It's All Peachy Until It's Impeachy.

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It's a sunny day, you're outside smelling the freshly bloomed flowers and bees buzzing about. You take a your basket and you approach a tree. You set the basket down and reach for a fruit. Your basket gets fills with  and you reach for one more you stretch up and up... 

          So you've decided to join the ranks and become a board member then in that case you should also know about impeachment. Just as easily as you are on the board, you can be taken off too, so don't expect to sit pretty all day! You'll be working your butt off, questioning why you even got yourself into this, but when you finish you are going to feel accomplished, walking away from the experience a stronger and wiser person.
         What do you need to think about if you want to run for a position?

• What position can I run for (you usually can only run for one position don't go for the power, but something you the one you think will suit you most)?
• A majority of the time people campaign. Do not campaign like say "Vote for me," or bring people just to vote for you, or say "As this position, I will blah blah blah," it's unsportsmanlike behavior and make sure to clear it up when elections begin so other candidates know it's not allowed either. Only do it if it's allowed.
• If you are on the board this usually means you are not above members, you have more responsibility to take care of other members. The higher up you are, it usually means you serve more people. One thing many people don't understand is, board positions are for people to serve others, not yourself. You come into it for the resume, but the main purpose of the role is to help everyone else.
• Do I have time in my schedule for this position?

Okay, so usually you either volunteer or someone else volunteers you for the position, so what to do to prepare... hmm. Of course, most likely many people wait until the last minute to prepare, but always make sure you have prepared SOMETHING. It shows if you haven't put enough effort, so don't go up just to make a fool of yourself, go up fighting!

So what do you need for armor?

• A speech - obvi. You should have a speech tailored to the position your running for, talk for a bit about yourself, a bit about how you're qualified, how you joined the club your goals you want to attain if you win the election. Don't say "as this position, I will blah blah blah," it implies you know you are going to win, and it's not nice to the other people running. Be truthful, people can tell when your words are not coming from your heart. If you don't know something, take it in a manner that you will work on finding out about it.
• Do your research - if you didn't know, you should probably research about the club because it shows you put in effort and be sure to know how to answer basic questions like your goals for the term, or at least know how to properly reject a question without offending anyone. Researching is good, be sure to check with senior members that are willing to help you out/seem very involved in the club. They can probably direct you on what to look for.
• An outfit- Of course you don't want to be flashy, but you don't want to be a slob either. Be professional about how you dress, not gaudy. If the specific club you are running for has a mascot or they have themes you could wear clothes that correlate with the mascot colors, if not: like if you are running for anime club, obviously you could wear an anime shirt, a blazer, jeans and flats. Always dress one step ahead of the position you are running for.
• Smile- If you feel like it, you could throw in something funny to your speech and try to make everyone smile before you start. It will encourage you and help ease the tension.

So usually how it should be in most clubs, they have candidates running for the same position wait outside during the speeches and the voting to keep it anonymous. After this, you will either be elected or not. If you don't win, don't be sad, it just means there's something else out there for you. Don't be discouraged from ever going running again, it just means you've got more to improve on - if you don't see it the way I see it you should probably watch Meet the Robinsons- moral of the story, it doesn't matter what happens, it's already happened, all that you can do about it is change how you feel about it. Other than that, everything should be peachy fine and fun. 

Soooo.. on the topic of elections, you should  know what happens when something goes wrong, when something goes.. impeachy.

Impeachment- A formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome depends on the club but mainly consists the removal of the official from office. -Wikipedia
This is a very touchy topic, as a member, no you don't technically have the power to impeach someone. Just because you know what it is, it does not mean you are allowed to impeach left and right, it's a power that should be used frugally, not abused. It's commonly used by board members who are behind the scenes and understand what's going on - many members don't really see everything that goes on behind the scenes, so you may have some misunderstandings. Here's a recap on some reasoning I've commonly heard of for impeaching people and show where you could be mistaken.

• Does the person know what they are doing? If one of the reasons is that they aren't doing it "right," or that they "have no idea what ______ club is about," even if you are a member PLEASE EDUCATE YOUR BOARD MEMBERS. Note that all board members come into the position with no clue what they got themselves into, so if you have to teach them what its all about, give them advice, direct them in the right direction. If you think they don't do anything, make sure you double check to see if they really don't do anything, if they don't do their work everyone else has to work harder to cover for them, so watch out for that. If it does happen, talk to the board and see if they are willing to talk to that person - if you are a board member keep in mind you should keep your private life and your work life separated as much as you can to avoid drama and misunderstanding.
  
  
• Does the person not attend events/ leave early? CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF. Sometimes board members have a valid reason for not showing or leaving early. Just ask what they were doing or why they weren't there. You can do this for members as well - it's a really good way to show you care about each member, even if it is a ton of work it helps with the unity of the club. If the reasons are not valid, consult other board members to check. (I don't have a rule of thumb to measure this, but you shouldn't leave unless dismissed. )
  
  
• Does the person act inappropriately and gossip all over the place - even to members? This topic is very touchy - gossiping is a given for anyone, since we're in the 21st century. But board should be selective about who they unload their complaints to, which should be fellow board members NOT MEMBERS. No member much less person wants to hear something mean or cruel and come back to deal with it over and over again. If you see inappropriate behavior, be sure to deal with it with a quick hand so it won't happen again or get worse.
  
  
• Does the person not abide by basic club values(which usually are caring, character building, leadership and inclusiveness [and professionalism, it differs based on club]) board's should show that they care about members or the quality of their work. Board members should always have an open eye on the lookout for people who need help developing - for example if you see someone who seems to have the potential to be a dedicated member, befriend them, give them rides, advice and when they need a little nudge in the right direction go for it. Not only is that character building, but it's also inclusiveness and leadership. Inclusiveness is including everyone - no one gets left behind. You shouldn't leave members out because you think they won't come or they have too many extracurricular activities. You help them even if they don't need it,talk to them, make sure that they know you care. You all come for different reasons from different backgrounds and histories in all clubs we can either forget about our differences and work together to have fun or we can celebrate our differences. 

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

~Marilyn Nguyen