New Beginnings

Tomorrow will be the first time in 3 years that I will not be welcoming a new class of students to Sixth College at UC San Diego. I miss my friends, my co-workers and my students. But change is a part of life and I know that the students of Sixth College have an amazing group of people who will be there to help them, support them, teach them, help them grow and help them build long lasting and meaningful relationships.

For the RA staff that will welcome folks into Camp Snoopy and the Sixth College Apartments, I just want to say I miss y'all. But below is a reminder that this new year brings new opportunities. Opportunities for greatness that you all will seize. You all have so much potential and greatness inside of all of you and more importantly you all have the tools and personality to be an outstanding TEAM. Don't forget that. Below is the message I left you all with last May. I still mean every word.

Willing of the Halls is a very important ritual at Sixth because it recognizes the contributions of the past while also celebrating the potential of the future. It’s the passing of the torch from one person to another. It’s not just about passing on a building or some gifts, it’s about welcoming people into a Sixth College Res Life family and passing on the responsibility and the mantle of representing that family. 

Once your part of this family your part of it forever. Wether you know it or not the contributions of the hundred or so RAs who have been part of Sixth Res Life are in this room with us right now. At Sixth we don’t fear change because no one individual’s presence or effort is more important than the next. We value each other individually but we understand that only together can we serve something bigger than ourselves.

With that being said I want to announce that next year I will not be returning as an Assistant Resident Dean for Sixth College. I’ll be taking the position of Assistant Director of New Student Orientation and Family Programs at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Some of you might be wondering what this exactly means or who will be replacing me. We don’t know that yet. But what I do know is that Marciano and Tony will do there best to find someone who values the things that make Sixth College great and will be a boss that you can count on to work hard for you and your students.

On a personal note I want to say that this change, while exciting, also makes me sad because I’ve grown attached to many of you who are returning and many of you who are joining our family next year. For those of you who I haven’t been as close to I am bummed out because I won’t be able to better know you and watch you reach your full potential. 

But like I said before, just because I am leaving doesn’t mean I still don’t belong to this family. I will still be a call, email or Facebook message away and I care enough about you all and this place that I’ll always be there for you. Don’t think of it as losing an ARD, think of it as gaining another one (probably a better one).

Lastly, I want to say something to all of you, but especially to those of you who know me well. Make me proud. Work hard. Celebrate change and don’t fear it or bemoan it. Remember that you always represent something bigger than yourself and that you can’t accomplish anything without the help and support of each other. All of life and it’s history has brought you to this moment. Wether you think it’s fate or just random occurrences think about all the things that had to happen to bring you together into this room. So enjoy it, value it, and take care of each other. 

Depositing Rolls of Change...

Recently I ran into some financial trouble and I realized that I was going to have to deposit rolls of change in order to make sure some checks didn't bounce. There are few things in this world more embarrassing than having to deposit rolls of change at a bank.

First off, you are forced to get into a line where people are making legitimate financial and business transactions. Meanwhile you have a deposit slip in one hand and 18 dollars worth of quarters, nickels and dimes in another. You're literally holding your shame in your hands and everyone else in line can see it. Nobody in any kind of good financial standing stands in line at the bank with 14 dollars worth of change. That whole Coin-Star thing was built around the simple fact that people were so ashamed about depositing change that they would rather have a machine charge them than take it to a bank teller.

Second, when you finally make it to the teller you have to plop down the rolls of change, and it makes that loud clunky sound. It's the sounds of change and desperation. You just have this unrelenting sense of shame. You know that the teller is just judging you as they ask you how they can help you. "Hello sir, how can I help you? Oh I see that you're depositing 7 dollars in change. I am sure this is in no way a reflection on your ability to manage money...you loser!"

Here is why dealing with the teller is so embarrassing. It's one thing for you to know that you're broke and being forced to deposit change, that's embarrassing and shameful enough. But in a few short moments - the teller is going to see exactly how broke you are too! Even if the teller is a wonderful person who has convinced themselves that you're not a broke loser they have to deposit the money into your account and that's when they see that you're deposit of 20 dollars worth of quarters is increasing your balance by 200 percent.

Depositing rolls of change is really just sad. I know because I am forced to do it atleast twice a year. So lets hope that someday in the future they will have some kind of anonymous backroom in the bank that people like me can slink into. This backroom can have some kind of coin counting machine where I can deposit my rolls of change and try to hide my shame from the rest of the bank customers. Now that makes cents.