The Power of Three by Hosni Mubarak

My tenure in Baruch College has been a fluctuating experience to say the least. I went from being a self-imposed introvert mired in the depths of solitary confinement into a loud-mouthed partier who has a visible recognition throughout the campus' Student Life circle. I was recently elected to be the Vice President of Sigma Alpha Delta and one of my main prerogatives has been to intimate myself (and my Honor Society) with other acclaimed clubs and organizations throughout Student Life. I have attempted to ingratiate myself with other clubs (I will abstain from naming any of them) but I found the atmosphere to be uncomfortable and exclusive. So I decided, why not give two more organizations a chance? Namely Global Student Certificate (GSC) and Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). Before I proceed with my adventurous diatribes, I have to express my gratitude to Harb Johnson. He has been the liaison between these organizations (including Sigma) and I.

So okay, my last final (s) was on Thursday, and I had three different events to go to on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, I made the spontaneous decision to attend GSC's "hangout". Saturday was marked on my calendar for a few weeks as it was the "Sigma Christmas Party" hosted by the newly elected president, Mr. Harb himself. On Sunday I was invited by a recent acquaintance (more like a friend now) Daniel G, to hang out with ALPFA. I will summarize each of the events.

GSC "Hangout"—from my understanding, the entire objective of the GSC program was to promote a platform which allows each individual to disseminate and understand each other's cultures. They are supposed to congregate in teams of 8-10 members and research a particular region or nation. After the research is completed they would have to summarize their findings in a presentation in front of the GSC program. So when Mr. Johnson invited me, I was justifiably enthusiastic about the opportunity to mingle with these "open-minded" individuals. Here's a concise breakdown of the group's racial diversity; 3 Asians, 1 African-American, 1 African and 2 Caucasians. Out of this bunch, there were 4 men and 3 women. I was told there were other members in this group but they were not able to make the hangout. It was heterogeneity at it's finest. The group was "compelled" to hangout. They needed to personalize their relationships with one another—after all they were going to be expending an enormous amount of time with one another due to their presentation on Israel. Their first initiative was to ransack the Metropolitan Museum of Art for all its intrinsic riches. But from the moment we stepped foot into the Museum, some of the members started to lament uncontrollably. The Met is one of the many lavish artifacts of not just New York, but the entire world. Instead of cherishing this moment, certain individuals were openly dismissive to the idea of spending more than 10 minutes under this wondrous edifice. One individual was "hungry", another one was "sleepy", and another one "had a party to go to". This "hangout" was a burden on them. However certain individuals did express interest in the artwork presented, but their low-key approvals were no match for the abrasive lamentations of the more vocal members in the group. In the end, Harb relented involuntarily and we all "hung out" in a small Irish-themed bar named Kwonn's. The awkwardness did not dissipate, it only reinvigorated itself. The chatter consisted of self-righteous boasts of undeserving accolades by certain individuals, while others just nodded their heads in either approval or to act as if they were apart of the conversation at hand. It was a disaster. Harb did try his best to liven the atmosphere and he was very optimistic about the group's future endeavors. Maybe so, but from my vantage point (being a third party observer unaffiliated with the group) it was a waste of time. This is a group centralized around the dissemination of their own cultural diversity but most of them were not concerned acquainting themselves with each other, they had "busy" itineraries which were far more important.

