Si Robins over at The Downtown Phoenix Journal shares the news that the Downtown Phoenix Partnership (DPP), the group in charge of the 90-square-block Enhanced Services District that comprises Downtown Phoenix/Copper Square, is publishing a Dining Guide featuring the eateries within the 90-block radius.
This is good and well as it highlights the great culinary scene in Downtown Phoenix. But it misses out on the full picture.
Read for yourself:
Yet, strangely, despite noting in the guide that it covers the area from 7th Street to 3rd Avenue and Fillmore to Jackson streets, the pull-out map spans from 7th to 7th, all the way up to McKinley, leaving the fringes of the map looking noticeably empty. Is the map doing a disservice to many restaurants within the map’s confines?
Likewise, a feature story on the Urban Grocery & Wine Bar, a block outside of this radius on Pierce Street, is one of the main sections of the guide. But the cluster of restaurants on 1st and Pierce streets do not even receive a spot on the map, let alone a mention in the guide. [source]
One certainly can’t begrudge the DPP for promoting shops, restaurants, venues, and events in its defined area; however, the DPP must realize that it is a mutually beneficial relationship between shops/venues in its formal area and the greater downtown community. A downtown area whose marketing model is to bring people to big events–sports games, concerts, and other big festivals–must realize that the little shops in the area’s periphery keep people in the area. Whilst Roosevelt Row, Grand Avenue, and these areas’ shops/restaurants aren’t within the Downtown Phoenix Partnership’s boundaries per se, they are a part of Downtown Phoenix and are a significant part of the Downtown Phoenix tapestry.
I’m not going to go as far as to say “shame on the DPP” for excluding these peripheral shops. Most tourists to Downtown Phoenix, and most likely most students at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus, will receive the Downtown Phoenix Dining Guide and think that nothing exists outside of those ninety blocks. This unfortunately paints an inadequate picture of Downtown Phoenix as a place where one goes to participate in big events instead of a place to be.
If Downtown Phoenix is to thrive, it must become a place to be.
For a couple of years, I’ve worked alongside Kirsten Martin in the Dean’s Office for our College. She will graduate in a couple days with her Master in Social Work.
To demonstrate the amazing things that College of Public Programs students are doing, here’s a quick note that she sent to her family, friends, and colleagues about a program that she implemented during her internship:
A program my supervisor and I implemented at my internship was featured on the channel 99 for those who have cox cable. This is a great program that teaches kids to be peaceful in their communities as well as in school or their homes. They have given service in the community and donated money to charities. This is a school in which 97% of the students receive free lunches due to socio-economic status and live in inpoverished neighborhoods and crime ridden environments. They are such an inspiration to me as they try to teach others to be more peaceful and see the good in each other. They truly give hope in places where hope is not often found! I’m so proud of them! This is an example of what schools can do and the good they can bring, yet they are in danger right now. This school is slated for closure should proposition 100 not be passed. Please watch this video and think about whether these kids deserve to keep their school and continue the good work they are doing. Vote YES on prop 100, not for you, but for their future!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: There is so much amazing stuff that my college does. Most higher-education institutions say that they teach students to change the world. There’s one difference, though: the College of Public Programs actually does change the world.
I’m proud to be a student in my college, the College of Public Programs.
First up, some housekeeping: You’ll note that on the left side of my blog there are some terms of use and commenting policies. I’ve been lenient with enforcing them in the past days but that’s ending now. In the heat of the recent ASASUD election events, people in positions of authority have left comments using aliases. (As the blog administrator, I can see your email addresses, so I know who you are. I’m not going to out you, though.) But this isn’t going to slide any longer. To establish an ethic of transparency and to lend credibility to all who comment, any comments left using aliases will not be approved and posted. Period.
