Diggin through the Blogs…this song reminds me a lot of a certain girl who frequents a DJ D.A.F. Dancefloor or Two….
This is a classic frosh week tradition that has fallen by the way side over the last couple of years…I don’t sing it anymore but it doesn’t mean I dont feel it any less! I will always Love my Frosh Leader Family…Past , Present & Future!
WHAT IS & WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE – A FROSH LEADER MANIFESTO
As the new frosh executive and I begin to select the 2011 crop of frosh leaders I can’t help but reflect on the past 15 frosh weeks I have been so fortunate to be a part of. What makes the perfect frosh leader? What advise can I offer those who have applied and are considering an application? In 15 years I have worked with over a 1000 different frosh leaders. Some have become lifelong friends and some were only in my life for a brief moment in time. They all have left an impression. Like the classic Pink Floyd lyric “In all you touch…and all you see… is all your life will ever be” It takes so many personalities to make this thing work but there are a few constants.
First, this is the only school in the country where approx 120 dedicated people give up a week of their summer break, the rock N roll lifestyle of Sex, Drugs & hazing and move back to give themselves fully to the exhaustion, excitement and extreme school spirit. Did I mention that they pay for this as well? I have said it so many times that this can only be possible at our schools because of the type of student that decides to come here in the first place. The person who says, I’m not going to be just another number, I want something more…a Family and tradition to be part of. Maclean’s can rank us last every year but the best kept secret is 1) The type of student that would come here would never make a decision based on some skewed data from a magazine…it’s based on a feeling 2) those who actually come here and get involved LOVE IT!
Not everyone is interested or should be in Frosh Leader/Campus Life. Life is too short. You gotta do what you love. For some, this will be Athletics, or Residence Life or strictly Academics…whatever it is be the best at it, get involved fully and dive in head first.
APPLICATION & INTERVIEW
If you are serious about being a frosh leader there is one golden rule you need to know….”It’s all about the Frosh!” This week isn’t supposed to be about you and how much fun you can have or how many 9:01’s you can line up. Those are a byproduct of a successful week on their own. So, understanding that pick up your app. This is your first chance to give us a glimpse of who you are. What makes you…you. So much can be taken from how much care and what answers are given. Make sure when you bring it back to the office you sign up for an interview time you can actually show up for. THE INTERVIEW: Here is your first chance to not make the mistake so many before you have. To learn the lesson so many veteran frosh leaders had to sit out a year to learn. Just ask Nathan or T Budd. For the love of everything that is sacred….BE YOURSELF! Don’t fall into the “I’m going to give them what I think they want to hear” or get coached by someone else trap. It makes for an awkward interview for everyone! Just because you are not the crazy outgoing type doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for you. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if that was true? How would the shy, reserved, Homesick and not sure if they made the right decision to come here away from everything they know and love frosh relate to that person? Just because you don’t party your face off every weekend and drop your pants at the end of every Friday night, or are the Goth kid with Pink Hair, piercings and tats that we don’t need you. Guess what. There will be frosh just like you! I think we are most successful when we have a wide cross section of people and personality…when we have people that frosh can relate and gravitate towards. Or who will just see a bit of themselves in someone and realize that it’s okay to be who they really are…there is a place for you here. It’s okay to be yourself and it’s also okay to push what that is.
GROUP & EVENT LEADERS
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people consider Event Leaders a secondary or consolation prize. That I somehow failed if I didn’t get a group. Everyone has different and unique skill sets. Some are more applicable for leading a group and some are for being the backbone of frosh week. Event leaders start with making sure 600 people get their kits, everyone gets fed then hydrated and finish with setting up, facilitating and packing up all the activities each day. They have to make sure all games are done safely, properly, fairly and on time. I don’t care if you have the most legendary Group Leaders of all time…if the Event Leaders are not on point then frosh week falls apart and the frosh disappear. The Event leader has the patience of Job, the work ethic of ants & bees and the passion & dedication to make sure it all comes off like clockwork. A Group Leader falls into 3 categories. A) The Cheerleader B) The Chameleon C) The Mom/Dad. The A) is your crazy, outgoing most spirited frosh leader. The Leader that will loose their voice, keep up the energy and lead the charge into the mud or lake. The C) is the Mom /Dad. They are in most accounts the responsible one. The person who has a backpack full of band aids, sunscreen and knows the schedule off by heart. They keep the other 2 in check and is a shoulder for the homesick, the weary and the injured. The B) is a little of both, they can step up and give the A) a break. They can also help the C) take care of the team…not matter what the situation calls for they can fill the role.
