Out in Left-Centre Field

So I'm back at UWaterloo for another term of Engineering. There's assignments, labs, quizzes, term projects, co-op job applications and interviews, looming midterms -- and in my case, meetings with my supervisor (I'm an Undergraduate Research Assistant this term), events in residence and weekly practices for the UW A Cappella Ensemble.

Oh, yeah, and sleep, meals and basic hygiene in there ... somewhere. Anywhere.

So it got me thinking about demands on my life -- and by no means am I anywhere close to the busiest person I know. Take Tyler Sommers, for instance. That man is insane. (And not in the mental sense; my apologies to those who are actually insane. Moving on.)

This, in turn, had me contemplating inactivity within the CYA, usually due to people either losing interest or moving on to other commitments. You can clearly see the growing problem in the sad state of the CYA's forums. What forums, you ask? Yeah, that's the problem. Not much is going on in them because, for one "reason" or another, either existing people just aren't going there, or new people (if there are any) aren't getting pushed in the right direction.

Inactivity. Silence. Boredom. It's a vicious circle; people see that "nothing's happening", so they lose interest and wander away. At the same time, the act of wandering off in sheer ennui feeds the perception -- whether real or imagined -- that nothing's going on. That perception of stagnation is being allowed to persist, both in the refusal of members to hang on "through thick or thin" and the failure of staff to take a leadership role in stimulating activity.

First, my fellow CYA members: dealing with inactivity by adding more inactivity is about the worst way possible to deal with the actual issue. It's like trying to cure a nicotine addiction by providing more nicotine ... it just doesn't work. Anyone who walks away because "nothing's happening" is actually deepening the problems that they see by detracting from the community. It's not that people don't see the problems, they do; they just aren't trying to do anything about it.

Face it: none of our parties, candidates, and members would be here were it not for the community of the CYA bringing us together. I wish more of my colleagues among the CYA membership would have the common sense to realize that. If you're recruiting new members, all the best to you; but one of the very first things you should do is point people at both your party forums and the CYA forums.

Unfortunately, much of the current inactivity is based on something even harder to fight. Our society is fixated on the idea of instant gratification. Everything around us tells us that "If it doesn't pay off right now, move on to something else." We have come to devalue dedication and time and effort, and we think that "the best things in life are free". That's utterly false -- if you want something good like the CYA can be (and will be), you have to be prepared to work for it. Hanging around and doing nothing isn't going to bring a goal to reality. Yes, there are many who have good reasons for absence -- studies, jobs, etc. come first -- but really, there's got to be something you can do, instead of just nothing at all.

Which brings me to the CYA staff. Many of them are truly busy people and have plenty of things going on in their academic, social, and business lives. Take Tyler S., for instance: he does more than anyone else to help the CYA, both internally and externally, even amidst the multitude of other commitments on his plate. I don't fault him. I don't really fault K-Rae, either; she has legal conflicts of interest with her current employment actually preventing her from publicly helping out the CYA (which is as far as I'm going to go with that).

But where are the rest of the staff? There are so many that us, the general membership, never see, hidden away amidst the administrative "head" of the CYA. There are some that we used to see but, for some odd reason, they've faded into the proverbial woodwork.

Being a leader isn't just about doing the work behind closed doors. It's about keeping the greater whole of your organization going, it's about facilitating community and the exchange of ideas and effort for the common good. Tyler and K-Rae do that, most of the time. Unfortunately, I don't see a single one of their colleagues doing much of that, if at all. If the leaders of the CYA can't be bothered to engage and involve and interest the membership -- especially in the CYA's public forum -- then the sad day may come (and soon) when they will look behind themselves and see no one following.

"Yeah, you and what army?" "Well, they were here a moment ago ... wait a sec ..."

Don't get me wrong: I know and I acknowledge that there is work being done in the CYA to help it build up and prosper. I just can't see what it is, and I (and others) shouldn't have to chase people down and pester them to find out. And if I can't figure out what's going on, how will I feel engaged and valued and motivated to help out?

Here is my challenge to the invisible members of the CYA staff: come out of the woodwork and show the members -- that's us! -- that you care about building this community. Show us there is still something to believe in. If you're not busy doing the heavy lifting of the CYA's current initiatives (conferences, volunteers, donations, etc.), then get on the CYA forums and apply your presumably considerable talents to promote activity, debate, discussion and collaboration.

The CYA's leadership does not and can not exist in a vacuum. We're out here, and while I have no intention of leaving, many of my friends and colleagues have done just that for lack of anything to keep them going. Yes, as I put forth above, the messages of today's society have a lot to do with it; but we're willing to participate if you are. Morale goes a long way.

You want a downpour? Throw up a little dust and seed the clouds!

- Adam S.