New York Times Cover Page

Recently the United States has declared a red-line for chemical weapon use in military action. This red-line was crossed by the Syrian military and confirmed to have massacred thousands of children and women in the process. This unleashing of chemical warfare on its own people scaresthe United States and other developed nations when looking at the broader spectrum of sovereign nations tyrannically obliterating their own citizens. This red-line, like in past atrocities has threatened the United States indirectly by challenging their world-wide view of liberty and democracy. A criticism of this red-line is where and why it was placed where it was placed; chemical weapons being the limit after hundreds of thousands have already been killed. This puts a strain on the leadership that the United States of America embodies and stands for. They are a leader in military attitude towards justice and morality. Whether it be for good or not, is yet to be seen.

What is leadership? By definition leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. This is the general definition that is publicly looked at and recognized when evaluating leaders and their skills in leading. But here in Baruch leadership is broken down into its simplest terms where leadership can be displayed differently by various students, administration and faculty in even the smallest of things.

Each family member of Baruch College displays some type of leadership in some form. Teachers teach students values and specific skills which help bring out the unique individual in a person. Students organize and get their voice heard by joining the Undergraduate Student Government or other councils which assist in leading students in the right direction.

Additionally each student sees leadership in their differently:

Nardine Salama, a freshmen at Baruch, states “On a regular basis, think of  how the way your professor dresses versus the way you dress. The “suit and tie” versus the casual look is just one of the many ways a teacher shows his or her authority in the classroom. At Baruch,  I first encountered superficial leadership at my freshman convocation day where superficial power play became more than apparent on stage as various chairmen, professors and even students gave lectures. Professors wore a simple black robe while chairmen and heads of the different departments wore extravagant robes with multi-colored tassels that represented the levels of education they’ve received and the positions they hold. How a person dresses is a statement of who they are and what position they hold and, like at many other institutions, this statement clearly holds true at Baruch College.”

Another freshmen, Ibrahima Niang, comments “If leadership isn’t the most important learning aspect at Baruch then I don’t know what is. Being a Baruch student myself, I’ve witnessed many students taking part in leadership roles. Students are asked to take charge whether if it’s in a class, club, or job. Baruch is leadership oriented which isn’t a bad thing.  That may be the reason Baruch was ranked #22 among the best colleges in the region according to U.S. News & World Report. Baruch believes these leadership skills will have a long-term effect on them as they find a career. A good example of developing leadership skills  was my freshman seminar class. The freshmen seminar class develops incoming freshmen into leaders. I had to take part in a New York Cares project. It was a wonderful experience and inspired me to one day become a group leader. Before attending Baruch I thought developing leadership skills would be overly enforced but I come to see it is what makes Baruch a wonderful college.

Kevin Ensuncho notes “A couple of weeks ago the entire Dean’s Scholar program was invited over to the Library building for a special luncheon where we were formally introduced to Dr. Corpus, the Baruch college vice president. While the students were provided a delicious lunch, the scholars received welcoming speeches from various experienced professors, and other leaders in our learning communities. It was also an excellent opportunity to network within the Dean’s Scholar program as well. Students were given another chance tos peak with their peer advisors and any other upperclassmen within the program that chose to attend the event as well. Two types of leadership emerged from this productive luncheon: the individual scholar’s role in the learning community that is Baruch, and those in supportive and very capable positions that help the student body in ways that are difficult to take for granted.”

Lastly Stanislav Demonchko mentions “Every university and college in the country is enriched by the students’ involvement in the campus community. This involvement enhances the diversity of activities, cultures, world views and helps preserve this multitude of unique groups. Furthermore it helps involved students develop leadership skills, which are necessary for a successful individual in every career. It motivates students to take responsibility, express initiative and bring their visions into reality. Certainly, college community involvement doesn’t only help serve and enrich the college environment, but also personal, although it might seem subtle at first.

As culturally and ethnically diverse as Baruch College is, it is important for students to preserve their national, cultural and ethnic identity through involvement in different cultural clubs, to enrich and expand the college community.  It provides a chance for others to expand their worldview and learn about different peoples in the global community. Being a leader among a community, is being part of the small leading class of successful people. Great diversity at a college like Baruch, can only lead to greater acknowledgment, cooperation and mutual understanding between different peoples, who come as one to create what is known as the Baruch Community.”

