dillondoyle

Vacation. Evidently, according to DU, I am on one. Whilst I sit...

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:17:00 -0700

Vacation. Evidently, according to DU, I am on one.

Whilst I sit here on my couch taking a break from work to update my blog, I decided to take a mental vacation.

I have made the choice to work for what I believe in, and to work towards what I know I can accomplish. To be honest, I am mentally wavering on my path. But hey, I guess that’s what a quarter-life crisis is for.

I have recently been finding myself freaking out about what the fuck I am doing with my life, and the never ceasing could of’s (I could have been more effective here, I could of made a greater difference if I did this).

In times of uneasy and unrelenting mind-crisis’ I find that attempting to fully grasp and understand my privileges and accomplishments helps quell the crazy.

For instance I am about to embark on a mind vacation. You may join if you wish, there is a provided audio guide and photos for visual stimulation.

Peru

Once upon a time I went to Peru in high school. It was fantastic and a great privilege. I took photos and learned a lot. Sometimes I feel that I have missed a unique opportunity by choosing not to study abroad, but then I realize the great impact I have by choosing to stay here. I also realize that I have been incredibly lucky to have been able to travel more than most people. On these journeys I have learned a lot. Also, even though I am not studying abroad, I get to travel far more than than your average world citizen.

Everyday I make a difference. Everyday I learn something new. Tomorrow I can do better. Tomorrow I will do more. In this, my quarter-life crisis, I will shape my future forever.

My Meeting With Chancellor Coombe

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:29:00 -0700

After a great showing of student support, I had a meeting with Chancellor Coombe to discuss our ban bottled water initiative. My first goal and objective is to stop giving mass amounts of plastic bottles with our logo on it for free; We give the water to prospective tours, which totaled a little under 5,300 people last year! I think it is ridiculous that we give out that much for free, especially considering that most of the bottles end up in landfills.

I propose that we spend the extra money and give out a reusable bottle, such as a Nalgene or Klean Kanteen. If we slap a DU logo on them, the great advertising and PR will easily pay for the extra cost. Just think of all the prospective students using their DU bottle at their high schools. By showcasing our commitment to sustainability in this way, we are spreading our message and a good cause to thousands of students a year. We will further transform our school and our brand whilst saving the world. We are Pioneers, and we are pioneering a greener future.

On a different note I thought I would share some quick thoughts on the Chancellor. While I think overall the Chancellor does a great job, I think his interactions with students, the constituents, could be a lot stronger. A lot of students view the Chancellor as a top down authority figure, which he is. Disregarding the complicated relationship with the Board of Trustees the Chancellor’s word is law. Despite the Chancellor’s views on the role of his office, students perceive the Chancellor as someone who can and should make decisions.

When I framed the 500 students who supported our movement (in five short days!) as seeing the Chancellor in an authoritative leadership position, Chancellor Coombe responded saying he was not a top down leader, which is true. Chancellor Coombe in my short tenure at DU has delegated decisions and other affairs to panels, subordinates, committees, and councils. While this is great for those that know how to navigate the system, I can guarantee most students don’t know that Tom Willoughby is in charge of the purchasing of bottle water for admissions. To Chancellor Coombe’s credit, he seems to think this is a better representation of students; he doesn’t want to be a dictatorial leader. The problem is this stifles students far more than it helps them. The complicated system of our school suppresses students and makes those that have figured out how to navigate the long and winding path to implementation frustrated.

Students are seeking a voice. Students don’t know how to express their concerns, or who to express them to. With a complicated and arduous bureaucracy students have a hard time making change. If you ask any involved student on campus that has done something really cool for the student body, whether it be Bike Sharing or Explore Denver, they did it with a lot more pain and work than should be necessary. I think students are seeking one person who will serve as a decision maker. Someone who they know can have the answers to their questions, someone with the authority to make change. For most students this person is Chancellor Coombe.

This is where I feel the great disconnect comes into play. For if students think Chancellor Coombe is the decision maker at our school, and Chancellor Coombe doesn’t view himself in that role, how are students able to express themselves and navigate our schools bureaucracy.

This seeming sea of red tape can easily be vanquished with an authoritative figure who will listen to students concerns and ideas, and honestly and openly respond to them with an answer.

It is my hope that we can forge a new relationship with our administration and Chancellor Coombe. We can create an easy to understand environment where students have an outlet to express their concerns to someone who has the autonomy and clout to make important decisions. I see Chancellor Coombe in this role, and I am sure many of you do too.

I propose that we as students further organize in order to seek a strong voice. Together in action we can accomplish what we seek.

