans sometimes come to nothing.
Along the same lines, we have New Year's resolutions. Giving up coffee, working out, getting organized. Every one designed to make our lives better, and almost every one forgotten by February.
Nevertheless, the start of a new year is a great time to think carefully about what we want and what we have to do to get it. Both as individuals and as a community, we can change our lives by a simple act of will, if that will is strong enough.
The Ball State community is heading into a time of transition. Blaine Brownell is gone. It's time for us to make a decision -- a resolution -- about where we want our community to go. The selection of a new president is the greatest chance we will have to shape Ball State's future.
In some areas, the student body is certainly unanimous. We want a president like Brownell, who's willing to cancel school when 13 inches of white stuff falls on Muncie.
But there are more controversial questions to be considered. The new president will have a strong voice in discussions on a new Student Center, fund raising for football stadium renovations, the proper amount of training for University Police officers and a variety of other topics.
These discussions will determine what kind of place Ball State is, and what kind of place it will become. The decisions of the new president will show the rest of the country what Ball State values.
Perhaps we will choose to lower the cost of a Ball State education. Maybe we'll continue to raise our academic standards or focus on improving our athletic reputation. Maybe we'll build new facilities. Maybe we'll add attractions to the buildings we already have.
The most immediate way for students to make their views on these topics known is to play a role in choosing Ball State's next president. Contact the student member of the Board of Trustees, Kyle Mitchell. Contact the student representative on the Presidential Search Committee, Sarah Atkinson. Contact the president of SGA, Jason Manship.
They were each chosen to share our views with the powers that be and to vote for our concerns. They all want to hear from their fellow students.
"I want to be the representative for the students," Atkinson said after being chosen for her position. "I'm open to suggestions."
We can make Ball State whatever we want it to be, but it takes an act of will. Resolve to sit down at a computer, open a new e-mail and tell our representatives what you want to see.
Write to Stephen at stevehj@mac.com
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