Second, at no time have I ever been affiliated with the Andres Cano and Vaughn Hillyard campaign. I was, am, and will be an independent student at ASU. My two preceding posts on this issue were written on my own accord with no influence from any members of Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Hillyard’s campaign. My original endorsement post, penned 30 March 2010, was written because I chose to write down and outline the reasons why I would vote for Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard, exercising my First Amendment rights and also to fill a gap in original material on this blog. Had I known that my endorsement would have been of significant detriment to their campaign leading to their disqualification, I would not have written it. My follow-up post on the disqualification of Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard, penned 8 April 2010, was written because I felt there were serious flaws in the the last-minute disqualification of that ticket and why they should be seated since they won a majority of the popular vote.
Never did I think that I’d end up in the middle of an elections kerfuffle.
In being at ASU, I had hoped to keep a low profile (well, as much as possible) and ruffle as few feathers as possible. If you haven’t been living in a cave over the past 48 hours, you know what’s been going on with the recent ASASUD elections-gate. If you have been living in a cave and have no idea what’s been going on, click here for the Downtown Devil‘s coverage.
The thing that I find fascinating is that my blog post wherein I endorsed one ticket instead of another was chalked up as one of the three strikes against that ticket. Newspapers and other media outlets endorse candidates. For example, then-Senator Barack Obama lauded that he was endorsed by The New York Times to be this country’s 44th President. Senator John McCain did the same with the endorsement of his hometown newspaper, The Arizona Republic. Candidates laud that they have been endorsed by public safety, education, or public service workers’ unions all the time. Why should student government candidates not be able to do the same thing?
I’m not going to mention the double standard that applies to current ASASUD officers in publicly endorsing candidates. Tania Mendes is the current President of ASASUD, and on 26 March, she posted the following to the “LAST CHANCE TO VOTE Vasquez & Abercrombie for ASASUD” Facebook group page’s wall (see for yourself in the screen capture below):
"I wish you both all the best. You guys have done a great job this year by taking ASASUD to another level. Thank you for not just talking the talk but walking the walk. I applaud you for your involvement commitment and enthusiasm for ASASUD. Win it all!!!" -ASASUD president Tania Mendes (click image for larger version)
But no, I’m not going to mention that. Nor am I going to be shallow and mention that Ms. Mendes, a journalism major, fails to include appropriate punctuation. And I’m not also going to mention that the other ticket’s Facebook group page, “Vote Andres & Vaughn for ASASUD!,” didn’t feature any such high-level endorsements. Nor am I going to mention that one can’t have it both ways.
I was not–and still am not–affiliated with any of the candidates for ASASUD student president. I chose one side instead of another, and I chose to outline the reasons I voted for them on my blog and publicly endorse them. I do not hold any position of elected or appointed student leadership anywhere. On 4 February 2010, I stepped down from the only position of formal student leadership I ever held whilst at ASU, the President of BLAST’D, the Barrett Honors College Leadership and Service Team at the Downtown Phoenix campus. (If I were still in that position, I would have never publicly endorsed a candidate. I would have voted and encouraged others to do the same.) Presently, though, my only perceived conflict of interest might be that I am employed by the College of Public Programs; however, it is clearly noted on my blog that my opinions are my own and not those of ASU or any of its affiliated institutions. I own my blog, ASU does not. I exclusively control my blog’s content, ASU does not.
The big thing is that people assume things and don’t read everything. After my endorsement blog post, I received an email from the ASASUD Elections Committee saying that “many students at the downtown campus [sic] found the title of your blog post…misleading” and that they “feel it implies that ASASUD Executive Board and Senate both support the Andres and Vaughn Campaign.” There’s one problem to their argument: it clearly shows that they didn’t read the post. The first person is employed throughout, meaning that these are my opinions and nobody else’s. Upon prodding the Elections Committee, “many students” turned out to be seven students.
I’m sorry, but seven people’s confusion–perceived or otherwise–doesn’t merit me to rename anything. That’s just the way it goes.
When I post something, I spill everything. You don’t have to read between the lines because I’ve given you the stuff between the lines. To the chagrin of my colleagues and friends, I’m rather detailed in my correspondence. (My former BLAST’D colleagues will agree with me!) I’m a believer in getting the word out correctly the first time so that no additional correspondence is needed. It’s just who I am. I don’t leave room for interpretation because it’s usually misinterpretation.
