Fall Leadership 2004 teaches life skills and raises school pride
For those who wonder where the students with so much school pride come from, they can all be found participating in the Fall Leadership program.
Fall Leadership, an annual program put on by the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, is a leadership training conference with workshops, lectures and games. It takes place the week before school starts each fall.
It is also a time for gaining Utah State University pride and building relationships.
The atmosphere was so electric at the Lundstrom Center last Friday that all the participants joined in singing the Aggie Fight song and the Scotsman without a single student shying away.
After viewing a Dave Matthew’s Band music video called “Everyday”, which focuses on one man hugging random people in the streets, all the participants stood up and began spontaneously hugging before heading into the streets for service projects.
“It’s a great way to make relationships that last the rest of your college experience,” said Student Body President Les Essig. “Those relationships are possibly the most valuable thing to take from Fall Leadership.”
The program is set up for students who are or plan to be in leadership positions throughout their academic years and life. The participants include incoming freshman, presidents and vice presidents of campus clubs, all members of Associated Students of USU, and other students interested in learning leadership skills.
Ana Hodgson, a senior majoring in animal science and the president of the Hispanic club, wanted to push herself and gain experience by attending Fall Leadership. She said she enjoyed interacting with the freshman, because she had almost forgot what it was like to be one.
“I thought it was a pretty good program, because it forced me to interact with people I normally wouldn’t,” Hodgson said.
Richard Williams, a freshman majoring in business management, came to Fall Leadership because of his job as a university ambassador, which has him recruiting students from his former high school.
“It’s kind of nice coming in as a freshman and you come into something like this and you get to meet a lot of people that you know you’ll be able to interact with throughout the year,” Williams said. “You learn leadership stuff, plus you get friends and you get comfortable before classes start.”
Fall Leadership also helps those students who might be timid when it comes to taking charge.
“I’m really shy,” said Amanda Lopez, a freshman majoring in elementary education. “It really helped me get out of my shell and learn how to be a leader and not sit back in the corner.”
This year’s Fall Leadership had the most participants of any year so far and was split into two sessions. The first session began on Monday of last week and ran until Wednesday afternoon and the second began early Thursday morning until Friday evening. Both had the same curriculum.
Tiffany Evans, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, said throughout the week of Fall Leadership there were around 240 students involved including the organizing chairs and facilitators.
“It’s been a good week,” Evans said. “I hope that the students that attended will walk away with some valuable life skills that will assist them throughout this academic year and throughout their life.”
“The student leaders and the chairs of the program did an excellent job and the student facilitators did wonderful and really made the program happen. I can’t be more pleased,” she said
“It’s always energizing, always rejuvenating and I learn a lot as well.”
-joelfeathers@cc.usu.edu