How do you best feel we can accomplish this? Do you think a quarterly student meeting organized by the student government where Chancellor Coombe listened to our requests and responded with a yes or no is the answer? Do you think rather than a coordinated quarterly event the solution lies in Chancellor Coombe’s willingness to make executive decisions? How do you think we can reduce the red tape of our University and better make student opinions and concerns heard? Let me know at the Bull Sheet.

By organizing and expressing our concerns, we can forge a new path where student engagement and activism is easy and effective. Lead the movement and make yourself heard.

My final audio project. Got to make whatever I wanted, so I...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:15:30 -0700

My final audio project. Got to make whatever I wanted, so I threw some slam poetry that moved me on top of a beat. What would you throw a rock for? I may not be a womyn, but I AM a feminist.

“This is for You” by Chico Speaks Out - Excuse the poor audio quality.

Make Sure To Check Out JMac Halloween Tonight!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:34:42 -0600

Make Sure To Check Out JMac Halloween Tonight!

Social Justice in Action :: My Trip To New Orleans

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:02:27 -0600

This weekend I was asked by a very smart and dedicated union organizer “what drives you”. I was taken aback. This seemingly simple question had so many answers, yet so few came to mind. Trying not to sound like a beauty queen (sorry Mrs. Colorado), I responded that I am driven to have influence for the good. What I was trying to get at is this seemingly tense relationship between politics, power, and social justice organizing that sums up my life at the moment.

I feel I have a great internal motivating factor which I think is characterized by the following (which BTW are some of the wisest words ever uttered): it is both the duty and responsibility of the world’s fortunate few to help fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the unfortunate many.

It is in this, acknowledging and working within my privilege, that I work everyday to better my community. It is also in this that I often struggle with my identity. Am I a social justice organizer? Am I a politician? Do I serve to gain power and influence for purely personal fulfillment and if so is that social justice when used for the betterment of others? These questions, the ones that will decide my future career, are ones I am currently struggling with.

In this search for influence I have made a personal (yet seemingly impossible) goal of seeking to work with not for. That is, I do not work to bridge the education gap for children of less socio-economic privilege. I do not fight everyday to bring equality for those who have been oppressed. All too often philanthropy centers around helping “them” which serves to further engrain our dichotic social structure of haves and have nots. To me, social justice is working with. Working together we are strong. Not only do I hold this worldview, but I feel like it is absolutely necessary to attain what we so profess. For together in action we can alter the path of history, and united we shall stand to fight for what is right.

It is here where I struggle. In my mind, a lot of what I do and how I live my life is justified through principles of a sort of modified social justice utilitarianism. Within this worldview I can maintain and work to increase my privilege because with more influence comes more power to affect change, which is my ultimate goal. Whether it be through politics, which seems to be my current path, or through other forms of business and organizing I tread a precarious and unknown path. If I am striving to work with not for, how can I truly do that when I hold a position of power or privilege. Is it possible to work with while not having directly experienced the conditions in which I work to improve?

I say absolutely yes with one simple word: empathy.

Empathy is the most admirable trait I see in others, and it is something I am constantly striving to achieve. While often times hard, if not impossible to fully put myself in ones shoes, it is through empathetic thought that my perplexing contradiction is resolved. It is with compassion and empathy that my actions are driven and it is through seeking to act as compassionately with as much empathy as possibly that I work to create change for the better.

Oh, and by the way. I just bought a $7 “organic” snack pack on my plane ride. Not only was everything individually wrapped, the inside of the box had what I would describe as a tirade preaching values of sustainability as social justice. Funny how my business class seat, with its ample legroom, $7 snack is at least according to United contributing to the greater good. Now is that the greater good of the shareholders? Or did my flight help contribute to social justice for the children laborers who helped sew my seats fabric? Was it helping contribute to the social justice of the massive and hazardous oil conglomerates who have systematically helped kill millions in wars of genocide and conflict over resources? Or better yet did my flight help the hundreds of millions who are going to be displaced by rising sea-levels due to my emissions, the billions who already have lack of freshwater who will be forced into conflict over ever decreasing water resources stemming from my injection of CO2 directly into the atmosphere, and every one else whose existence stands on the brink of immutable disaster because of my overconsumption of precious resources?

It is in this guilt that I live; with a wonderful and productive weekend I have helped lay the groundwork for better working conditions, wages, and benefits for over 100,000 service industry workers, an often times ignored and outcasted working group. I have in my mind made the right choice for the greater good (I also bought arguably ineffective carbon offsets). When presented with a choice I strive to do what is best under the circumstances of the day. By acknowledging my privilege and working to analyze my actions I am able to continue to fight for what I believe in, in the most effective and powerful way I can. I truly am seeking to have influence for the good. If that means having to work within the constraints of a broken society fine. I just hope that I have and will continue to do all I can to fix it.

