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+--- Thread: Current students-Please air your grievances (/showthread.php?tid=5603)
Current students-Please air your grievances - Andy - 03-14-2007
I keep hearing passing comments about the forum and its unwelcoming climate. Could the current student leadership please speak up and let alumni know what you see/think and let us know what you'd like to change and how we can encourage greater current student participation on the forum? Also, please allow the current students to thoroughly speak their minds before the alumni chime in. Thanks all.
- ScottyB - 03-15-2007
for the record -- as an alum who's been active on the forum since it was an email listserv thing back in 2001 or so -- i see what can easily be considered hostile response to new people who don't apply to the stop/go/turn motorsports school of thought. remember when Travis first started posting? freaking A that was like being at ground zero of a drama bomb. there are plenty of other examples, but it's 1 am and i'm just not going to search.
i don't care who thinks its normal and that new people should know it's normal. its not a welcoming attitude, and most forums -- which people are accustomed to -- aren't like ours.
i started out as a ricer and had i looked to the forums as a n00b nowadays i'd be turned off too. instead i was taken under a wing and shown the motorsport world and the rest is history.
- BLAIR - 03-15-2007
I cant agree more. I looked over the forum randomly for about a year before joining and swore I would never want to be part of these" assholes who are opiniated as shit". But yea you guys ( alumni ) and not all of you are way way to harsh on newcommers. There are a handful of new MM people this year but i dont see any of them post and I have heard from them that they dont want to. almost as if they are scared of you guys.
To sum it up, scotty said it best.
- Maengelito - 03-15-2007
i know there is dissent among some current students and alumni. i'd like to stress that this is a motorsport club not necessarily a car club. i understand that friendships that have been made and relationships between people have been bolstered through this club, but a club isnt necessary to do that. the forum is many people's only access to whats going on in the club. however if there are current members that refuse to participate on the board, i have no idea what they're doing because i'm not at jmu. at the various track events and autoxes, i see the same group of people usually and maybe a few more at the karting events. so i'm wondering who is in the club that doesnt post on the board and doesnt participate in many of the motorsport functions?
and scotty, i'd agree with you that this board is unlike most forums but i think for completely opposite reasons. i think that this type of hate keeps out ricers that wanna post kill stories that their '98 civic with 20's spinners and a chrome muffler beat a mustang gt by 10 car lengths. i feel like when new people introduce themselves on this forum most everyone is very welcoming of them. if they start talking out their ass, we gotta check'em. its not the only way to learn, but sometimes its the only way to get through to people. while its not quite moderation of forum members, its kinda a natural selection of who we want to be involved with something we hold such high regards towards. i gaurantee you that 95% of us were all ricers at one point, but the natural progression towards learning to drive what you have instead of blingin out what you wish you had is what i feel this club is all about.
we're all adults here, and act like adults most of the time, so any hate that is displayed is either the "i know this guy personally and i'm making fun of him" or the "what the F is this guy talking about?" kind of hate. i highly doubt any of it is meant to really hurt anyone's feelings or truly provoke an attack on someone.
- D_Eclipse9916 - 03-15-2007
I beleive while this is true Maeng, you also have posts like the "question for Bassman" in this forum. Threads like that only invoke emotions that make people want to argue.
- ViPER1313 - 03-15-2007
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:I beleive while this is true Maeng, you also have posts like the "question for Bassman" in this forum. Threads like that only invoke emotions that make people want to argue.
*Had* posts like
- Andy - 03-15-2007
ViPER1313 Wrote:D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:I beleive while this is true Maeng, you also have posts like the "question for Bassman" in this forum. Threads like that only invoke emotions that make people want to argue.
*Had* posts like
Adam/DJ-As part of the current student leadership, what do you guys think would encourage greater student participation in the forums and motorsports events? What can the alumni do to welcome the students more?
