Ateneo Mathematics Society Elections 2013 MINUTES FOR ELECTIONS DISCERNMENT TALKS
AMS Discernment Talk with ACLC
28 November 2012
I. The session started with expectation setting. The representative of ACLC said that he aims to explain discernment through the concept of freedom. Some of the things that came to the participants’ minds about discernment are the following: Opportunity, Deciding, Reflection, and Process.
II. Objectives of the session were the following: (1) understand what discernment is, (2) know the basic prerequisites and steps in discerning, (3) see the role of discernment in my membership in AMS, and (4) gain a deeper appreciation of prayer and my relationship with God.
III. Discernment is not a sure fire method, nor something that comes out easily as the products from a vending machine, nor a procedure.
IV. Discernment is about answering some basic things: (1) Ano ba ‘yong sinisikapang gawin kapag nagdidiscern? (2) Saan nakaugat? (3) Paano ito gawin?
V. It is about a deep-‐felt, personal experience of God’s transforming love, a deeply valued relationship with the Lord, a journey towards greater interior freedom, towards greater mission.
VI. It involves a number of presuppositions: (1) God desires for us. He desires a plan for us. (2) God desires us. Gusto ka niyang makasama.
VII. What are we trying to seek? We are trying to seek the will of God / God’s choice in the light of who I am (talents, giftedness, personality)
VIII. How does the beloved show his will? Our god is a God who wants to reveal himself to us. Go back to that confidence that God reveals himself through people, circumstances, objective situations, and emotions. God speaks through these signs.
IX. The goal of discernment does not end at a decision, but in building relationships, which proves to be more important than things like fear and inadequacy.
X. The goal of discernment ultimately makes itself possible through the link to the beloved. Again, it is much more important to work on my relationship with God than on my decision.
XI. To build this relationship, one must be together with, be in constant communication with, and be with God.
XII. All these takes a long time. Relationship takes time. Not just time, but quality time. XIII. With this, one must keep a blank check attitude: “I am open to possibilities, I am not
limiting my choice to what I see now as the reasonable, comfortable, easy/hard choices, etc.
XIV. Three questions that can help in discernment: (1) What gives you joy? (2) Are you any good at this? (3) Does anybody need you to do these things?
ANG SIMULA: Positions Discernment Talk 14 December 2012 | 1655-‐1930H
I. Opening Prayer by MacMac Sua
II. Announcements
Family Day 2 was promoted. It will be held on December 17 (Monday), at the SEC field from 1630-‐1800H. XMath entitled Snowfall was also promoted. It will be held on December 19 (Wednesday) at JSEC from 1800-‐2200H.
III. Electoral Board
The Electoral Board introduced themselves—starting with MacMac Sua as the Chairman. Paola Matanguihan is the External and Internal SecGen, who relates everything to everyone. Benetz Branzuela is the Ways and Means, who makes things happen. Carlo Mallari, Reg Onglao, and Reg Muñoz are in Electoral Processes who are in charge of rules and punishments. Christia Torres and Jino Geronimo are in charge of Promotions. Lastly, Ted Platon and Jason Escartin are in Logistics, who are in charge of venues.
IV. Electoral Code – available at FB page
The Electoral Board discussed the Electoral Code as seen in the AMS Elections Kit 2012-‐2013 that can be downloaded in the FB page of Electoral Board (www.facebook.com/AMSElections2013). For all questions, inquiries, requests, necessary information and files to be passed; the e-‐mail of the Electoral Board is [email protected]. a. ExeCom Positions
The ExeCom Positions was introduced. The Executive Board (EB) is made up of the President, the Executive Vice President, the Secretary General, and the Chief Finance Officer. The Department Heads are made up of two heads per department—two for the Member Relations Department, two for the Math Applications Department, and two for the Academics Department. The Deputy Heads are as follows: The Deputy for Special Projects, the Deputy for Marketing, the Deputy for Documentations, and the Deputy for Promotions.