Two great events I helped plan coming up next week! Explore...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:59:16 -0600

Explore Denver launch party!

Student Leadership Training Conference

Two great events I helped plan coming up next week!

Explore Denver Launch Party at the Denver Art Museum. DU Explore Denver is having a private showing and dinner! Tickets available now for $5.

SLTC, the University of Denver Student Leadership Training Conference is on Friday October 9th! RSVP online at http://dillondoyle.com/soc/

Bike Library Launch!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:10:00 -0600

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

http://dillondoyle.com/files/dillondoyle.bikepressrelease.pdf

—

On this day, Thursday September 24th, DU students have once again developed a new frontier where the convergence of student engagement and sustainable solutions help solve the problems of our day.

DU students truly are pioneering a greener future.

The DU Bike Library allows DU students to borrow a bike for free, giving students a simple and easy to use alternative to transportation by car. There are twenty bikes on campus: ten are stationed at Centennial Halls and ten are stationed at the Nelson/ Nagel bike rack. This unique system will be integrated with the greater Denver Bike Sharing initiative scheduled to launch on Earth Day 2010. Eventually the bikes will be part of a kiosk system where students and Denverites can take advantage of over 150 stations and 258 miles of bike paths throughout the city of Denver.

With over 300 days of sunshine, Colorado and the University of Denver are great locations for such an innovative program.

As with all tough issues, global climate change doesn’t have an easy and obvious solution. That is why students at DU work everyday to reduce their impact and to make a difference by enabling easy-to-use and sustainable alternatives to become more accessible to the greater community.

By pioneering solutions for the problems we face, students at the University of Denver have once again altered the [bike] path of history.

—

Dillon Doyle - University of Denver USG Senator, Community Activist, Pioneer. The University of Denver Bike Library Sharing program has launched in Denver!

—

Links (updated as they come in)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08SELScHNoM http://www.du.edu/today/stories/2009/09/2009-09-22bikes.html http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13415672

A New Frontier

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:08:28 -0600

I believe in the bright light of hope and possibility emitted by this University. The light that shines even in the darkest of times. More importantly, I know what we can achieve if we work together. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it, and I know we can DU it.

With new beginnings come new opportunities. I have always loved the atmosphere that comes with the first weeks of a new school year. I can feel the electricity, the ambition, and the dreams. Dreams are powerful and we all dream for a better tomorrow; dreams and hopes for something better is what drives me to live my life working towards that tomorrow.

While at times seemingly naive, I know that ideals of infinite possibility serve as a beacon of hope for a brighter future.

Some of the best changes are the easiest to make. As a University, we must challenge prejudice whenever it rears its ugly head. We must go out of our way to include those who may not feel included. We must work to use the great privilege and opportunity of education to better our surroundings. We must live compassionately and embrace empathy.

Together in action, we as students of this auspicious University can alter the path of history.

We must come together today - together in spirit we are unstoppable. Without the autonomy of our voices and the unity of our aspirations we will not succeed in attaining what we seek. We must join the time of tomorrow and the past.

Where’s our voice? Where’s our integrity? Where’s our new frontier?

Now is our time, our place. We must act swiftly. Together, in solidarity, we can aspire to that new frontier. One in which student opinion is not only valued, but sought after. A frontier where we as a student body shall make a fundamental shift towards acceptance, maturity, and empathy. An environment which endows us with the tools needed to establish the foundations of our future. A milieu in which it is not acceptable to frame our body as one which relies on stories of intoxication as frameworks for understanding and unity.

I believe the best way to preserve our democracy is to take part in it. Pick that low hanging fruit and do the little things that make a big difference.

So I ask you, what are you du’ing about it?

Save The Dates!

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:09:16 -0600

The following are some of the more awesome upcoming events that I am planning!

Sustainability Thursday Sep 24th, 1-4p, Nagel Hall - First Annual DU Bike Day! Try out the new bike library, get free t-shirts, Campus Cycles will be there showing you how to fix your bike!

Thursday Sep 24th, 8p, Nagel Hall - DU Bike Day night ride! Wear your glow in the dark clothing as it is time for a night ride!

DU Dems Sunday Sep 20th, 7:30p Driscoll 1864 - DU Dems! First meeting of the year, Rep. Kagan will be in attendance.