- BLINGMW - 03-15-2007
Since the alum have already chimed in before the students, demonstrating their reading comprehension skills, :wink: I just had one thought. Why are we so concerned with who is and isn't on this forum? Maybe we need to stop expecting it to bring in new students. They need to come to a meeting, see what we're about, come out to an event, and if they meet people they care to chat with online, then so be it. I think it's natural that they'll want to chat on here, but personally this forum wouldn't offer me a damn thing if I didn't actually know any of you and hang out with you at events.
When this club started, we didn't have a forum. We got a people interested. We started an email list to keep in touch, but that's only because we WANTED to know what was going on. Instead of telling a new student "Hey, we're MM, come check out our forum" (I'm just assuming this is probably common), maybe we should say, "hey, we're MM, come to a meeting. Come out to this or that event, here's a schedule". This forum should be step two when the member wants to keep in touch.
Madison Motorsports is not a forum.
- Andy - 03-15-2007
I think this forum is important in fostering relationships. If not for this forum, I wouldn't have a sense of who the new guys are e.g. DJ, Justin, Shea, Adam.
It's allowed me to get to know Gerald, Scotty and Chan eventhough we've met maybe 3 times, tops. I don't really see anyone else outside of track/autox events. I think it fosters a non-gay/extremely hetero closeness that for me, is important for the future of this club.
Maybe if the current students were on this forum and got a vibe of how
1)important the club is to the alumn and
2)how rabid we are for autox/trackdays/racing, it would help encourage them to go.
Lastly, despite being d-bags, the alumni are pretty knowledgable about everything related to cars and motorsports. There are guys who know an ungodly amount about E30's. There are guys that have built racecars. We have a racing champ in our midst along with guys just starting out in motorsports and the whole gamut that's inbetween. This forum allows the institutional knowledge to be passed along so why not participate in the forums?
*edit* Honestly, I've asked current students a few times now to speak their minds. Aside from Blair, no one else has. WTF? If we're so harsh, say how you want things to change. ELABORATE Where's the leadership in the current student body?
- white_2kgt - 03-15-2007
ViPER1313 Wrote:D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:I beleive while this is true Maeng, you also have posts like the "question for Bassman" in this forum. Threads like that only invoke emotions that make people want to argue.
*Had* posts like
That was a legit question, he isn't to 'racing' what other Motorsports IS he into. Someone that isn't into 'motorsports' I don't understand WHY they are in a MOTORSPORTS club.
- BLAIR - 03-15-2007
so basically the vibe I am getting is that the alumni think if you dont participate in track - motorsport events you shouldn't be in the club? Am I right?
- .RJ - 03-15-2007
BLAIR Wrote:so basically the vibe I am getting is that the alumni think if you dont participate in track - motorsport events you shouldn't be in the club? Am I right?
Not necessarily - you dont have to participate actively, but thats the common thread that ties us all together. MM has a much better membership group than most Turbo Riceboy of America clubs..... just because you're not out there driving doesnt mean you cant be passionate about it, come to the track a few times a year and/or get involved in other ways.
- BLAIR - 03-15-2007
i thought what tied us all together was our common love for the automobile. (no matter what kind it is) (or how you choose to use it)
- CaptainHenreh - 03-15-2007
.RJ Wrote:BLAIR Wrote:so basically the vibe I am getting is that the alumni think if you dont participate in track - motorsport events you shouldn't be in the club? Am I right?
Not necessarily - you dont have to participate actively, but thats the common thread that ties us all together. MM has a much better membership group than most Turbo Riceboy of America clubs..... just because you're not out there driving doesnt mean you cant be passionate about it, come to the track a few times a year and/or get involved in other ways.
I respectfully disagree. Allow me to quote from the Equestrian Club's FAQ:
Those Weird Horse Girls Wrote:Can any level of rider be on the team?