b. Eligibility
An eligible candidate for elections should have at least 2.25 cumulative QPI, with no academic probations nor disciplinary charges. The candidate for presidency should have at least 4 semesters stay, while candidates for other positions should have at least 2 semesters stay.
c. Process and Requirements
To file for candidacy for any position in AMS, the candidate must have an IC with the current officer in the position he/she is running for, and have the certificate of candidacy (it’s electronic now!) with other necessary files. The files must be passed before January 9, through e-‐mail.
d. Party System
A party must have at least 2 Executive Board members, at least 1 head per Department, and at least 2 Deputies. The party must complete and submit individual forms, and also submit the member list by January 9.
e. Campaigning
The campaigning period for AMS elections is from January 13 (2359H) to January 25 (2359H). Rules for the campaign include the following. The promotion materials would need the official promos stamp. Campaign materials must be taken down after the campaigning period. For print materials, the posters must be at least 8.5 by 11 inches, with 1 face per board. Campaigning on Facebook is limited to DPs and wall photos only. Campaigning on Twitter must mention @AMSinfinitweet and use the hashtag #AMSElections2013. A letter endorsement is necessary for room-‐to-‐room promotions. All promos must also include the date of the elections.
f. Voting
Only eligible members are allowed to vote. The voting process is done in secret, and no proxies are allowed in the elections.
g. Validity
For the elections to be considered valid, 60% of elegible voters must vote. Also, if a candidate has no rival, for him/her to win, he/she must get 50% +1 members to vote for him/her.
h. Appealing
To appeal to the Electoral Board, see their FB page for more instructions. All files for appeal is e-‐mailed to the Electoral Board.
i. Violations and Sanctions
Violations are divided into the minor and the major. Minor violation occurs when any of the codes are not followed. Major violation occurs when there is negative campaigning and/or gross disrespect to anyone. The list of violations is not exclusive and all violations will be decided on by the Electoral Board.
j. Sanctions
Sanctions include a public reprimand, a fine, disqualification, temporary campaign ban, removal of campaign materials, and a request for public apology. A candidate or even anyone can be a violator. Once a violation has been reported, appeal can be made through e-‐mail to the Electoral Board, clearly explaining the violation reported. However, the Electoral Board has the final say on the matter. The violator and/or candidate must meet with the Electoral Board, explaining the violation and the context of the violation. The violator can contact the Electoral Board through e-‐mail or FB message. “DO NOT BE AFRAID. DO STILL CAMPAIGN“– Carlo Mallari
V. Guest Speaker: Myki Pimentel
Myki said his talk was for the people who have an idea of running, but not on the position they will run for. Myki said that to be an officer means to run the show, no matter what position. It also means to carry 50 years of legacy of the AMS. Furthermore, it also means to be responsible for the members and to be a student leader. So, when asked for a reason to run, one must run for themselves. Because “duh, it’s myself.” Also, there’s a different kind of growth that will allow one to unleash his/her potential—Reg M and Kross are examples of this, having the biggest change. Furthermore, Myki says that college life is incomplete without an org. Also, one must run for the org. As an active member, one must see that AMS needs them! Also, it’s a way to give back, the answer to “What to do for the org?” Also, as an active member, one would know what to do to improve AMS. Myki shared about his reasons to run in the last 2 years. For MemRel, he ran, thinking “I want to be that guy!” For President, he ran because he wants “to make a change!” He says that it was his gut feel—love (or something) for AMS. Passion is more important than position. It doesn’t matter how up the hierarchy one is. It should be all heart in one’s position, whatever it is. Also, desire is more important than skill. Myki says he prefers to work with “someone who wants to be here” than someone who’s good at the job. Heart is very important. It is important to think the answer to “How much do you want it?” This point is emphasized by the statements ‘Be sure of what you want, for it will make you follow through with it’ and ‘If you want something, go get it!’ In light of the memories he made in his past years, Myki says, “I would do it all over again!” In the Question and Answer portion, several questions were asked by the attendees of the Position Discernment Talk.