Coordinators
I’m always asked why we don’t interview for this position. Why are they hand selected. In my experience the best people for the job would never think they are. They have to have the perfect set of qualifications and traits that will compliment and mesh with the VPSL of the time. They have to be prepared to leave the glory of Frosh Leader behind and step up to the thankless behind the scenes work that is needed.
The Truth
What ultimately decides what group you get placed with, if you are part of the Events team, the support crew or not selected this year isn’t an exact science. It’s the best guess of me, the VPSL and 3 Co Ordinators. It’s a feeling. It’s that little something that you showed us that said you were right for the position or not ready yet. Are we always right…never. Do we make mistakes….always. I always respect those who are not chosen one year and keep applying. Or take whatever job they are given just to be part of the week and make the most of it. The people that flipped Burger in their first year and climbed to become Co Ordinator are the shining testaments to this.
Every year we try and have the several Frosh Leader events throughout the year. To keep you involved and around. This year we are adding a non mandatory camping retreat May Long weekend. The Frosh Leaders to me are the heart beat of this campus. The few, the proud and the social.
I look back so many years ago to when I came here. What I left behind, not knowing a soul and what frosh week meant to me, how the frosh leaders I met (not necessarily my team leaders) took me under their wing and made sure I knew how to exist here. I have been forever grateful and have dedicated my life to making sure every frosh that comes here gets the same experience. That’s what has always motivated me. What will be your motivation?
I just found this on Youtube and it gave me some Goosebumps…such a great night and I am so proud of the boys in DUBBS! They have come soooo far in such a short time. They prove hard work pays off everytime!
So this song goes out to my 2 favorite friends in the world who I am going to miss the shit out of over this Christmas Break…..
So I feel like a Douche. I have neglected you for far to long my friend. But, as with everything else life gets in the way. I have travelled to the city of my birth to relax, read and of course catch up on my writing. I have been inspired lately (by a girl of course) to return to very old but classic songs in my vast playlist. Coming back here to this city and seeing the places that shaped me has inspired the top 10 List of Tracks that I grew up on….
1. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Lithium - Nirvana
3. Black - Pearl Jam
4. Today - Smashing Pumpkins
5. Creep - Radiohead
6. Bombtrack - Rage Against the Machine
7. Basket Case - Green Day
8. Riders on the Storm - The Doors
9. Dazed & Confused - Led Zeppelin
10. Hard Rains Going to Fall - Bob Dylan
My New Years resolution is to make time to write. I won’t leave you again my friend. I’ll see you on the Dancefloor….
The Urban Dictionary describes it as a time “Mostly in Canada, when a girlfriend or boyfriend comes back from uni/college and they dump you over the thanksgiving weekend. Usually because they’ve met someone at uni/college.” or “ When a student returning from college, breaks up with their significant other from high school. So-called TURKEY DUMP because it traditionally takes place over the thanksgiving break, the first time most students return from college.”
To believe that your relationship from High school and that sweetheart is it…your one and only true love forever is a notion best left for Hallmark after school specials and the CW’s OTH. Now I don’t want to come across Jaded and I want to believe I am a romantic at heart but Reality is reality! These shoulders are stained with the tears of October’s Tuesday mornings “I thought we were going to make it work…” & “He said he loved me…” Well, Boys Lie. Girls also Lie. What starts with the best of intentions is bound to fail because of one simple thing. CHANGE. It happens to all of us. You will head home this weekend and be punched in the face by it’s ugly, hairy first. First, your parents didn’t even wait until the your star wars sheets were cold before they changed your childhood bedroom into the Jacuzzi or sewing room, or whatever hobby Den tickled their fancy. So welcome home to the Futon. Second, I am guessing you have had a couple of nights out with your HS friends to come to one or all of the following conclusions….a) Have my friends always been this immature and never been able to handle their booze? b) I don’t recognize who these people are and I can’t remember why we were friends in the first place c) I’m not really the same person I used to be and I don’t want to play that role anymore and I miss my new life and friends in the Bay.
Good news is, you have already met way cooler people in the Bay that you have more in common and are destined to be life long friends with…trust me when I tell you that. It is those people who will get you through the really tough times to come…or who you will be there for no matter how pathetic the reason or what time in the morning it is.