Sigma Christmas Party—this was the party I was hyped for. The Sigma scenery was one of comfort and reliability, in which I can unwind and just be myself without reservation. I remember Harb being agitated at the increasing number of RSVP's for the party—but that was a good thing, more people, more women, more fun, right? Well, things do not always end up as expected and the turnout for the party was greatly over-estimated. About 25 people showed up, and most of them were….guys. It was a sausage-fest. I was supposed to have an escort (you can say date) to the party, but due to her scheduling conflicts (it's party season) I advised her not to distress herself by coming to the party. She had made prior reservations in another party and her priorities should have remained there. Even with the infestation of males, Harb and I livened up the party. The Sigma members loved it, they weren't stand-offish robots like the individuals I met the day before, and they were receptive to everything and anything thrown their way. I performed a free-of-charge lap dance for Sharday—that was my reimbursement for the unyielding diligence she exuded within my Committee throughout the semester. I think I more than compensated her for her efforts. I obliterated Jason in a dance-off. I danced as if I was the reincarnate of Michael Jackson and Jason was dancing as if he had a severe rectal itch. It was a no-contest. However, during my state of inebriated delirium I had the misfortune of interchanging drinks; I went from Wine to Vodka to Hennessey within a matter of minutes. Before I knew it I was at the side of a toilet puking my guts out. After shedding a definite 10 pounds I decided to partake in the party only to realize that I wasn't able to walk in a coherent manner. So I decided to lie down and rest for about 10 minutes. Next thing I know is some indefinite figure exclaiming "Hey where's the Sigma VP? Oh shit, he's lying in Harb's bathroom with a half-ripped Quran stapled to his left chest"—this quote coupled with Christofer's atrocious emulation of the Indian accent contributed to this massive headache on the right side of my skull. I did not know what to do, I wanted to conceal myself under the security of Harb's locked bathroom, but I also had an irrevocable desire to punch Christofer in the face. After all, when did the diseased offspring of Alien and Mighty Joe have the right to mock me with his forced rendition of an "Indian" accent? But I'm not a bad guy, so I allowed Chris an opportunity to expiate for his imbecility by nonchalantly slapping him with his beret. Miraculously I recovered from my state of delirium and proceeded to play the "Yankee Swap" game. At the end of the day, I received the gift that I wanted—a Barnes and Nobles gift card, so I was content with what I had won. Vlad was not. He received some shampoo that was specifically produced for women and Devin received a worthless stamp collection. All in all, this was a fun night. We maximized our limited resources (that's how we function in Sigma) and translated them into an indelible and unforgettable night.

ALPFA End of the Semester Hangout—I was invited to attend this hangout by Daniel G. He is the Vice President of ALPFA and I met him through Harb around last week. We hit it off as friends and have expended a substantial amount of time hanging out with each other over the last week. I also want to note that I joined ALPFA (meaning I paid for the National Membership) two months ago but I had yet to attend any of their events due to a combination of my own apprehensiveness and my overall unavailability. I was relatively on good terms with some of the members—Jomalier was apart of my Alumni Committee this past semester, Ariana and I had a formal conversation (who along with Harb was the main influence behind me signing up for ALPFA) and Oscar Perez stuck his head into the Sigma clubroom every now and then. The other members were nascent faces to me. We met up in the South Street Seaport and ate dinner in Cabana's—a Cuban themed restaurant. I did not want to put myself out there as much, especially on an initial acquaintance so I tried to restrain my whimsical behaviorisms and just smile when anything remotely hilarious seemed to occur. Boy, was that a failure. The members of ALPFA are engaging and they impel you to be engaging as well. Before I knew it, I downed my second Long Island Iced Tea and was speaking with a familiar tone to Janet Rodriguez (who happens to be the President) and some others. After dinner, we were hanging outside the Seaport and taking pictures next to the boats. But the problem was that Janet was taking the pictures and she was excluding herself from them—so I asked Janet if it was alright if I can take the pictures but she refused and told me to be apart of the picture. That meant a lot to me. It displayed the inherent inclusiveness that is essential in any organization. Our next destination was Artica, a small posh bar on Lexington and 26th. The place was a glorified cemetery. There was an entertaining scene though—Oscar was kicking game to these two Russian ladies, and he encouraged them to go inside and have some drinks with us. A meaningless conversation and $30 later (he claims he had ascertained the phone numbers), he was repining his decision. I played pool against Jomalier, only to be devoured on two consecutive occasions. Besides those two highlights, the place was deplorably tedious. Julia came to the rescue; she wanted to go to some remote club in the Bronx. 8 people on each car. I had the misfortune of sitting next to Daniel and Nancy—it was like a porno scene was being orchestrated to the right of my shoulder. But I maintained. We enter the club, and it's completely ghetto. Everything from the inhabitants to the dilapidated furniture reeked of the ghetto. But you know what? Appearances are delusive and are often in divergence with reality. We had a blast in the club. Everyone danced his/her ass off—especially some of the girls. We have many pictures immortalizing the events in the club, I suggest you all to check them out. Janet was even kind enough to drop me home at 5 in the morning which is an incredible gesture on her part.

In closing—it's awesome to experience a weekend of highs and lows. From the rigid mechanical demeanor of the GSC hangout to the engaging atmosphere of the ALPFA hangout, you tend to broaden your experiences and insights on human nature. You also can point out the irony in certain student organizations—members of Global Student Certificate failing to engage one another (albeit they don't know each other as well as ALPFA and Sigma, but to be dismissive to the whole concept of a team-building event is inanity at it's apex), while members of ALPFA openly embrace people that are not even Latino. In the center you have Sigma, which provides a refreshing balance between the two extremes. It was a memorable weekend for me (even the GSC experience had some added-incentive for me as I mingled with people who misrepresent the organization they represent). Essentially, this is the end of my "communicado".

