Yong Jung's Blog

Tuesday night, 10 Bryn Mawr students joined President McAuliffe at the National Constitution Center for an event hosted by Georgetown University and the Ford Foundation. This panel discussion on the National Budget was the first in a series for “A More Perfect Union: A Dialogue on American values”.

The evening’s panelists¹ were leaders of different constituencies: media, politics, education, business; and the discussion was moderated by George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America.

The setup of the discussion was unconventional and interesting. Rather than asking the panelists to answer questions directly based on their experiences and opinions, Stephanopoulos provided a scenario with each panelist playing a particular role.

The main characters  represented an “average American family”, with each member having a particular opinion about the U.S. government based on life experiences. Others played key political figures or pundits.

This approach for dialogue was interesting because panelists had the opportunity to share thoughts through the perspective and problems of ‘average Americans.’ Ultimately however, this format dissolved. And it was only then when it began to feel as though the panelists felt comfortable and when the conversation became more spirited.

Ideas about “ensuring a bright future for the next generation”, “hope” and “opportunity” were the dominant themes of the discussion. And anyone who attended the event could argue that these are some of the shared American values. However, it also became clear that although most panelists agreed with these ideals, their vision for how to mobilize these values into actions to solve the problem of the national debt differed greatly.

Therefore, I thought the discussion was a fair representation of the current state of American politics; in the end, there was no agreement or compromise. Society’s shared values matter; and it is useful to articulate these ideas because these fundamental beliefs can help Washington in making decisions about the country’s future. However, because these ideas cannot be discussed in philosophical isolation, but are defined in the context of social and economic circumstances, conflicts arise because one side, group or constituency must ultimately make the sacrifice.

Other Mawrters felt similarly about the missing action component, Noreen Neal’14 said, “I thought the panelists focused a lot on ideology, which is important, but I excepted them to talk more about actual policies. There was a lot of “we should do this or that” but no one gave a concrete answer as to executing these ideas.”

Priya Saxena ’12  described the event as unique and sometimes frustrating, but was glad to share the interesting event with other Mawrters who are interested in the topic.

However, there was no disappointment about  the unfinished discussion. As mentioned before, this was only the beginning of a very interesting dialogue.

Overall, it was a great event, that sparked a lively conversation for the commute back to Bryn Mawr. I as well as the other Mawrters who attended the event look forward to hearing more of the discussion and are excited to see what other topics future events of the series will explore.

1.      The  guests were: Calvin O. Butts III, a pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and president of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury; Richard Danzig, chairman of the Center for a New American Security and was the secretary of the Navy; John J Degioia, Georgetown University’s president; Carly Fiorina, chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999-2005; Juliet V. Garcia, president of the University of Texas at Brownsville; Michael Gerson, columnist for the Washington Post and was a top aide to President George W. Bush on policy and strategic planning; Michael A. Nutter, mayor of Philadelphia; Peter Orszag, vice chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup; Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, chair of American Bridge and was the lieutenant governor of Maryland and Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation.

more information here. pictures from the event here. the program will be posted on ABCNews.com

It is supposed to get down to 48 degrees tonight. sigh- I thought I loved the fall. And though I do love the beautiful colors and clean smelling air, I forgot how cold autumn can be.

Every morning I just lay in bed for a half an hour. And before I know it, I am an hour behind schedule (I think that extra half an hour is because I move slowly). Additionally, I left all of my blazers at home. I looked through my closet and drawers all day yesterday and only found summer cardigans. I cannot believe after three years, I still do not know how to pack for Bryn Mawr…

Other Mawrters though are looking so great! I am loving the layers, the sweaters, the scarves and boots. Instead of the weather, I think it is the fall fashion I really love. And this season I am definitely looking forward to seeing more capes! Not the bat robes we wear during convocation, lantern night (which will be held in the Cloisters because construction is ahead of schedule!) or graduation. But, shorter, more structured and textured ones. I saw a beautiful one from LOFT. It’s on sale too which makes it so much better.

I knew it. Check out more blog posts about capes here!

I am also really excited to wear more gloves. It’s a bit too early to whip them out just yet (Weather.com has informed me that it will reach 80 degrees this Sunday!). But I definitely think I will invest in a few more pairs. They can “complete” a look AND they’re practical.

Also on a slightly unrelated note, I went to Philly this weekend. I had lunch with a friend who graduated last year, bought two cute skirts (this is how it sort of relates to the story above) and had dinner in Chinatown. Thank you for FREE SEPTA PASSES. I love Bryn Mawr.

Self Governance.

