Thanks for your time,

Philippe de Rouffignac (2^nd year DS)

Hi! I’m Michael Hoffman, a first year Dean’s Scholar. I would love to continue working for DS on the council next year. During this year, I worked on many DS-related things, such as beginning a program to send postcards to prospective Dean’s Scholars and working on getting an extra computer for student use in the office. I’ve also gained much experience about how DS works by volunteering and then working in the office. In the next year, I want to make the DS Student Association an organization everyone can get involved in, not just the council. To do this, I want to make meetings more open by publishing times and minutes on the web and encourage YOU to contribute. Please e-mail me at grouse@mail.utexas.edu if you have questions or ideas!

My name is Maylon Hsu, and I would love to work for my fellow busy and time-pressed students as a representative on the DS council. I am a first year bio/plan II Dean scholar. I can promise that I will be devoted to DS’s needs, because I am taking a much lighter load of classes next fall and will have plenty of free time to work for you. I am a positive thinker too. One of my biggest flaws is that I am a perfectionist...but this actually turns out to be a good thing, because I can’t rest until the job is done—right. I have really enjoyed the DS program this year and look forward to continuing and extending its success.

Hi, my name is Reshma Khatri, and I am a third-year Dean's Scholar. I really enjoy being in the Dean's Scholars program and have been an active member over the past three years, but I'd like to become even more involved. I have participated in many DS activities such as the Middle School Enrichment Program, freshman icebreakers, DS UT Interactive booth, and the freshman buddy program. I also regularly attend events such as the Friday lunches, dinners, and trips. I hope that I have benefited the program in a small way by being one of those who helped redesign the DS website last semester and by starting the annual newsgroup messages two years ago, but I would like the opportunity to do a lot more.

Since I came here as a freshman, I have seen the program grow in several ways. The formation of the DSSA Council has been an important part of this growth. Our first two Councils have accomplished a lot for the benefit of the program, but I think that there is still room for improvement in the role the Council plays within the program. I have been looking over some e-mails from the summer of 1997, when the idea for the DSSA Council was formed. (Yes, I'm an electronic packrat. I still have e-mails from as far back as high school.) One of the primary concerns that brought about the creation of the organization was the need for increased participation of Dean's Scholars within the program. I would like to see more opportunities for all Dean's Scholars to participate in the activities of the Council -- perhaps something similar to the committee system we tried last year would be helpful in this. I also want all DS to be better informed of the Council's activities. An updated website, and regular messages (such as the weekly e-mails that were sent out last year) would be a good way to accomplish this goal. In addition, I think we need to do more to increase awareness of the program at The University and among prospective UT science majors. Lastly, I want to encourage more social activities, such as the movie nights, etc. we have had in the past. I think this is a great program, and I would love the opportunity to help improve it further. Thank you for your time. (Sorry this was so long!) :-)

Hi everyone! I’m running for re-election on the DSSA Council. My contributions to the Dean’s Scholars Program this year include:

Next year, my goal will be to continue encouraging participation in Dean’s Scholars, especially regarding our K-12 enrichment activities.

Hi!! My name is Pooja Paranjpe, and I'm running for re-election to DS Council. I've really enjoyed being on Council this past year and would like the chance to be involved with it again. This past semester I helped to organize the Middle School Enrichment Program, and I have a few thoughts on how to better organize this program for next fall so that more DS can become involved. I'd love the chance to implement these ideas. Thanks!!

I have enjoyed being on council the past two years and have seen the evolution of a lot of new ideas, some of which have been implemented and some of which are in the process of implementation. I am interested in activities that would increase program involvement, recruitment and input from Deans Scholars regarding what changes they would like to see in the program.

Please vote for Arundathi, Arun, Shenoy, the only council member running for a ‘third term’!

Dear fellow Dean’s Scholars,

I’m a sophomore, first year Dean’s Scholar and would like the chance to represent you as a member of the DSSAC next year. Admittedly, I haven’t been extremely involved in the program (I’ve done MSEP and quiz bowl though!), but I’d like that to change. Some goals of mine for the program are to make DS more known among high schools, increase member input in scheduled activities, and generally promote the program in any other way possible. Hey, you’ve got to vote for someone, why not me?

