Thursday, September 6, 2001

Losing Pieces
Three chairpersons were dismissed from Programming Council because they failed to meet academic standards. The organization acknowledges that time demands can be overwhelming.
By Kristin Delorantis
Staff Reporter

Programming Council recently filled two of three chairperson positions left vacant by members who failed to meet academic standards.

The two current PC members were appointed to lead the Family Weekend and Special Events committees. The head post of the Concerts committee remains unfilled. PC Vice President Sara Komenda said several students were forced to resign this summer when they failed to maintain the minimum GPA.

Komenda said there are no hard feelings and the students are still members of the organization. She said it is common for PC to lose chairpersons over the summer because of the time and energy demanded by the positions. Sometimes, she said, grades suffer as a result of those demands.

“It takes a lot of involvement,” Komenda said. “(Chairpersons) put a lot of constant time and effort into what they are doing and they want to make sure they are the best they can be. They want all that time to be worth their while.”

Christine Schmidt, a sophomore speech pathology and Spanish major, is now the Interim Family Weekend chairperson and Paige Thurmond, a sophomore speech communication major, is the Special Events chairperson.

Patrick Crocker, a junior psychology major, was appointed to fill the position of Concert chairperson but resigned last Wednesday.

Crocker said the position calls for a lot of responsibility and he could not dedicate the time needed to make a good chairperson because of involvement in other activities.

“There are some people on the council who give 100 percent and there are some people who don’t have that mentality, and it causes problems,” Crocker said. “I was not giving it my all and chose to move over and let someone else give it the attention it deserved.”

PC chairpersons are required to attend executive meetings, schedule and take part in PC events and head up and plan committee meetings, Komenda said.

Fine Arts chairperson Brad Thompson said leading a committee is a large time commitment.

“It is great but also frustrating at times,” Thompson said. “Nothing is handed to you and you have to fight for everything you want to happen.”

Komenda said PC is still looking for a person to serve as Concert chairperson. She said the post requires organization, communication and time management skills.

Komenda said PC is not suffering without a current Concert chairperson.

“We support each other, so there is always backup,” Komenda said. “Of course, there is a point where that backup will no longer be effective, but I have no doubt that we are going to have a successful semester.”

Kristin Delorantis
k.a.delorantis@student.tcu.edu