Yes. The shows have different divisions from beginner walk/trot all the way to the open 3'0" jumpers. Every class in the Intercollegiate shows counts, as there is a rider in each one who gets points for the team. Therefore, everyone is important. We need someone to fill each class so we can get as many points as possible. So even if you have never ridden before and have always loved horses, this is the perfect opportunity to take lessons and be a member of a fun equestrian club team.
If you have never ridden before and you have always loved horses, you're of course welcome there...but the expectation is that you will not simply continue to love horses, but to learn to ride them.
I don't see why a motorsports club should be any different.
- .RJ - 03-15-2007
CaptainHenreh Wrote:I don't see why a motorsports club should be any different.
Because motorsport is an inherently expensive activity... and college kids are generally pretty broke. I know I was! But you can come out to events, hang out, flag, watch Moto GP/F1/etc races, stay involved in club events, learn how to turn a wrench.... etc, etc.
- Andy - 03-15-2007
CaptainHenreh Wrote:.RJ Wrote:BLAIR Wrote:so basically the vibe I am getting is that the alumni think if you dont participate in track - motorsport events you shouldn't be in the club? Am I right?
Not necessarily - you dont have to participate actively, but thats the common thread that ties us all together. MM has a much better membership group than most Turbo Riceboy of America clubs..... just because you're not out there driving doesnt mean you cant be passionate about it, come to the track a few times a year and/or get involved in other ways.
I respectfully disagree. Allow me to quote from the Equestrian Club's FAQ:
Those Weird Horse Girls Wrote:Can any level of rider be on the team?
Yes. The shows have different divisions from beginner walk/trot all the way to the open 3'0" jumpers. Every class in the Intercollegiate shows counts, as there is a rider in each one who gets points for the team. Therefore, everyone is important. We need someone to fill each class so we can get as many points as possible. So even if you have never ridden before and have always loved horses, this is the perfect opportunity to take lessons and be a member of a fun equestrian club team.
If you have never ridden before and you have always loved horses, you're of course welcome there...but the expectation is that you will not simply continue to love horses, but to learn to ride them.
I don't see why a motorsports club should be any different.
Your brain is a special one. Sadly, I agree. Driving events is a very important aspect of MM for me.
RJ-Autoxes aren't expensive especially with BRSCCA doing events 15mins from campus. I don't think anyone is saying the trackdays are mandatory. Blair drifts and Travis dragged. Whatever floats your boat. Having said that, MM is a driving club and benchracing club.
- Kaan - 03-15-2007
they are allowed to compete under the "club" name. we are not. ask JMU about that one
break your neck on the OG car... or wreck a new one on track
- CaptainHenreh - 03-15-2007
.RJ Wrote:CaptainHenreh Wrote:I don't see why a motorsports club should be any different.
Because motorsport is an inherently expensive activity... and college kids are generally pretty broke.
And riding horses isn't? Come on, man.
- .RJ - 03-15-2007
CaptainHenreh Wrote:And riding horses isn't? Come on, man.
I really have no idea what it costs to ride a horse.
- BLAIR - 03-15-2007
.RJ Wrote:CaptainHenreh Wrote:I don't see why a motorsports club should be any different.
Because motorsport is an inherently expensive activity... and college kids are generally pretty broke. I know I was! But you can come out to events, hang out, flag, watch Moto GP/F1/etc races, stay involved in club events, learn how to turn a wrench.... etc, etc.
you said it best..money is the real issue overall i would say.. but autox's and other cheaper motorsports activities are a good idea untill we are making money. flagging- watching- wrenching is a very good idea. All of us may not do that as much as we would like but you have to understand. Giving up a weekend at JMU to go to the track all weekend is fun, but i love JMU, the girls, the drinking, partyin with the freinds. I know once Im out of here in less than 2 months I am going to regret every opertunity I missed to party it up here. This is the one time in our lives to live the "college life" and while cars are my number one passion I feel we as students should take full advantage of living here at JMU. Afterall we have the rest of our lives to prosue our automobile hobby when we actually have money
make sence? alittle at least?