What is your definition of leadership?

10/21/2013

Over the past years, Iran has been in a scrutinizing economical situation, hurt by the international economic sanctions. Due to the rapidly developing nuclear program in Iran, in 2010, the West, galvanized by the Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, introduced sever economic measures against Iran; including a ban on international financial transactions. These measures have brought the monetary situation in Iran to its knees, with the rial, Iranian currency, losing 40% against the dollar last month alone. It has created unfavorable conditions for business and manufacturing in Iran.

Economic sanctions also prohibit the Western countries and their partners around the world from trading with Iran, which includes China. The manufacturing is facing insurmountable adversities when it comes to trading with the world. The country’s biggest budget inflow from oil income has been cut in two, since the sanctions began. The new Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani has made it his mission to reconcile with the West and open up Iran’s confining economical borders. The first time since 1979, direct talks between the Presidents of the USA and Iran were held over a phone conversation. It is now up to the leaders of the two countries to decide on the future of the developing nuclear program in Iran and the country’s economical prospects.

The Olympic’s, a world wide sporting event which has been practiced since the Greek times and even has stopped several wars, is witnessing a leadership mess. Not many people ever heard of a leadership role in the Olympics, or even of an Olympic committee. The role of the president of this committee is in charge of insuring that any government and country that host the Olympics follow certain laws of human rights. The previous president which was in charge during the Olympics which were hosted in Beijing, China, had to face much backlash due to the numerous reports of host rights violations, “including abuses of domestic migrant workers who were building Olympic infrastructure and a harsh clampdown on civil society and media, with punishment (including imprisonment) for those trying to protest” (Worden). These offenses caused the removal of the old Olympic president. The new president will now have to prove that he/she is able to withstand this position and ensure that the host country’s follow the laws. Already, Russia, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, has passed laws which target lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and repeatedly abused migrant workers which are in charge of building the Olympic venues. Will the new president be able to take charge and fix the present issues?

Republicans defeated in budget disagreement with Obama

The lack of bipartisanship between the Republican and Democratic Party resulted in the government shutdown, which was lasted from October 1^st to October 17.  An approximated 800,000 federal employees were furloughed.  Congressional Republicans signed legislation ending the shutdown. The senate voted 81 to 18. President Obama said after signing the bill said he hoped the standoff would not be repeated. It won’t be repeated if both parties put their differences aside for the best of the American people. John A. Boehner told members to hold their heads high, get some rest and think about how they could work better as a team.The matter could have been resolved rather sooner than later but has been resolved. Governments are meant to ensure the safety and well being of it’s citizens, not shut it down. Leadership needs to be taken or a similar event could take place. Leadership in the government would benefit not only the United States but the world.

10/12/13

Imagine having an unexpected seizure in a packed stadium at a championship game in front of thousands of people. Now try to imagine that you are the head coach of one of the teams playing and you knew this seizure was going to happen, would you still go? Would you? Unfortunately, for Jerry Kill, the long time reigning head coach of the Minnesota College Football Team, this scenario is just a bit too familiar.

In the New York Times article, “A Coach’s Difficult, But Prudent, Decision” by Greg Bishop, Jerry Kill is described as the kind of coach who would “go through a seizure in a packed stadium and return to work as if nothing happened” (B12). Kill had promised since his first seizure in 2000, and eventual diagnosis of epilepsy,  that as long as his seizures did not affect his ability to coach he would continue leading his then-undefeated football program into victory. However, on Oct. 11 2013, for the first time, Kill did not attend a game at all for a seizure and since then decided to take time off to focus on his treatment and better manage his epilepsy. Besides being an inspiration to thousands of epileptics and anyone whose attended one of his games and a strong example to his players, Jerry Kill is also a dominant leader to his staff whether in presence or in absence. According to the article, “no staff in the country is better prepared to handle the absence, however brief or extended, of a head coach” (B12).

A leader is not only defined by his/her ability to singularly lead a group of people towards a goal but also by their ability to delegate powers and responsibilities in such a way that even if one part of the system fails, the system as a whole can still stand. A good leader plans ahead, both long term and short term, and alters strategies in the face of unexpected adversaries, all while staying calm, cool and collected. Jerry Kill, the long time reigning head coach of the Minnesota College Football Team, is the prime example of a good leader.