It is all of this change (And the Dirrty Larry’s in a different area code) that will take it’s toll and will crush most High School Love. I say most, I know there are exceptions. Some will survive, first year…maybe second year. Eventually, you will wake up one day and not even recognize the person you are with. Then it might be on Christmas break or while you are drunk at staff party but it will end. When it does, here are some little treasures I have gathered from over the years witnessing the end of Innocence…I will share them with you.
- If you are the Dump-er…be kind, be gentle, be respectful. Karma is a Bitch
- If you are the Dump-ee, Tomorrow is another day. Time heals all wounds
- Alcohol is never the answer. A fun distraction. But never the answer.
- Never try to eat yourself to happiness. Been there, tried that…not pretty
- No matter what your slutty roommate says…the best way to get over someone is not under someone else.
- Music can soothe the Soul but if you play Apologize ONE more time, your roomates will have Justifiable Homicide.
- YES there are plenty of fish in the Sea, 3 Days BEFORE you call and OBVI you’re Soul mates if you both love Bright Eyes.
Am I part to blame for the collapse of so many 1 yr and 4 month relationships? I mean, the parties…some where Anything but Clothes is encouraged. With the Bedouin into Hedley end of the night finishing move…How can you resist the girl with the Crazy hair & Bird Tattoo’s or the kid with the shy silent type exterior and the sick Jeep in the parking lot. I take my responsibility but I sleep ok at night cause I always love post Turkey Dump October-Pre Xmas Holiday. Everyone returns with a new love for the Bay. Most have gone home and heard stories from your friends about other schools Frosh week, Campus Pubs and party scene and you have a new appreciation for what we have to offer you. You have had a proper goodbye to where you came from and you will start to call this home…by accident at first but gradually this will come to feel like your home. You have come to grips with the fact that whether you like it or not you have changed and grown up a little and now it’s time to make some bold moves….Like it or not, you are here. Make the most out of it, enjoy the ride and I’ll see you on the Dance-floor!
THE HANGOVER
We all get them. If you say you don’t…you lie, or you don’t drink enough! With the Epic Weekend ahead : Lakers Home Opener Tailgate Party, ABC - Legends WTF!, Traffic Jam III ft. Keys N Krates it’s time we have the talk kids. What is a Hangover exactly? Wikipedia - Defines is as
A hangover (pronounced /ˈhæŋoʊvər/) describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the intoxicating effects of the alcohol begin to wear off. While a hangover can be experienced at any time, generally speaking a hangover is experienced the morning after a night of heavy drinking. In addition to the physical symptoms, a hangover may also induce psychological symptoms including heightened feelings of depression and anxiety.
How do you Cure this Ugly Beast? Well I called out for some help on this from my @thewall95 Twitter Peeps and got Water/Gatorade before Bed with or without some food, B12, B6, Greasy Breakfast & Advil were Favs, Bananas Before Bed was an odd one (Thanks Holly!), Hair of the Dog or Caesar, Oxygen and not Fuckin with Mr. Dirrty Larry or his asshole Friend Sailor Jerry was my person Fav!! My new “still the Jury is out on to be phase 2 trialed” this weekend is the Mosiquito Patch retailed at Home Hardware for $1.99 with Releases B vitamins into your blood stream. Trail one was a Success but there are disbelievers! I’ll let you know in the follow up Report of the weekends Festivities how it went.
The best thing is moderation. You know your limits and your body. When you go drink for drink & shot for shot with an American Celeb who you are trying to put down & he just keeps Dacin’ and your Bar tab is $700 for the night….You know your 35 year old ass will be hung the next Morning into afternoon. Well there it is my little Die Hard DL Lovers….some party 411 going into the first truly epic weekend of our Social Calendar! See you all on the Dancefloor….Cause I am off and causing trouble…it’s what I’m great at!
What can we say about Frosh Week that hasnt already been said in the thousands of pictures to grace the Facebook feeds this last week. Well, I would personally like to say “Fuck you! Mothernature…thanks for the Rain!” I would also like to thank those crazy kids called A Team, Frosh Leaders, Co Ordinators and Execs for helping pull through the shit show. I can honestly say that although during the Day we struggled with the weather….at night…it was at night when the magic of this Frosh Week really happened. Records were broken all week. Especially, 9:01 It was the highest bar, quickest exits and most electro beats crushed into 3 hrs I have ever seen…..We all got pretty Chocolate wasted!!!! As we all recover from the Hangovers, the Frosh Aids & The embarrasing Hook Ups….What we are left with is amazing new friends, blurry memories and a whole year of Epic parties left @ The Wall….I’ll see you on the Dancefloor kids!!!!
