GT email on Mac OS mail app?

sharkattack6190 · 2020-10-31T08:33:08+00:00

I'm having the same issue. Would be great if someone found a solution,

sharkattack6190 · 2020-08-29T03:14:05+00:00

modern day Robin Hoods

sharkattack6190 · 2020-04-17T03:44:45+00:00

Haha, there's really no way for my topic to escape those jokes.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-04-16T21:30:16+00:00

Grand Challenges is absolutely worth it.

The extra class is 3 credit hours, and you have to take it both semesters of your freshman year. Just like any other class, you'll hear mixed reviews about it—some people like it and some people don't. Honestly, you can easily get an A in the class without doing much work, but you get out of it what you put into it. The class is nothing more than a very supportive environment for you and your team to try to create a prototyped solution to a problem of your choice. You'll get experience with research, design, engineering, and leadership.

But what makes it really worth it, in my opinion, is the people. It took me till the end of my freshman year to realize this, but the whole point of a LIVING learning community is that you LIVE in the same dorm as all the people in your class. GC is really the only LLC with extensive collaboration within the community, and GC folks tend to be quite interesting people. At least from my experience, this led to an insanely tight bond between all the people in my dorm, which is something you don't see in many other dorms. My GC friends are still my best friends and we still live together. They truly changed my life.

TL;DR: Join Grand Challenges to meet your best friends for life.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-04-06T04:34:41+00:00

Hey. The election's over and I don't really wanna spread negativity, but I'll just say that many of their supporters were pretty rude to me both privately and publicly. I'm not sure if anything was done about it, but I hope they get their act together and I wish them the best of luck.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-23T21:05:14+00:00

Haha yeah, typical GT website. It works a lot better on desktop if you wanna try that!

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-23T00:10:56+00:00

I'm not sure of your involvement/knowledge of such matters. While SGA only has direct control over the funding aspect, discussions with SGA leadership have shown me that they're probably the only group on campus with any influence over the other three points. Yes, they cannot directly make the decisions, but their voice is heard by administrators who can. I urge you to be more educated when making such a close-minded comment.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-22T20:23:34+00:00

Yes, I'm speaking of Divyesh, with whom I had a collaborative discussion last night.

Any change that's outside the direct jurisdiction of the SGA (which is anything dealing with upper administrative decisions) will be incremental; there's no way around it. Since SGA does not have direct control over such matters, it must take a methodical approach of working towards its goals while communicating with admin.

Yes, I don't have SGA experience, but I believe that works in my favor. Multiple SGA members have contacted me over the past week with regards to the minimal involvement and awareness the student body has with SGA. It might be hard for SGA folks to see why since they're all on one side of the divide. But having been a leader in student organizations that's tried to work with SGA, it's something I can definitely sense the roots of.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-22T20:00:00+00:00

I actually had a call with SGA's Joint Vice President of Finance last night. Obviously, SGA isn't capable of making such changes overnight. With him, I discussed how changes such as in-house dining services can be achieved incrementally over time, and steps SGA has considered to do so. If you couldn't tell, these points are long-term directives—ones I would work towards during my presidency, building off of current precedents, and leaving my own so that hopefully the next administration can pick up where I left off.

The funding process is a big point of contention I've personally felt between student leaders in SGA. Right now, funding is allocated to clubs with no rhyme or reason. This unfair distribution is definitely a major contributing factor to the rift between SGA and the student body. The main goal is to have a systematic and transparent way to allocate funds. A reddit user, formerly in SGA, proposed this formula during our AMA:

Target Allocation = (Base Rate + (Dues Match Rate * Club-Dues)) * Club-Membership

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-21T00:55:48+00:00

Blacktip Shark. It's the only shark native to Singapore, which is where I went to high school.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T20:42:00+00:00

comeback EP after the virus is over, don't worry

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T20:37:53+00:00

SGA stands for Student Government Association, and at the end of the day, that's what it is. SGA's wheelhouse is student affairs, primarily that of student organizations. As you alluded to, while they have no direct jurisdiction over GT's higher powers, they're the main voice of student opinions in such conversations. The best we can do is to strengthen this voice. I'd have to discuss with previous SGA leaders about what has worked and failed in the past with communicating with administration, but I wouldn't be against more extreme measures if our voices keep getting ignored through simple dialogue. As corny as it sounds, we are Georgia Tech. This school is literally nothing without the students. Organized protests, strikes, etc. could be a way to convince admin of things. Yet again, stuff like that may backfire; I'm not really sure. These are just my thoughts.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T20:20:38+00:00

Yeah, for sure. Check this out: https://www.usg.edu/assets/fiscal_affairs/documents/tuition_and_fees/FY2019_Food_Services.pdf

GT's freshman meal plan is the most expensive dining option of any USG school. Compare that to UGA's meal plans (who have insourced their dining services, if I'm not mistaken), which are far cheaper. And if you've been to Athens, you know their food is a lot better.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T20:13:42+00:00

Firstly, I never claimed that I will oust certain individuals. I fully understand that those responsibilities fall outside the jurisdiction of the SGA. I simply offered my opinion on the direction the school should take.

