Government in Our Lives

When you hear the word "government," what is your first reaction?

On Wednesday, September 15, 25 students gathered in the living room of Stanton Hall to answer this question in the most recent session of Pondering Politics.

The students' views reflected our nation's divided views on government. While some students argued the need for government to safeguard the liberties of oppressed groups in the United States, others cited inefficiency and frustrating bureaucracy in critiquing government. The U.S. Postal Service and Bureau of Motor Vehicles received particularly low marks in the discussion.

One interesting theme taken from the discussion was the repeated association of the general concept of "government" with the federal government. Asked about this, students expressed that they did not see how local and state government influenced their lives.

Miami upperclass students Alex Schaefer and Jacob Westfall, who were present to discuss Miami's Governmental Relations Network with students, quickly interjected, sharing their experience within the network of working directly with the state government. Both cited higher education funding as one example of the state's influence on Miami students among others.

Genuinely thinking and philosophizing about government is not exactly in style these days, as we mindlessly consume the latest cable TV-molded sound bytes. However, in this program, the second installment of Pondering Politics, students were given the opportunity to meet other people, think critically, and share and further hone their opinions. We hope this continues as we move forward with this initiative.

The next Pondering Politics is scheduled as a joint "Let's Talk" dialogue with the Office of Diversity Affairs on Wednesday, September 29 at 8:30 p.m. The topic: Power and Privilege in Politics. Be sure to show up, grab some pizza, think, listen, and learn!

What is Leadership?

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” 

This pivotal quote by John Quincy Adams is pasted on nearly everything associated with Wilks.  But what does that really say about the nature of leadership?  What this quote does best is linking the idea of leadership to that of challenge.  It implies that leadership is, by nature, critically thinking and challenging others to do the same.  Anyone with a mind can do that.  This means that leadership is not exclusive to one type of person or to any singular position or title.  Leadership is the essence of challenging – the status quo, the accepted ideas, tradition, etc.  Leadership is scientific in the fact that it necessitates experimentation.  But more than that, it is creative.  Combining methodology with innovation, leadership is broadly defined and broadly applied. 

This quote, however, embodies a rather non-traditional view of leadership which tends to be much more inclusive and all encompassing.  Many people would define leadership by positions and titles.  This is traditionally what leadership is assumed to be, and in the minds of many, there is a direct correlation between leadership and title, as well as leadership and formal power (i.e. financial, political, social, etc.).  Non-traditional definitions of leadership, like John Quincy Adams’ involve power, just in a different light.   Adams’ leadership philosophy assumes that leaders have more inherent power over themselves than over others.  Because of this, true leaders influence rather than control.  This dynamic places leaders and followers on a level of equality rather than hierarchy. 

Personally, I find it amazing that leadership can be defined in such broad terms, yet, when asked what leadership is, most people point to positional leaders.  I guess that is why Wilks is here – to educate people on the different types and styles of leadership.  :)

Re-Establishing Dialogue in Our Politics

On Wednesday, September 1, sixteen Miami students gathered in the Benjamin Harrison Room in the Shriver Center for the introductory session of Pondering Politics.

After introductions and an explanation of the program's rationale, students explored the differences between dialogue and debate through a visualization exercise. Students agreed that politics today resembles a debate in which people seek to win the argument as opposed to come to a better understanding on various issues.

In addition, many of the participants stated that they felt disconnected from politics, finding it difficult to gain access to understand many of the topics discussed.

The next session of Pondering Politics is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15, in the Stanton Hall Living Room. The topic to be discussed is government and its relationship with students.