Posted by Matt Evans in Question for the Candidates - Time and Energy Commitment
This question is specifically for Rob but can be answered by all candidates if they wish. There have been numerous times in the history of the club that the President, or candidate for President, have put out their platform with X number of promises for change and invariably the promises are left unfulfilled for any number of reasons. The reason in particular I’d like to focus on is the lack of time or the mismanagement of that time. I’ve included energy in the above topic line because I think it plays a role, especially when someone may have time to do a thing they’ve been meaning to do but don’t have the energy to do it, but time is my main question.

So for Rob:

You just recently stated in your EDept report that you have not been able to engage with the EDept as much as you wanted to these past eight months (https://www.star-fleet.com/core/command/command/posts/205180/). Additionally during your last term (which ended less than a year ago) it seemed like you were constantly running out of time. You were in a rush to facilitate the awards at the end of the term, and there was no accountability for COs and FComms when they were consistently AWOL.

Why do you think you’ll manage your time in a way to be successful this term?

Matt Evans

Hey Matt so thanks for the question, and its one that is fair to ask about me. I’ll break it down if you don’t mind.

Regarding my last term as president seemingly running out of time it was a multiple problem for me both in and out of the club. Inside the club it was because in regards to the Awards I stepped up to do it as no one else would and I wanted it to happen in hindsight I shouldn’t have and just let it go.

As for CO/FComm accountability I did try to hold people accountable, i sent emails, discord pms, etc all through the term in whatever form i could to contact. But the fact is by the end of the term in the last month and a half or two months of it had I cut every fcomm and co that was not up to snuff it would have resulted in a lot of empty positions and cuts in a fleet, department and/or ships. I felt given how much chaos that would have introduced for at least two fleets and I forget how many ships with CO’s getting removed etc at the time it would have made a bigger mess. Was it the right call to not make such cuts and chaos happen at that point? I’m still not sure to be honest whether Joe or I had won the following term it would have been a big problem to handle for Joe or me once the next term began. At the time I did not feel it was fair to me or Joe whichever one of us won to go into the coming term with so much chaos to sort through more then the usual with getting the cabinet filled and such. Again was it the right call at the time? I can’t say one way or another. But I made my choice on that point not to make such cuts and whether right or wrong in hindsight stand by it.

As for the last big thing of lacking time, this was outside of the club, that was more then anything a quite personal matter with family in many events which I ask you to forgive me if I don’t go into every personal detail. The long and short of it though was my 97 year old grandfather (now 98) was having ALOT of medical issues at the time all through that term and I would often put in a lot of time helping him and my family with that and other matters which left less time for the club. James (rhino) if you happen to read this I hope you’ll also not feel like I’m blaming you cause I am not at me saying this but my VP also had a lot on his plate too and so did a lot of my cabinet at the time, in short ALOT was going on for a lot of people not just me and so it was simply not possibly for me to delegate as I might have and did try to do where I could.

The above coupled with my own work commitments left me short throughout the term more then I liked but especially in the last two months it got really bad for me but then not long after this term began in the first month it cleared up a lot.

Now as for your other part about my report in edept this month. I said this about feeling I let Joe and the club down as EDir not because the main problem was lack of time but that when I would try to plan ideas for say events regarding EDept there was not the ability to coordinate with those interested with my own schedule. Or then when we did get something going before I could put a pin in for making an announcement on the boards something came up for me or those involved and it got dropped (no point in me having an event when I would be the only one there lol ya know).

The take away on all this is I have I felt learned from my missteps in my last term. Everyone will and can make mistakes, we should not ever think we are above such things, I did the best I could for STF as was possible that term, and though it got very rocky by the end I think overall that term went well. My take away was I was parts a bit too soft on not cutting and trimming needed things in the club in the earlier six months that would have made the last two months less chaotic and I will admit bad.

That is why Katy and I have done a lot of planning to focus on key things right out of the gate and not get too involved in other side projects like I tried to do in my last term as well. We also as I have outlined plan to really focus on ensuring that people that fill our roles in cabinet can commit to it, even if they may not be the normal people we might expect, and if we can’t get someone to fill a spot (say fcomm of a fleet) as I outlined already as part of looking at ‘getting everyone on the same page’ with accountability and how to manage things on a ship or fleet etc we are willing to make those cuts.

I hope this answers your question Matt, thank you

Robert Archer