Times Change by Harb P. Johnson

Hello fellow philosophers, the end is near. The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming brighter and brighter. Finals and the end of the semester are fast approaching. So while I still serve in my VP capacity, I have a few unfinished tasks to perform, one being my continuing accounting of interactions with fellow Sigma members.

For this latest edition of Sigma VP Speaks I was hoping to start off on a positive and upbeat note because recently a good friend of mine told me that my articles often start off in a not so optimistic manner. I wont say pessimistic because it is not that I conger up these types of feelings, but rather as she puts it, my natural and continual disposition of excitement and optimism is not that apparent. She said that my articles always start off as though I have the world on my shoulders and I am totally exhausted. Even though it’s true, not only for me, but many of my readers. She felt that I should begin with more optimism or rather energy. So while my intentions were to illustrate that while I am extremely busy and tired, I still must do what is expected of me and the things that will help me achieve my goals. That being said, no more comments about the overloaded schedule and the tiring effects it has on my mind, body and soul. After all, I love my life. These are the choices I made and as such I have to do the things required to the best of my ability.

Since I have already begun this article with a subtext of limited time, I would like to continue with that particular theme to talk about the effects limited time can have on those around you. While most of us are full time students, some have full time jobs and internships as well. We also cannot overlook other roles such as memberships in organizations and participation in events, projects and programs that extend from the classroom, work and memberships in various organizations. With such a full load of commitments where does that leave those people in your life that want to spend time with you?

This a difficult question to answer. On one hand, the people that want to spend time with you are most often either friends or family. A friend or family member should understand the sacrifices you must make in order to achieve some higher level beneficial not only to yourself but also ultimately to them as well. On the other hand, not spending time with your loved ones makes them feel neglected and unappreciated. At the heart of the issue, is that people are resistant to change. Everyone including us must realize that things change.

The dynamics within a particular relationship will go through several changes over time. Case in point; last semester I met and developed a pretty good relationship with one of my fellow Sigma members. She and I served on the Alumni Committee and throughout the semester we went out several times after meetings with other committee members. We always had a lot of fun and grew a little closer each time.

When the semester ended, we still remained friends. Over the summer we often chatted online and met up a few times. However, I started to feel a slow and growing change in our relationship. She started to complain about her role within Sigma and the lack of information being given to her. When the fall semester started, her complaints increased and she also became extremely argumentative. While we still occasionally chatted online, our conversations were usually very adversarial. At first I thought that she was under a lot of pressure, but I soon realized after hearing similar things from other past alumni committee members, she was upset and felt left behind because I, along with these other committee members, now became a member of the Sigma executive board and she did not. They say hindsight is 20/20, meaning once something is done and over with you can easily look back and see a situation much more clearer than when you were going through it.

At the root of all the complaints and arguing about being overlooked was the issue of the change in roles. While I and other committee members moved into positions of authority, she did not. While we were still having meetings and hanging out afterwards, she was not. Was this a deliberate intention on our part to exclude her? Certainly it was not. Was it our intention to forget about her? Certainly it was not. We were just trying to live up to our new roles and working as collective team to that end. She, while truly a great friend, was no longer a part of our new roles. I mean to a certain degree she is and always will be, but the fact that we chose to become leaders of an organization makes us accountable to the society as a whole. She does not share the same expectations that we do. In our pursuit to succeed as leaders, we formed a new type of bond built on these new roles. So while we were having meetings and going out afterwards, she was rarely in attendance. As such, she felt left out.

After realizing, or should I say understanding the change in our relationship, I confronted her with my outlook on the situation. True to an intellect, she was able to see what I saw and agreed that part of the change in her disposition was due to the change in the dynamics of our relationship. She acknowledged that she did indeed feel like she was left behind and that she may have acted unfairly with us (me and these other past committee members now on the EB). I too apologized for making her feel overlooked and explained to her that it was never intentional. We both understood what had happened, addressed it and was able to move on (read that line again, how important is it to deal with all problems/issues in our lives this way?). Our relationship is now as strong as it has ever been. In fact, in all likelihood, her role in Sigma next semester may go through similar changes as the one I had (hint, hint). Either way, we will still be friends.

Well fellow philosophers, I hope that you have heard the messages and lessons that I have intended to include. As philosophers like me and explorers seeking knowledge I am sure that there is something for everyone. And if not, maybe next time. Until then………………………..Carpe Diem