First experience at a RoKs conference!

Some members of the Communications team at RoKs

As a new member in AIESEC, I felt a little overwhelmed with what was being said at the meetings and information sessions. With all of the abbreviations and terms that are used in AIESEC you can feel out of the loop. Luckily enough, I was able to attend RoKs and not only learn so much about AIESEC, but also learn to step out of my comfort zone in order to experience new people and activities. When you attend RoKs there is a need to go out and talk to new people because of the separation the leaders try to establish. At RoKs I dreaded a few of the info sessions but the sessions were in the smaller groups and really helped teach me what AIESEC is all about. I am really glad I went to RoKs and met new people and I hope to see them all again at the next RoKs.
-Andy Hepp, Member of External Relations Team

Rowdies West Spring RoKs 2012

I’ve always thought AIESEC was a great organization and their vision, “Peace and fulfillment of Humankind’s potential,” made an outstanding impression on me when I first read it. The fact that I’m interested in global awareness is what brought me to AIESEC in the first place, but having become a member, it now means a lot more to me. Before attending a Rowdies West RoKs conference, AIESEC was just another organization with meetings a few times a month. Being a Newbie last semester, RoKs was so eye-opening. I just attended my second RoKs conference last weekend and had a completely different experience. Learning in-depth knowledge about my track was awesome because we can start implementing everything and making positive changes at Eau Claire. My favorite quote I took back from this conference was, “Never regret anything, because at one time it was exactly what you wanted.” AIESEC has become more real to me and I feel a part of something huge now. Something that’s changing lives across the globe and making the world a better place one step at a time. Now these weekly meetings feel like meetings that can create drastic, but positive, changes for millions of people. I am proud to be an AIESECer!!
-Danielle Decock, member of External Relations Team

Kallie's Russian Adventures

FYI for everyone interested in following up on Kallie's travels in Russia this summer--her blog is: http://kallieinrussia.blogspot.com/. Hope everyone has a marvelous summer! Ciao.

OGX Hookah Event Extravanganza

(Brianna and a potential intern's first hit off of a hookah!)

The hookah recruitment event last Thursday turned out to be a success! Hooray...three cheers for India for creating such a sublime invention! Students grouped around the campus mall to smoke tobacco-free shisha made from tea leaves, enjoy some ethnic music, and gain a perspective of the life-changing opportunities AIESEC has to offer. Even though the weather was a bit murky with slight drizzle action, many people stopped by. We had to close down early due to a potential storm headed our way from Menominee, but all in all 39 people signed up for interview emails. What's even more promising is that 5 people have actually signed up for a designated interview time. Kudos to everyone who was involved! A successive hookah day is to be scheduled the week following spring break to maintain the buzz and possibly recruit new members for next semester.

Beginning of Jake's LCP Election Speech

Sorry...this is only the beginning...my camera ran out of battery power.

MAJOR CHANGES!

For those of you out of the loop, a couple of tremendous changes took place at the past GMM.

First off...we now have a new faculty advisor-Dr. Julia Pennington. She is more than qualified for overseeing our AIESEC chapter on account of her background in International Business and having traveled to over 50 countries. She now teaches International Marketing here in UWEC and has taken a keen interest in us, so let's all be sure to make her feel welcomed!

Secondly...the new election process was put into effect. From now on we'll be handling things the way they do on the national level and holding LCP elections at the end of first semester, so that the new year-long term will be start in January. This also entitles a new voting system. After each candidate presents a short speech, teams will separate to discuss possible questions to pose. Post Q&A, teams regroup to collectively vote. The twist is that each candidate can earn either a 2 (highly confidant), 1 (moderately so), or 0 (hell no!). The LCP, a random VP, and a random GM then tally the votes, and in case of a tie, the current LCP chooses. All of this is confidential of course, so as not to raise any drama. For a grand finale, the new LCP is declared by having a cup of water poured over his or her head.

Last but not least, our new LCP elect is.......Jake Hammes! He'll run the show for a short term from May 2010-January, so as a whole let's lend our support. The decision was a tough one, but I believe that Jake's experience compared to the other candidate, Eric Larson, was what pulled him through. The three main points he made as to what he'd like to see occur in AIESEC Eau Claire were transparency, sustainability, and growth. In addition to these goals, he aims at creating an identifiable culture within our chapter, as well as raising our status to the top 5 in the nation. These are major ambitions, but they aren't to be confused with the impossible. One attributable quality Jake has is charisma, which is a critical factor in being a motivating leader. If we work as a team, and hold him accountable for his communication skills, I think these goals can be accomplished!

Cinco De Mayo Volunteering

HEY AIESEC EAU CLAIRE...A fabulous opportunity has arisen. For those of you who would like to not only feel great about yourself for benevolently donating your time volunteering, but also celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the Twin Cities, help is needed! Megan Buehl, Ashley Ohearn, Brianna Niemi, and anyone else who's interested will be teaming up with @ St. Cloud and Minneapolis to be a few of the 300+ dedicated volunteers that make the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta a success. Service options include stage set-up, fiesta preparation, traffic management, parade assembly, parking attendants, greeters, salsa tasting, and many more. The date to keep in mind is Saturday, May 8th during the 3-6pm shift. The rest of the time is yours to spend having a jolly good time. The plan is to carpool there and back for the weekend; houses will be arranged for people to stay at, so there's no need to worry about hotel costs. Make sure to email Brianna Niemi ASAP at niemibr@uwec.edu if intrigued by this incredible offer; include your t-shirt size. It'll be a blast guaranteed!