The spirit of self governance permeates through all aspects of the Bryn Mawr experience. It is evident in our academics, social life, dorm life and student life. We look out for one another, but we also hold one another accountable. We have created academic and social rules which we regulate. Mawrters are privileged with incredible freedom, independence and having the trust of the community. In 1892, students established the Self Government Association, the first of its kind in the United States!  And this is a something that I am very proud of. In fact, all Mawrters should be too. We were basically awesome since the very beginning. Freedom, independence, accountability and trust were always important to us.

Self governance is what one of the ways that make Bryn Mawr unique. And I love it.

This weekend the SGA Executive Board organized a huge t-shirt painting, glowstick dance party. 25 pies of pizza were devoured in 15 minutes; 200 t-shirts disappeared in 10 minutes; and we danced on Merion Green for 2+ hours.

Friends were running after one another with paint on their hands, glitter on their body, sporting glow-in-the-dark accessories and food in their mouths. There was yelling, cheering, singing and dancing. I don’t know if this would have been possible anywhere else, but at Bryn Mawr.

THE WEATHER WAS PERFECTLY COOL. IT WAS DARK. IT WAS FUN. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS.

Photos are coming soon! Photos are HERE!

(thank goodness the paint was waterproof though because the campus center bathrooms looked like a mess before we wiped it clean!)

Hey everyone,

So every week I post weekly updates about SGA activities, events and general campus news.

WEEKLY ADDRESS

Check it Out!

Friday morning, I surprised myself. I put on my gym shorts, sneakers, and a loose tee and went to the gym. I absolutely love the new gym; it’s clean, bright and beautiful but unfortunately it feels like I never have time to enjoy it (does this sound like just an excuse?).

Anyways, I also forgot how much I love watching television while working out. That morning, after several minutes of Rachel Ray, I kept the channel on CNN.

Several reporters were commenting on Hillary Clinton’s (official?) statement about not running for the 2012 presidential election. In fact she said the chance of her running is below 0%. Clinton said she is happy and proud to serve as the top diplomat for the United States and is not interested in being so directly involved in politics (I assume having to deal with political parties and partisanship on a daily basis). Anyways, I just thought it was absolutely fascinating; if you’d like to see the clip, feel free to indulge!

After a bit more running, lifting and watching television (sometimes I find myself just sitting on the machine), I headed to the SGA House to organize the SGA Kitchen. The House is located on Cambrian row and has a full kitchen that is open for student use. Last semester, the executive board took a trip to IKEA and purchased new pots, pans, utensils, baking supplies, bowls, plates …cookbooks and beautified the space. And before summer break all of these supplies were stored in the offices upstairs. But, now the kitchen is ready for use!

Okay, so you are probably wondering why I titled this entry as the most intense workout ever; my morning at the gym does not sound like it was (and was not) very taxing. Well, allow me to preface this story by saying that Bryn Mawr offers dance courses for PE credit and as a senior who wishes to graduate (1more PE credit!) I thought it would be fun to take a dance class.

I have always wanted to take one (I’m taking full advantage of the opportunity this semester by taking African, Flamenco and Hip Hop!) and therefore was so excited when they fit my schedule! My first dance class was Hip Hop; and it was the most amazing, exhausting, and sweaty 1.5 hours of my life. I think I loved it so much because the teacher had great energy, but also because it was incredible fun! Honestly, I think I look unbelievably awkward, but I cannot wait for the next class. I am telling all of my friends to try and audit the course or take it next semester; I cannot think of anything I would rather do than to end my week DANCING!

The SGA Executive Board constantly tries to think of new ways to connect with the Bryn Mawr Student body.

We try to have fun with it. And most times it ends up with us being silly or looking silly. I honestly think it’s most effective to connect with people through laughter.

And so last year we created a Jib Jab account. Jib Jab is an online service where one has the option of putting a photo of someone’s face in a film or picture (A bit like those face-in-the-hole cutout stands you see at carnivals and fairs) Okay… this sounds vague.

Why don’t you just check it out!

Best Idea Ever. (?)

Dear Irene,

I so excited to meet you! I want to stand outside in the rain and feel the wind. It has been so humid the past couple of days and my room feels quite stuffy.

However, please allow us to keep the electricity. The residents on my hall and I will be having our first unofficial tea tonight (I am taking advantage of our situation and making everyone bond- THANK YOU!) and we may want to watch television.

Thanks so much,

Yong Jung

P.S. If it is possible, please try to inflict minimal amounts of damage. Some of my Bryn Mawr friends have not been able to travel back to campus yet; and I miss them dearly.