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“ I don’ t want that to happen; I’ll bring one right over.” I got in my car, rushed back to campus and turned in the report less than an hour later. I thought it was the end of it . . . and it would’ve been, if I hadn’t won the election. The election was held a few days later, and I won by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff. There were five peo- ple who ran, but the candidate who came in a distant second was a fraternity member. More than 95% of the SGA repre- sentatives were members of fraternities and sororities. Before the day was over, I received notice I had been dis- qualified for turning in my expense report after the deadline. The fraternity member was declared the new winner. It seemed so unjust I went to see the Dean for advice. He told me I could appeal it to the Student Court, so I did. The Student Court (also made up of a majority of Greek-letter organization members) referred it over to the Student Government Association for a vote. I was told I’d be given an opportunity to present my case before the entire body. I asked my friend Ken Frankel, a pre-law student at the time, and the son of an attorney to represent me. Ken and I consulted with his dad, who recommended we should argue: “The punishment should fit the crime.” On the day of our hearing, Ken did just that. He passion- ately explained to the SGA how I was young, naive, and didn’ t understand the rules; however, once they were explained to me - I promptly complied. He said it was unfair of them to disqualify me after I won; if missing the deadline were so important, then I should have been disqualified before the election. He agreed I broke the rule, but it was because of ignorance - not intention. He stated they would not just be punishing me, but everyone who voted for me. He asked them to find a more appropriate penalty which wouldn’t take away the voice of so many students. His plea was followed by some lively discussion, but mostly from the few independent members of the body who felt I should not be denied the office I had won. The fraternity and sorority members insisted I broke the rules, rules are rules for a reason, and there can be no exceptions. Other than those few independents, all the votes went against me. It was over. That evening we shared the results with Ken’s father. He looked at me and said, “Son, you’ve just had your first taste of politics.” A nasty taste indeed. It seems the desire for power - even if it is only to sponsor dances and other student activities - trumps empathy, justice, and reason. Never again, would I have any interest in student government. Nor would I have any interest in joining a fraternity (something I had once wanted, but couldn’t afford). I would forever remain a Gamma Delta Iota. Robert Robert is an author, humorist, and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert, visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com or contact him via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Wilson cont’d from page 29. Open the Doorway to all the Event Photos during the Ohio Well Construction Conference. To see all the photos from this event, go to: media.worldwidedrillingresource.com/gallery/2017/OWWA17, or click here. Feel free to download at will and print the photo(s) of your choice. Compliments of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® . Photos are copyrighted and released for personal use only - no commercial use permitted. 50 SEPTEMBER 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®