Texas A&M to Welcome JLO to Campus
At Texas A&M, it is easy for students to find themselves overwhelmed by the vast number of student organizations and opportunities for involvement. So much so, in fact, that a group of juniors has started their own organization to help fellow third-year students with the transition from their sophomore year to their senior year.
The new Junior Leadership Organization, or JLO for short, seeks to provide junior Aggies with a place to expand their horizons and learn new things. Some of the organization’s executives even plan on working with the new members to put on events and do service projects together.
Adam Nguyen, cofounder and president of the first JLO, JESUS—Junior Educational Society of University Students—is hopeful for his organization’s debut.
“Junior year is definitely a hard year for students,” Nguyen said. “It’s a time for transition. JESUS seek to help everyone find their way through love of leadership, service, and career experience.”
The JLO is divided into a multitude of subcommittees, which each handle different aspects of the organization. Daniel Grayson, senior marketing major and JESUS executive, is the director of the Résumé Building subcommittee.
“We’ve been really excited to take on our new members this fall,” Grayson said. “Not everyone wants to accept the responsibility or time commitments of a new organization. That’s what our subcommittee is here for: we teach juniors how to exaggerate their involvements during college.”
Prospective members faced a rigorous application process, including mandatory socials and one-on-one interviews. “Barely anyone applied,” Nguyen said. “I guess it’s because, by now, all of the good people are already involved in something. Whatever.”
Junior psychology major Leslie McAllen is a new member of JESUS and part of the Banner Holding subcommittee. When asked about her reason for involvement, McAllen said, “I tried applying for FLOs and SLOs the past two years, but I never got in one. I finally found an organization that is desperate enough to accept me. It’s good to know that they don’t really care about their reputation.”
JESUS is currently planning its first big service event for the fall of 2015. Called “Bannerfest”, the event seeks to teach junior members leadership skills by having them hold painted sheets outside to earn service hours. The junior with the most service hours at the end of Bannerfest is awarded with the divine knowledge of what it takes to become mankind’s ultimate leader.
-Bacon and Ags
It’s Sunday morning and you’ve woken up hungover and confused. “Man, last night’s house party was one for the books,” you think as you try and recall something, anything, about the party. The smell of bacon floats in from the kitchen, and you stumble over to see who’s cooking. You stand there in bewilderment— Bacon & Ags has cleaned up all of the empty bottles, cans, and Solo cups. He has cinnamon rolls warming in the oven, bacon on the stovetop, and an assortment of fruits on the table. You stutter, “Wow… I… uh… well,” but he cuts you off. “I just love a good brunch,” he says. “And since you threw such a great party, I thought the least I could do was clean it up and cook us some brunch! Here, I made some quiche— have some!”