Saturday Sep 26th, 4p Nelson patio - Denver Democrats and DU Dems BBQ. Free food for DU Students, local politicos will be there. Get to know Dems in the city!

Explore Denver Thursday October 8th - Explore Denver Launch Party at the Denver Art Museum! Free food, good times, and of course a special surprise! Keep your ears open for more info!

Random Friday October 9th - SLTC. This year the student Leadership Training Conference is in the fall top better prepare you for the year. Get excited!

Of course there will be a lot more to come, but if you put the above in your cal now that would be fantastic!

Public Goals for the Student Government 2009/2010 School Year

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:18:01 -0600

Public Goals for the Student Government 2009/2010 School Year:

I have a few goals to accomplish on campus this year. A lot of them are already started, or shall be complete soon enough. But this serves as a good start for collaboration and effort! I have a bunch more “not public” goals, and many of you know about them. Hopefully I can get a lot accomplished this year.

As of now, I have accomplished a lot of my major goals for the year (there where a lot of things I didn’t put on that list because they where complete!).

What I am trying to imply with that is what would you like to see? Is there something you are really passionate about, or something that is in dire need of change or implementation? Let me know!?

I don’t really know why I find this so funny. Would it be...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:37:00 -0600

I don’t really know why I find this so funny. Would it be as funny if they spoke English in the video? I am not sure. Perhaps what I perceive as “foreign” helps make it funnier, which is perhaps a manifestation of a deep rooted bias.

Nonetheless that shit was funny!

Petition To Strengthen ACES In The Senate

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:04:00 -0600

Petition To Strengthen ACES In The Senate

"The generalised mistrust of all things progressive or futuristic has created an equally generalised,..."

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:03:21 -0600

“The generalised mistrust of all things progressive or futuristic has created an equally generalised, and almost equally zealous acceptance of slippery slopes, thin ends of wedges and a head-shaking, tooth-sucking belief that any step towards the unknown is inevitably a step towards the bad.”

- Carol Sarler

Among a billion other things I did on my last full day in DC, I...

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:38:00 -0600

Among a billion other things I did on my last full day in DC, I participated in an action in the Hart building where we came together to show our support for a stronger ACES bill in the Senate (or whatever the Senate will call its version). Of course this happened after I took off my suit jacket and pulled on a t-shirt (I had meetings with LA’s in the morning)!

Pushing for a much stronger bill than the one the House recently passed, many of us want a few things.

We want a stronger bill; the IPCC says we need to reduce our emissions to 25-40% less co2 than pre 1990 levels. The ACES Bill sits way less than 25%, let alone 40%. According to conservative estimates based on our current path, we are already moving to reduce to levels around what the ACES Bill mandates without pressure from our Government;

I completely agree that we need to do a lot more in terms expressing our Democratic voices through our everyday purchases, and I vote everyday by choosing to not drink bottled water, to buy organic and local, and to generally conserve and reuse. I do so with ability and privilege; I can afford more expensive local organic food; I do not have to work all day, so I have the ability to venture to more sustainable outlets during business hours whereas many are relegated to the 24hr Walmart. I have had the great great privilege to have a wonderful education, and to know of my impact on the earth, and thus my relative impact on others. Others are not so fortunate.

Until we mandate cleaner power generation and higher fuel standards, our voices will only be so strong. There will always be a certain market force striving for the lowest cost, no matter the products extreme negative consequences because there are those that are unable or unwilling to pay a slightly higher price. The current amount of HUGE subsidies granted towards inherently flawed and polluting technologies further distorts the market further distorting these extremes in cost.

With the power to mandate change to save lives, we can enact stronger legislation; We can avert disaster, and extricate millions from certain displacement and war.

Two hours without internet. That surprisingly painful time...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:06:00 -0600

Two hours without internet.

That surprisingly painful time occurred this past Friday; I was working a 12 hour shift at my front desk when it happened. At approximately 11:30a my phone began to light up more than usual. The traffic on Twitter was alerting me of the aforementioned catastrophic event. The few of us that are obsessed enough to twitter constantly (that were still on campus of course) were figuring out the situation.

“is du.edu down?” “have you called Comcast?” “called Campus Safety, Qwest is our ISP” “Can’t connect to computer upstairs, i.e. no streaming movies. UGH”.

After endless tweets, phone calls, and attempted phone emails (Nagel has no cell service, so they were not successful), the chaos finally died down. We were told to hold tight and wait, and the internet should be fixed shortly.

After this initial panic, I found myself oddly unfulfilled, bored, and unsecured. I had no fucking clue what to do with myself. After asking around, I found that I could read a book, to which I replied, but I have no internet how the FUCK AM I TO READ A BOOK!