That’s enough from me. Barring anything even more unusual happening, this is my last post on this subject.
Various ASU-affilated news organizations are reporting that despite winning a majority of the popular vote in the recent campus elections, Andres Cano and Vaughn Hillyard won’t be seated as President and Vice President for ASASUD.
The Downtown Devilreported on their Facebook page that Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Vaughn’s ticket received 453 votes to their opposition’s (Christian Vasquez and Jessica Abercrombie) 321 votes.
The reason: Late on Wednesday (toward the end of the voting period), someone filed a violation against their campaign. It apparently was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back, and rather than stage a new election, Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Vaughn’s ticket was automatically disqualified thus making Mr. Vasquez and Ms. Abercrombie as this campus’s next President and Vice President.
Quite the way to win an election, no? Hope someone else fails?
The reason why we vote for one candidate instead of another is because we endorse one candidate’s platform instead of another’s. Of those that voted, almost 60% voted against Mr. Vasquez’s and Ms. Abercrombie’s platform. Only 40% voted against Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Hillyard’s campaign platform.
First off, that elections violations can be tendered during the voting period is simply shameful. If a candidate is to be disqualified, it should be before people start voting so they can learn more about another candidate’s platform or to submit a write-in candidate.
Second, that this violation came in the waning moments of the voting period makes me–and many–raise an eyebrow. It’s likely that the perception will be that an insider did this to change the outcome of the vote. Whether this is true, however, will never be known.
Third, that Mr. Vasquez’s and Ms. Abercrombie’s campaign will be seated despite not winning a majority of the vote and without a runoff election goes against ASASUD elections code. I present Section 6.2:
If during the general election no one ticket receives at least fifty-one percent of the votes there will be a mandatory run-off election.
We shall see what happens. Until then, my perceptions that ASASUD is a feckless institution shall remain.
I have been fortunate to have seen the development of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus since its opening in August 2006. I am also fortunate to have two hats: as a student first and as an employee of the campus’s Vice President’s office. In talking to students, I have heard what they want; I also know with what shortcomings the professional staff have to deal.
There are two well-qualified tickets for the ASASUD (Associated Students of ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus) presidency: Andres Cano and Vaughn Hillyard are one ticket and Christian Vasquez and Jessica Abercrombie are the other. Ms. Abercrombie, Mr. Cano, and Mr. Hillyard are currently ASASUD senators; Mr. Vasquez is the director of parliamentary procedures for ASASUD.
Whilst both tickets present well-founded and bold platforms, it is Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Hillyard’s platform that is better for the development of the Downtown Phoenix campus. That is why I am endorsing and voting for Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard to be President and Vice-president of ASASUD.
A president of a campus’s student government should be on that campus more than he is not. Mr. Vasquez’s major is sociology, a Tempe campus program. (In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, Ms. Abercrombie’s major is journalism, a program located on the Downtown Phoenix campus.) Mr. Vasquez’s connection with the Tempe campus makes me wonder if he will try and shape this campus to be a miniature version of the Tempe campus. Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard are both students in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication.
Going forward, the Downtown Phoenix campus needs to develop its own identity. It should not be a miniature version of the Tempe campus. The recent facilities fee (which, in full disclosure, I opposed) seemed to place the Downtown Phoenix campus on a path to becoming an extension of the Tempe campus. This campus has its own heart and soul and must be allowed to come into its own. The campus and the area’s established institutions should mutually benefit each other. We do not need a student recreation center: we have the Lincoln Family YMCA. We do not need a student union: we have Downtown Phoenix proper. We do not need to reinvent the wheel and provide student-exclusive services: we have the depth and breadth of Downtown Phoenix’s established services that benefit all from our presence in the community.
