by Dan Miller

Not until I was elected did I know what I truly got myself into.  While comments like these usually imply a negative connotation, my view of this statement is quite different.  My relationship with the Memorial Union was traditionally similar to most other students:  a place to eat, sleep, and meet with groups.  I had met Jerry, Michael, Don, and Pam in the Business office a couple times, but it was nothing further than the business at hand.  However, over the past year I have seen my relationships with these people and others within the organization grow to levels that I never expected when I entered.  The MU differentiates itself from other organizations on campus because each member of the organization lives the spirit of the MU in their daily lives through their ability to form meaningful relationships.

The MU is a people-oriented organization, not task-oriented.  This type of thinking has created sustainable relationships among those within the MU and externally.  Moreover, this type of thinking has allowed us to be inclusive, not exclusive, in our thinking about how to capitalize on opportunities for students.

My relationships have spurred my interest to become involved with other parts of the organization.  Whether it’s researching beverage contracting issues with retail foods, understanding the annual budget with Accounting so I can explain it, not just reiterate it, or working until 2am with Event Services getting the set ready for the comedy show, my relationships fuel my interest to never settle.  This is a credit to the people of the MU who have provided a level of comfort for me to be able to get involved without feeling intrusive.

These relationships have also made my time at the MU very enjoyable.  I have formed some great friendships, not only with students, but with employees as well.  I have raced in triathlons with Guy, go to dinner with Kelsey, talk about Red Sox daily with Don, all because they extended to me the offer to become a part of something bigger and more important than my own priorities.

As I begin to look ahead to the future, I have found that my priorities have shifted.  Once only concerned about financial and materialistic success of my future career, I am not finding that I am picking options for my future based on organizational culture and climate.  Without a doubt, the influence for that shift came from my time at the MU.

While my initial strengths have been in my ability to analyze budgets and create profit models, I am leaving the Memorial Union with the realization that numbers and models do not represent what business truly is.  At the end of the day, we are all in the business of relationships; starting them, and developing them.  If we are not doing that, then we need to be doing something else with our lives.