It was at this point in which I realized how sadly dependent my existence has become. I am an addict suffering from withdrawals.

My whole life has be moving toward the so called cloud. I have outsourced my memory to the internet. It coddles me.

Going through smart-phones at a depressing rate, I always have the internet in my pocket (and I am constantly on it).

Needless to say, the internet was restored after another grueling hour. My apocalyptic visions did not become fulfilled. All was fine, and I survived the great internet outage of 09 (p.s. that would make a great ironic T!).

I have been reading a lot lately (online of course) of the dangers and vast benefits of this immediate and connected society; I now learn of revolution via text and email; I know the constant state of the nation; I have information that was the dreams of cold war era spys; crowd-sourcing knowledge has made an immense impact on our lives.

As with any addiction, this comes with a price; I can’t remember names for shit, I freak out without a phone or internet, I sometimes find myself feeding my conspiracy theories through other wackos online.

The fact that I am trying to describe my oddly intimate and seemingly complex and opposing relationship with the internet on a blog is probably the ultimate conclusion to be drawn.

Like any addiction, I can’t quit. But why should I? Being so connected has helped me get ahead in life, and this connected world was the driving force behind our now President.

Perhaps the best denouement to draw would be one of caution. Caution to not let concrete relationships fail. Caution to not trust all crowds (mob mentality and group think have historically had horrid consequences. Just think what that would be like on a global scale.)

Lock step I march forward with my fellow connected brethren (in a gender neutral sense). Looking to score on the next big web3.0 app, furthering my addiction in a sort of opposing Buddhist spiral towards an Orwellian future. We walk. We walk toward the future with no avail. We walk towards freedom and justice. We walk towards a furthered addiction. We walk in step. We kept walking, no matter the signs of warning manifesting themselves on the soles of our feet. With caution and attention, we will not suffer the fate of mindless wanderers. We will not walk off a cliff. We will be okay. We will be better and do more. We will succeed in furthering the greater good, ultimately striving to achieve some abstract ideal. We are we and we are one, and we stand here today, united through technology to utter two words of Democracy in action:

FUCK YOU!

To describe the imagery in my mind I present to you We Walk by the Ting Tings, which oddly suits my mood right now.

With that I salute you. Go forth and make yourself heard!

Still trying to learn AE!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:17:00 -0600

Still trying to learn AE!

So I am trying to learn how to use AE more than the super...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:09:12 -0600

So I am trying to learn how to use AE more than the super beginner animations I can do, so like many things, I am trying to learn through modifying templates and watching tutorials (i.e. make nothing from scratch). I modified the above from a template, changed the colours (which took a LONG time to figure out how to do, couldn’t find the window!), background, logo, deleted some stuff, changed timing, but the brute force of the animation was done for me. I would like to get better!

"If you talk about something enough, bug enough people, make your opinions heard enough times,..."

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:47:00 -0600

“If you talk about something enough, bug enough people, make your opinions heard enough times, eventually you will get your way.”

- Dillon Doyle

I recently have started to see many things that I have been blabbing about for a long time come to fruition, and while I don’t take credit for most of it happening, I do think that if you make yourself heard enough, change will happen! Keep chuggin, as Thomas said.

Summer. The mass migration of students away from campus has...

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:24:16 -0600

Summer.

The mass migration of students away from campus has begun, and, I love it!

I know I love to complain about DU, and it’s students, but the truth is there are plenty of amazing kids at this school, and I consider lots of them good friends. To me, summer is a time for recuperation, a time to contemplate, a time for a meta-analysis of my life. Of course, some of my best friends are in town, but life is generally more relaxing. Life in the summer means a lot more climbing, and a much better diet (no Sodexho!). This summer, life also means a lot of work, but in a good way.

Needless to say I am super excited.

After rolling on a late night coffee run last night, I have become obsessed with a song which I find apt for my feelings at the moment; constantly (and unnecessarily) aimless, twisting though contemplation, relaxation, and emotion with seemingly no sensible and tangible vector.

I think L said it best when she said this song makes her feel like she is living in a movie.

Therefore, I present to you Blood by The Middle East, a rocking hyper-ballad of my life (Bjork?)

Listen below, or download at this link.

My Favorite Felony. I encourage all to black out god on paper...

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:05:22 -0600

My Favorite Felony. I encourage all to black out god on paper United States currency; to me this clearly violates principles of separation of Church and State. Plus, it’s only a felony if you intend to recirculate the notes. Do you remember when the pledge didn’t have God in it?