With the economy in the state it is, and with state government’s support of higher education (and education in general) shrinking, tuition increases are unfortunately on the horizon. On top of the ever-increasing tuition fee comes all the student fees. Students are not unlimited funding sources for the whims of student government’s pet projects. This is not only not true but it is unethical and immoral as well. As an ASASUD senator, Ms. Abercrombie supported the increased facilities fee. Mr. Cano voted against the fee.
Mr. Vasquez’s and Ms. Abercrombie’s platform seems to harness key buzzwords but doesn’t address concrete steps in which they will accomplish their agenda. To borrow from the cliché, they look at the forest instead of the trees. Their campaign equates sustainability (a word with which I have issues) with increased recycling bins. They seek to reform ASASUD instead of effecting real change for the students; they seek to partner ASASUD with organizations instead of empowering students and student organizations to do likewise. While their administration might prove beneficial, with the economy as it is, ASASUD needs to work for, on behalf, and with students and be an advocacy group for them. We do not need change simply for change’s sake.
Not only does Mr. Cano’s and Mr. Hillyard’s campaign platform identify specific issues, it provides an action plan by which they will effect change. In addition to adding recycling bins, Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard propose increasing the number of safe parking facilities for bicycles. They propose extending the hours for Information Commons, the library and computing center for this campus. They look at extending current initiatives to increase campus security, including police aide escorts and the emergency call boxes. They seek to empower students and student organizations to network and to reach out to the community that is Downtown Phoenix.
Their attention to detail and their focus on the trees instead of the forest is why I will be voting for Mr. Cano and Mr. Hillyard. All the same, though, irrespective of your preferred candidate, your voice needs to be heard. Voting takes place Tuesday 6-Wednesday 7 April 2010 at asasud.com.
[source: Corey Schubert, media manager, ASU College of Public Programs] ASU will host a Civil Rights Forum featuring Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and internationally recognized civil rights leader Raul Yzaguirre, from 10 to 11:45 a.m. Friday, April 2, at the A.E. England Building at Civic Space Park.
The forum, hosted by ASU’s Center for Community Development and Civil Rights, offers an intimate dialogue on contemporary civil rights. The event will feature an interactive question-and-answer session in which guests can engage with the panel to lend their voice in shaping a national debate.
“The Civil Rights Forum is an opportunity for the community to lend its voice to a broader national discussion of today’s civil rights issues,” says Raul Yzaguirre, executive director of ASU’s Center for Community Development and Civil Rights. “We look forward to a stimulating conversation on what the future of civil liberties will look like on both the local and national fronts.”
The forum is the eighth in a lecture series featuring the nation’s most widely recognized figures in contemporary civil rights issues.
Romero took the helm of the ACLU, the nation’s premier defender of liberty and individual freedom, just four days before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis. Under Romero’s leadership, the ACLU gained court victories on the Patriot Act, filed landmark litigation on the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody, and filed the first successful legal challenge to the Bush administration’s illegal NSA spying program.
Romero is the ACLU’s sixth executive director, and the first Latino and openly gay man to serve in that capacity. In 2005, Romero was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America, and has received dozens of public service awards and an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York School of Law.
Raul Yzaguirre was nominated by President Obama in December 2009 to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic. He established the Center for Community Development & Civil Rights in ASU’s College of Public Programs. Among the Center’s many offerings is the American Dream Academy, which is dedicated to advancing education for youth. The Center also addresses the Latino male education gap, offers civil rights dialogue and education, and uses research and education to advance financial knowledge in underserved populations. Yzaguirre served as president and chief executive officer for National Council of La Raza from 1974 to 2004, growing it into the preeminent Hispanic policy organization in the United States.
Additional Panelists include Matthew Whitaker, Ph.D., associate professor of history in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Kathie Gummere, attorney focusing on lesbian and gay legal and political issues.
The forum is among the highlights of a daylong community event, “Action, Advocacy and Arts,” focusing on the power of community at the Downtown Phoenix campus. Other activities on April 2 include the 5th Urban Gallery Exhibition from 6 to 9 p.m., celebrating the arts and community as ASU joins the Artlink First Friday Art Walk to showcase mixed media works on display at University Center, 411 N. Central Ave.