Cams asked about desire and skill, and how do you know if one really desires it. Myki says that it’s obvious, and you will see it when you talk to the person. Rex asked how did he choose MemRel. Myki says that he attended only MemRel activities, and wanted to see how it’s like to be the Department Head. Cams asked what motivated Myki in the last 2 years. Myki answered: ‘seeing everyone working so hard, I should be like them. I wanted to make an impact, something relevant over many years to come.’ Sam asked what if you have desire but not skill? What if the desire goes away? Myki explained that skills can be learned, and desire makes you learn from mistakes and failures, to want to be better. Sam asked what if you realized that “di ko pala kaya”? Myki answered that one has time to know what skills are required, and one can draw from desire, passion for it doesn’t run out.
VI. ExeCom Presentations
ExeCom members presented their current positions, explaining their job descriptions, what they could’ve done, why they ran, why should one run or not for their position. Job descriptions are as stated in the AMS constitution. For the Acads Department, Patrick and Zheng summarized their part with the words bartits, leche, and hirap. Bartits included the job description, Leche what could’ve been done, and Hirap for why one should run. For the MathApp Department, Elly and Gere presented their reasons for running, what they’re doing for AMS, what could’ve been done, running reasons, and advices. Elly summed up what they do for AMS by the word “motherate.” As Dept Head, she served as mother to PHs and Core, they rate people and success of projects and PHs, they go to all other pools like moth, they have other stuffs to do, and they provided nourishment (ate). For the MemRel Department, Renz and Gabs presented their job description as stated in the constitution to sum up to take care of members. Important reasons for not running in the MemRel Department Head position include the following: If one is a socialist / ma-‐memrel, if one thinks he/she can’t win, if one thinks there’s someone better than him/her. They added that one must run because one wants to: Have confidence in wanting to run. For the Deputy for Docu, Angge summed up her job description as documenting everything. Notable in her presentation was her quotable quote regarding the AMS website: “We need to develop our website skillfully,” indicating the needed development for the website that’s coming along. Also, she used the quote “Let us choose reasons to act that are big, bold, righteous and eternal” in explaining why she ran and why one should run for her position. She ended her presentation by saying that she was able to touch different lives in her position. For the Deputy for Promos, Rizza explained her job description as seen in the constitution. Quotable quote from Rizza is “I give DP and DP is a gift.” She gave numerous reasons to run for her position, which include the following: (1) alangan naming walk, (2) photoshop fixes a broken
heart, (3) love for and growth in AMS, (4) finding oneself through AMS, and (5) step up because you fell in love with AMS. For the Deputy for Marketing, Jason summed up his job description by saying that AMS is a brand. As a brand, he says awareness is important—people know you—and also loyalty, perceive quality, and association (ALPA). Also, he adds up the needs for the job to PLOC—Planning, Leading, Organization, and Controlling. Furthermore, vocation and SWOT analysis is important when deciding to run for his position. For the Deputy for Special Projects, Aldwin explained what he did, and mentioned that he could’ve had corporation tie ups. He endorses his job to people who have an idea of running by saying that he has the most flexible job and that one can make new friends and have an edge through tie ups. For Chief Finance Officer, Benetz explains her job description, which includes money matters, budgets for projects (including requests, subsidies, records, reimbursements), consultation with Finance Core and PHs, and supervising MAFIA. She mentions that she could’ve spearheaded fundraising at the start, monitored Finance Core and project finances more closely, and planned ahead. For all aspiring candidates, Benetz says that the job is for people who love clerical work and control, that one won’t be on the spotlight but will be essential (for all projects), that the job will be training for the future since one will work with offices, and that self-‐study for the job can be done through past documentations and the OSA finance kit. For Secretary General, Paola explains her job description as vocal visionary (to do minutes, layouts, guides, and the like, and to be a communications officer), and as the most powerful officer (she considers this power not as a curse, but her service, her generosity). Also, she mentions that the job is all about service and generosity (“you cannot give if you are not broken”), since the SecGen is underappreciated, but is worth