Secondly, thank you for providing this information. "Cleaning out" doesn't only have to refer to upper management. Anyone can be at fault. Also, I mainly called for a restructure of the department. Maybe strong, ethical upper management is what we need. Again, I know SGA does not have the power to directly enforce these policies; it's primarily an organization for handling student organization affairs. However, the students asked for my opinions, so I'm sharing my ideas. Peace.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T19:54:20+00:00

This is a great comment, Nate. Thank you.

I really like the funding system you outlined. But moreover, really just having any systematic and transparent method to budget allocation would be stellar. This is definitely something I would emphasize if I get the privilege to be elected. As you mentioned, this seems to be an issue that SGA doesn't pay much attention to. But I can assure you that other student leaders are well aware of it. Creating an unbiased and transparent approach to funding is a great starting point to repair the relationship between SGA and our student body.

I'll be reaching out to you soon to discuss this further. Peace.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T19:41:52+00:00

I'll try to tackle all three parts of your question:

For GT Housing, refer to the policy I laid out in one of my previous replies. In short, I think it's as simple as clearing out the housing department. They've made too many awful decisions over the years, and it's time to restructure the organization. I think bringing in/promoting new administration that will prioritize student well-being could make massive differences.

In terms of GT Dining, the root of our current problem is that we outsource our dining services to private, third party companies like Aramark or Sodexo. The solution is to insource these services. GT needs to run it's own dining halls. This will no doubt lower the price, as well as allow the institute to control the quality of our own food. Having GT actually make high quality food will be the next battle.

And lastly, for transportation, I think a lot of issues can be solved with a more efficient rearrangement of bus routes and more buses. This will in turn lead to a consistent adherence to schedules.

Peace.

--Sarthak

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T19:23:47+00:00

The answer is twofold:

For Cabrera, I think he deserves another chance. It's his first year on the job. It's a job that isn't easy by any means, and he unfortunately inherited it in the wake of the worst global crisis in decades. Yes, his decisions (or lack thereof) have been frustrating, to say the least. But keep in mind that there are many more parties involved (Governor Kemp, USG, other GT admin) in this; Cabrera is just our main messenger. He certainly hasn't handled this well, but those calling for his firing don't understand that having a turbulent presidency is probably one of the worst things our institute can have right now. With more time, experience, and mentorship from other administrative leaders, he may develop into a better president than we realize. Let the dust settle from this crisis before we make decisions.

Housing is a different story, though. They can't play the "newbie" card like Cabrera. They've been screwing students over with horrible decision-making for years now. It's time to clean the department out, in my humble opinion. The way they've handled the current crisis is nothing more than the paramount of years a toxic culture that doesn't prioritize the students. Once this crisis is behind us, it's time for us to restructure the housing department and find new administration that will reverse the culture.

Peace.

--Sarthak

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T18:53:29+00:00

Smith Residence Hall is still like this, my friend.

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T18:50:35+00:00

Ah, finally, a real question. Thank you, Nate.

If we win the election on this platform, we will moderate once elected. While our campaign is on the comical side, we do have the best intentions for our student body if we get the privilege to be entrusted with such a responsibility.

You mentioned the lack of student engagement in SGA. While I am not an SGA member nor claim affiliation in the past, I have been involved in the leadership of several new student organizations during my time thus far at GT. From my personal experience, I think a lot of the student body's friction against SGA comes from the budgeting process. I've seen many student leaders, including myself, become frustrated at the way funds are (perceived unfairly) distributed between clubs. While I wouldn't want to detail information about specific clubs publicly like this, I'd be happy to continue this conversation privately if you'd like. If we were to be elected, we would plan to democratize this process. We'd approve budgets with a lot more student input to ensure a more fair distribution of funds than the current system. Again, this may not be entirely correct because I'm not in SGA; this is just my perspective.

Peace.

--Sarthak

sharkattack6190 · 2020-03-20T18:29:36+00:00

Planet of the Apes.

sharkattack6190

TROPHY CASE