Admission is free and tickets are not required. For information, visit http://copp.asu.edu/aaa.
[author's note: Yes, this is the third theme for the Blog of the Week series. But whereas my colleagues, I'm sure, are going to interpret this prompt as what physical place makes Downtown Phoenix special, I'm taking it a bit more in the abstract. How is this possible? Read on, friends; read on...]
There are hundreds and thousands of places in Downtown Phoenix that are intriguing. The last time I was approached with this writing theme, I discussed the Phoenix Symphony and the amazing things that they do. But this time around, I’m taking it from a different lens. Downtown Phoenix is special because of the people of Downtown Phoenix. It’s special because of the memories I have made in the area. It’s special because as I have grown and learned more about myself, Downtown Phoenix has grown and learned more about itself.
Consider Fair Trade Café at the Civic Space. It’s special not just because of the fact that they serve amazing coffee and have amazing food. It’s special because of the people that are there behind the counter. I know them, they know me, and they know what my favorite coffee drink is and that I always want a bit of room left in the cup for some cream.
Or consider the greater entity that is the Civic Space Park. There are people from the community that sit and chat, there are students studying for classes, there are kids playing football (or football), and there are just people being there enjoying the park and its surrounding urban environment.
Or consider the people at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. When I had to first talk to a staff person on the campus, I was immediately surprised at how friendly they are. Coming from the sea of humanity that is the Tempe campus, where one is not a name but a number, this was a huge culture shock. Stepping inside to a classroom, one would be surprised that it’s not a lecturer preaching from the altar in a lecture. There’s discussion, discourse, and even disagreement happening in those classrooms.
What’s special about Downtown Phoenix? It’s the people. It’s the memories. It’s what you make it to be. Downtown Phoenix is that blank canvas on which one paints one’s memories.
As preface, my fellow Student Ambassadors and I are, over the course of this term, having a “blog of the week” series of posts. In essence, we are given a weekly theme on which to write and you’ll get six different perspectives on that theme. In theory, it works well. My colleagues have been fantastic. Not so much for me, though. With my apologies to them, to Kirsten Martin (the coordinator of the project) and to you, here’s a blog of the fortnight.
In no particular order, I’ll be talking about my hopes, dreams, and fears for my penultimate semester of my undergraduate career as well as some course highlights. Enough preface. Here goes…
For this term, I have a lot on my plate. Managing my time will be my highest priority because, as I’ve explored in an earlier post, the number of hours in the day remain fixed. I’m working on three research projects:
Finishing out research on learning objectives for the twenty-first century student (technology in service to learning)
Working with the ASU Center for Urban Innovation on new trends in citizen engagement in governance on the different levels
Seeing how Social Network Analysis has evolved into the Social Media age (read: Web 2.0 and beyond) and how that is used to generate political and social capital
In conjunction with my College’s Spirit of Service Scholars initiative, I’m working (independently at the moment) on drafting a white paper that addresses the importance of theoretical IT (read: the research of emerging and emergent technologies) for the next generation of public service workers. The College and its Dean, Dr. Debra Friedman, have correctly identified that there is a need for public servants to fill the shoes of those that will be retiring in the next decade or so. The common criticisms of government are that it is ineffective and inefficient. One could also argue that contemporary governance is based around 1960s-era technology. Sure, governments have incorporated the Internet and computers into their daily operations; however, are these technologies truly embraced into governance’s day-to-day operations? My research shall see…
Academically, I’m enrolled in six classes. The most interesting is a graduate seminar on public art. Taught by Dr. Betsy Fahlman, the course takes a look at the evolution of public art in the United States, especially looking at Phoenix and its metropolitan area. It’s been a lot of work thus far: I’ve had to read four books and write a three-page précis on that book. The last book will be read and the last précis will be written for Tuesday’s class, and then the fun begins. There are field trips planned to see public art in situ in Downtown Phoenix (a walking tour led by Ed Lebow, the City of Phoenix’s director of public art is in order), Sky Harbor International Airport, Tempe, and Scottsdale. The course has been a blast and I certainly, as an Urban & Metropolitan Studies student albeit whose focus is on policy and governance, have enjoyed it immensely.