it. The perks of her job include being able to work at her own pace, meeting other student leaders at the Loyola Schools through COA and as a liaison officer, and being the boss. Paola says that the challenge for the SecGen is the balance among amo-‐alalay-‐secretary. Also, for all aspiring candidates, they must set an IC with Paola because “Ayy, SecGen!” For the Executive Vice President, Carlo gave his presentation despite being sick, because he says “failing to work for AMS is worse than being sick.” He states his job description, saying that he “hovers and waits” as the taga-‐salo with the most flexible job, “initiate” and “generate ideas” with project management system and PaP, “evaluate things from far out”, “train” and be “a pillar people can lean on.” He intends to gain insight from PaP, evaluate the evaluation scheme and suggest work plans for better projects, and start a cookbook so that project core teams won’t make the same mistakes. For the reasons to run, Carlo says that no one can tell if you should or should not, so one must want it, and not let the position define them. For the president, Mac Mac starts his presentation by explaining that his powerpoints are ugly, like the COA president’s. He explains his job comes with lots of baggage, that his vision should be the same as everyone else’s, as they voted for him. Also, he explains how one can get to work with other presidents—to gain insights, magdamayan, and see different views on the job as love or profession. For the question “why not this position?” Mac mac says that it’s not for the faint of heart, that one will lose sleep and maybe a little bit of sanity, that one can’t do all that he/she plans to, and that one will be put out of one’s comfort zone. However, he answers the “why run?”
with the following: there’s a lot of freedom to create, many people to meet; it’s your way to make the change you want to see, a means to making AMS the org that it can be and should be; and that welcoming the challenge will make one a better person. To all candidates for presidency, they should set an IC with Mac Mac.
VII. Dynamic Structure
SPAM is under the president, D’Pool is under the SecGen, and the MAFIA is under the CFO. This is mentorship—they are tie ups and under their governship at the same time—to prepare them as the next officers.
VIII. Q&A
Sam asks about desire and skill. Carlo says that you won’t get the job until you get there, and mentoring is a form of learning as well. He also says that desire can’t be learned, while skills can be. He cites himself as an example, that he didn’t know what he was doing when he became an Acads Department Head. Bee asks about opening all positions to both juniors and sophomores. Paola says that it’s a creative interpretation for the electoral board, and that inggit sila sa other orgs that have sophomores running for any position. She adds that everything can be learned. Mac Mac says that it’s giving more opportunities to the sophomores, except for the president position because one needs experience. Jurel asks if they are open to change the structure of the org. Mac Mac says that it’s not their job, and it’s up to the next ExeCom. Carlo says that yes, they are open, but are not sure if they should. He also mentions the idea of scrapping MemRel Department. Paola says that maybe the structure is not the problem, it’s the interpretation. They should not compare AMS with other orgs. Jake asks if MemRel should be made more HR. Paola says that it’s all about interpretation of the job description. She explains that AMS works in a different way from all other orgs, because AMS works according to departments and projects, not operations like other orgs. Carlo asks to those who will run: What’s your primary fear (3)? Carlo, Mac Mac and Paola give their answers when they decided to run for their current position. Carlo says it’s incompetence and commitment. Mac Mac says it’s fear of not graduating (acads). Paola says it’s fear that she might not finish her job as Deputy for Docu within the year (so she ran for SecGen; but she finished on time anyway). Nyl says it’s fear of not surviving physically. The Electoral Board answers by saying it’s about leveling off, and need for understanding set of officers. Rica says it’s inconsistency (fear of burning out) and losing. About inconsistency, they say that she must find a motivation. About losing, they say competition is better because you get better. Bee says it’s fear of failing. She expounds by saying that people says it’s better than not to try at all, but she doesn’t believe in that. The Electoral Board answers by saying that it might be a cause of downfall of the org, but there is time to reflect (sem break) and time to make bawi (2nd sem).
IX. Dates to Remember
January 9, 2013 is the deadline of filing for candidacy. January 25, 2013 is the Miting de Avance, where candidates present their plans and platforms. January 28-‐30 is the Top 4 elections, while February 4-‐6 is the Department Head and Deputy elections.