Voter Registration Instructions

Please take a moment to visit the Graduate Business Council (GBC) website on Simon Exchange to cast your ballot in the elections for Part-Time student representative:

• Log into SimonExchange
• Click on the GBC link in the upper left hand corner to get to the GBC homepage
• At the top of left hand column, click on the link for the Part-Time student elections (under surveys).
• On the purple header row, click respond to this survey.
• Finally, click on the radio buttons next to Melisa Beauchesne

I'm Hitting the Campaign Trail!

Please remember to vote (for me) in the upcoming Graduate Business Council elections. Elections will be held online through SimonExchange September 29th-October 1st.

My name is Melisa Beauchesne and I am running for the position of part-time representative on the Graduate Business Council.

Over the summer, I served as an advocate for the part-time student community during several meetings with the student services office. I raised issues such as the timing and communication of campus events. As a result of these discussions, the most recent coffee hour was moved to a later time so that more part-time students could participate. If I am elected, I plan to work with the Graduate Business Council to develop a quarterly forum where part-timers will have the opportunity to personally share their suggestions as well as the issues we are facing.

As working professionals, the flexibility of the part-time M.B.A. program is appealing but also presents challenges for building relationships with our peers because we are completing our coursework at different paces. The diversity of our life and work experience is one of the greatest assets that Simon students have to offer. In my current role as Vice-President of Special Events for Simon Volunteers, I am spearheading the “Selfless Saturday” initiative to bring full and part-time students together while giving back to the community.

As our part-time student representative, I will continue to voice our concerns and seek new ways to integrate the Simon community.

Thank you for your support.

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 5

Today was another day full of stripping, acid, and repositioning beds.

We are on track to finish early tomorrow for a fun evening in New Orleans. I might need to take a bath in turpentine before our night on the town. Whenever I think that I have removed all the paint from my skin, it keeps popping up in funny places...

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Days 3 & 4

We took the first set of after photos today!!

We finished scraping the carpet glue off the floors, painted the walls and floors, and put more beds back in place! If we keep up this pace, we are going to have most, if not all, of the dorms finished by before we leave on Friday!

We watched the WLOX documentary, "Katrina - South Mississippi's Story," to remind us why we are here. The before, during, and after footage covered by local residents presents a very powerful perspective of the storm. The before footage helps us to recognize slow progress but the need for volunteers will be here for a very long time. Three years post-Katrina, the Mississippi coast is only 30% rebuild and experts estimate that it will take another 8-10 years to fully recover (statistics from www.campvictor.org).

Mississippi Nightlife

After dinner, my co-workers and I took a short walk to The Dugout, a local pub, to grab a cold beer after dinner. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Monday night football is celebrated with FREE pork chops on the grill and jambalaya. I wasn't hungry because I had already eaten two helpings of dinner but I absolutely could not pass up the opportunity to enjoy authentic southern cuisine. It was delicious.

When I finished my second dinner, the chef introduced my co-workers and I to Connie Moran, mayor of Ocean Springs. It was fascinating to learn about her leadership in the midst of Hurricane Katrina. She urged us to consider running for public office someday. After she left, it was time for our group to get another round. As I was waiting for the bartender, a very nice elderly gentlemen (Francis) handed me $20 and said, "Thank you for all the work you are doing. Please let a citizen buy you a drink." Francis shook his head at me when I said thank you and tried to give him his change. After a lovely conversation with Francis, his wife, and a few other locals, they insisted on setting up a free dinner for our group at the Beau Rivage casino on a night most convenient for us before we depart.

I normally don't like Mondays but this one has been most excellent.

I'm having an amazing experience thus far. We are making a difference and every person we meet is so friendly with an interesting story to tell.

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 2

The lights in our dorms came on bright and early at 6:00 am. We woke up to the smell of a hot homemade breakfast before our first day of volunteering.

We spent the morning moving 25+ bunkbeds and nightstands so that we could get the dorms ready for painting. The felt pads kept slipping out from under the bed posts so Eloise cut up large squares of carpet remnants to help us move the furniture. The carpet remnants were also great for moving people as noted by the races that Katie and I had in the hallway while two of our group members took their smoking break.

The carpet removal was finished before our arrival but we had to get on our hands and knees and use something acidic to scrape the glue off the floor. We put two coats of paint on the walls and will be reinstalling the outlet covers tomorrow. When paint splattered on me, I was thankful for my lifetime supply Bank of America clothing. We also put something that "WILL BURN YOUR SKIN" on the cement floor so that the paint will stick tomorrow. Two of my co-workers love to mother me and banned me from that substance. While they were pouring toxic chemicals, Katie and I began putting beds back where they belong in the dorms where the painting had been completed.

I'm thankful for...

• Good water pressure
• Showers
• Comfortable mattresses
• The acid didn't sting my hand for very long
  
• Jackie's common sense
• Eloise's brilliant carpet idea
  
• Connie's super-strength
  
• Katie's energy and enthusiasm
• Not falling off of the ladder while I was painting
  
• Successfully washing the paint off my body and out of my hair
  

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 1

When my co-workers and I arrived safely in the Gulf Coast this afternoon, I wasn't sure where we would be needed the most during our Hurricane Relief trip. On the long car ride from New Orleans, LA to Ocean Springs, MI, it was unsettling to see how much debris still seems to go on for miles - I'll post photos upon my return. Camp Victor, a disaster response agency, that provides lodging and volunteer assignments was also impacted by the recent hurricanes:

"Volunteers [are] needed immediately for help restoring Camp Victor Ministry’s roof and dorm rooms after Hurricane Gustav!"

I was happy to hear that there are going to be 200+ volunteers coming to Camp Victor in October. However, the dorms are a mess and Bank of America is the only source of volunteers for this week. My co-workers and I are going to spend our week ripping out carpeting, painting the walls/floors, covering electrical outlets, and moving furniture.

I introduced the "I'm thankful for..." box this evening so that we can open it and reflect during our Appreciation Ceremony/Dinner on Friday night. I am thankful that I don't have to repair the roof over my head. I am also thankful that this trip is going smoothly. We have a great and diverse set of personalities and we are all excited about our upcoming week of community service.

Budget Cuts: New Office Policy

NEW OFFICE POLICY EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1
Due to budget cuts, this will be your new cube:

Dress Code:

1. You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.


2. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.


3. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.


4. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days:

• We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:

• Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave:

• This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers.
• Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place.
• In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary,the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon.
• We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Bathroom Breaks:

• Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls.
• At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound,the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken.
• After your second offense,your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category.
• Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Breaks:

• Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more so that they can look healthy.
• Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
• Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience.

Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

The Management

Packing Procrastination

Instead of packing for my move to the bachelorette pad of the century as well as my upcoming hurricane relief trip, I'm uploading photos and catching up on speeches from the convention last week.

Thanks Sarah, my younger and more beautiful (not by much) cousin for designing my custom header and footer! If you would like your own, you can get one here. You'll get extra special attention if you tell Sarah that her older and wiser (not by much) cousin sent you...