I am running to become a council member because I think that the Dean Scholar's program is a wonderful source of learning new things and by being a more active member, I not only have the opportunity to learn more from it, but I also can be of service to those who are interested in learning, by sharing my ideas. I find myself a dedicated person and willing to spend time and serve the Dean scholars program. Also by having been an officer for another large honor/service organization in UT, I have not only learned the duties of that particular office, but also I have become familiar with the needs of other officer positions. I hope you vote for me, so I can serve the Dean Scholars Program.

I'm Kyle Wedin, a second-year DS, and am on the current council. I am very active in DS events and help coordinate many of them, including such things as Middle School Enrichment and writing the constitution and by-laws of the Dean's Scholars Student's Association. Most of you know who I am already, or you've at least seen me. I'm the tall, kinda gangly-looking one -- dorky-looking, if you saw me playing sports. And I've been involved in most events DS does. More important for election is what I think Council needs to do better. I think that our biggest shortcoming was the lack of encouraging other's participation in events, including planning and organizing. I still think that council members, by standing for election, are inherently volunteering their time to the program. But I also think that other people in the program may not have the time to be on Council, but they do want to participate in our activities, even in leadership roles. For example, when we cook for such events as the beginning of the year dinner, other people in DS who are interested should be invited to help prepare the menu and such. I hope to encourage more active participation in the program, especially since I have heard from people that they think council is some type of elite group of Dean's Scholars. Council only plans events for a group of which everyone is elite. Let's all participate. Thanks.

I, Elizabeth Weihe, would like to stand for re-election to the Dean’s Scholars Student Association Council. As part of council the last two years, DS has been able to accomplish more than in its previous years. However, as the program continues to grow, there remains a need for DS to explore "new avenues" that allow the program to grow in opportunities for its members as well as address problems like lack of member participation and a need for more interactions among DS. Projects I wish to pursue as a member of next year’s council are organizing an orientation seminar at freshmen orientation (to be enacted this summer), revamping the buddy system ( also to be started this summer), and initiating a large role of DS in both Science Olympiad and the State Science Fair. My commitment and eagerness to maintain the integrity of the program remains strong, and hopefully with reelection to the council, my continued hard work and dedication can continue to benefit the organization.

Hey guys! My name is Abby Williams, and I want to run for council again next year. My first year on council has been a great experience, and it has helped me to get involved with the program. Since I already have one year of experience, I know about all of the activities that Dean’s Scholars has to offer and the general make-up of the program as a whole. I feel that I have contributed many ideas to council, especially since many changes have recently been made in the program. Furthermore, I have held other leadership positions in other programs, so I am good at motivating others and organizing events. Finally, I am an active member in the program. I have not missed a seminar, have attended events such as picnic and musicale, go to Friday lunch, assisted with training the middle school students for Austin Science Fun Day, and have gone on the trips to McDonald Observatory and Port Aransas. Thus, my experience and attitude makes me the perfect choice for Dean’s Scholars council member.

Try me.

Me: "Well, here’s why:

I’m all about being involved in DS. I have experience as a first-year DS on council already, so I know the workings and I have plenty of good years left in me being a rookie and all, so I am eager to work for the program any way I can. I participate in and encourage all the extra DS stuff—Friday lunches, IM sports, as well as the social stuff—the dinners, the musicale, both trips we take—except I accidentally hurt Philippe’s ankle on the last trip—sorry about that. I really do enjoy participating in all of the DS Intramural teams, and I’m already psyched about hyping up our football team for next year—WE NEED GOOD GIRL ATHLETES—preferably ones with a good arm to play QB—especially since Jenn is leaving. I’m telling you, by the time I’m done here at UT, DS sports (namely football) will be a force to be reckoned with. No more listening to Cline make comments under his breath about science geeks and sports. Really. Just you wait.

I did other random stuff this year that takes up a lot of time like doing the entire physics lab setup for Science Olympiad, going to all of the council meetings, and listening to Roni complain a lot. But other than that, I’m a good boy, the kind you would want to take home to mother, and a positive thinker, and all that jazz."