I’m one of those weird social scientists who likes the natural sciences. I started off for a year in the Civil Engineering program, but as I’ll explore in a later post, my interest all along has been in policy and not actual construction. I’m taking a chemistry course (because I want to!) and it’s been absolutely wonderful. I took a couple chemistry classes on the Tempe campus but whereas those were the instructor preaching from the altar, this is completely not like that. It might have to be that the Tempe campus courses had 120 students and on the Downtown Phoenix campus, there are only 35 or so. And yes, I’m getting the content, too: win!
I have no idea what Kirsten’s going to pick for the next topic. We shall see…
As most of you are aware, last week, I stepped down as the President of BLAST’D, the Barrett Leadership and Service Team on our campus. It was not an easy decision to realize that I had to make, nor was it a decision that I took lightly.
Being that I never had a chance in which to say farewell and thank you in person, I’m hoping that this open letter in this public forum will suffice just as well.
Let me be clear: My departure had nothing to do with the people that were serving alongside me. I have tremendous admiration and respect for the Executive Committee and the staff of Barrett Downtown. These individuals–volunteer and professional staff alike–tirelessly have advocated for us all and have worked to promote Barrett Downtown to the other ASU campuses. None of our events since Barrett Downtown’s inception would have been nearly as successful as they have been if our staff was not involved in the process.
Why, then, did I step down? It boils down to that the number of hours in the day remain fixed. My commitments–academic, professional, and service–keep growing. I cannot be all things to all people, and I quickly came to the realization that I needed to take an honest and objective look at all of my commitments. I have a lot on my plate with three simultaneous large-scale research projects, a continually-evolving job with the Dean’s Office for my College, the College of Public Programs, and the requisite coursework so I may graduate in December 2010. In addition, I’m starting to create my graduate school application for the Master of Public Administration program at ASU’s School of Public Affairs, where I’ll start in August 2011.
I think that the first thing that we, as students, forget is that we are students first when we’re in college. We try–and especially we as honors students–to do so much résumé-building that we truly forget why we’re here in the first place: to go and learn things so that we may become successful in whatever we choose to do. And especially as honors students, we have even more on our plate. Yes, résumé-building is good, but as the number of hours in the day remain fixed, we need to have our priorities.
For the club going forward: Give Caroline Porter her due respect. Ms. Porter is a wonderful person and she is equally committed to this club’s success. My decision to leave was made easier because I know that the club would be in capable hands.
Finally, I finish with these words: Thank you all so much for the support that you have given to me, to the club, and to the Barrett Downtown community. Keep that spirit alive as your relationship with Barrett Downtown continues to grow. Keep your support and enthusiasm for BLAST’D as alive as ever.
Oh, and by the way, this isn’t my goodbye from Barrett Downtown. Far from it. I’ll still be at some of the events and I’ll still be helping Jill, Jenn, and Dr. Peck on some projects and initiatives, still advocating and fighting for BLAST’D's success and due recognition along the way. Consider me the new Goodwill Ambassador for Barrett Downtown.
[source: Corey Schubert, media manager, ASU College of Public Programs] ASU’s College of Public Programs is accepting applications from ASU undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in any field of study dedicated to careers in the public and nonprofit sectors who want to join the Spirit of Service Scholars program.
The program addresses the present and future workforce needs in the public and nonprofit sectors by awarding prestigious $5,000 scholarships to 15 outstanding students, and providing them with extraordinary intellectual and practice experiences, a lifelong interdisciplinary network, and committed, effective mentors.
The deadline for applications is April 2 for the Fall 2010 semester. Applicants need not demonstrate financial need, but must show seriousness of purpose.
