03-27-2018, 08:10 PM
Hello, my name is Joseph Plauger and I am running for Treasurer (just in case the title didn't give that away). I will be a Junior this upcoming year and I will also be switching majors... I was a CS major, but through certain circumstances and many learning experiences, I am not going to make it into the major. I will most likely be venturing into CIS next year, depending on a few things, but that is my plan as of now. If ya'll have any advice, hit me up, please.
Alright, enough about my personal life. Madison Motorsports is the greatest club ever, we all know that... but how can we make it better? As Treasurer, I am not going to be leading the club. My job will contain all the typical Treasurer duties, which I feel confident that I can do. I finally have a car, so I am able to run around and deliver $$$ to whoever would need it or wherever it would need to go. I have taken a business class before and, since I don't have much money to call my own, I have quite a lot of experience with knowing how to spend it wisely and think before throwing money at something that just wouldn't be smart for the club.
I would love to be able to help raise money for the club through fundraisers and potential other ideas. I have also been looking around at other past applications for Treasurer to see what other people's ideas were. I came to the conclusion throughout my searching that I would just ask all of you wise, old, experienced alumni what worked, what didn't work, and for some ideas that maybe you wanted to work but didn't get the chance to do.
This year, Madison Automotive Apprentice Program (MAAP) has been huge for MM, providing us with a great place to work on our rides for a couple hours during the day, get some of the best coffee in Harrisonburg, and just hang out. I spend about 10+ hours there every week, usually doing homework in the back room, but sometimes helping Cole or Michael with a 356 Speedster, VW Beetle, or whatever other project cars they have in there at the time. MAAP is just such an amazing opportunity for MM and I would hate to see nothing much come of this. Since I spend many hours a day there, I would be able to help tie the two organizations even closer together, which I would absolutely love to see.
Switching gears a little bit, I wanted to address something that I feel like has kind of gone out the window with this club a bit this year... the excessive breaking of laws and overaggressive driving on the streets. I haven't personally witnessed much of it, but I have heard many stories and I am very against it. It's good to have fun and enjoy your cars, but breaking the law is something that we just don't tolerate. It can get us in a heap of trouble and it's just wrong. There are places and times to go 100+ mph and race side-by-side with your friends and/or enemies... drag strips, tracks, autocross events, etc.. I just want this club to be a place where we have lots of fun and enjoy many things, but also a club that is respected within the community of Harrisonburg and JMU, especially with the police officers of the area.
Building on that, I just had a thought. Maybe we can do an event (maybe fundraiser) with the police force either at JMU or Harrisonburg where we organize some sort of car meet or autocross, something that gets the officers involved with us so that they can see personally that we are all great guys (and gals) who just love cars and hanging out. I don't see anything bad about building a relationship with the police force around here and the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. What do you all think?
Please, by all means, ask away. I'll be happy to answer any questions and concerns you might have.
Thanks!
Joseph Plauger
Alright, enough about my personal life. Madison Motorsports is the greatest club ever, we all know that... but how can we make it better? As Treasurer, I am not going to be leading the club. My job will contain all the typical Treasurer duties, which I feel confident that I can do. I finally have a car, so I am able to run around and deliver $$$ to whoever would need it or wherever it would need to go. I have taken a business class before and, since I don't have much money to call my own, I have quite a lot of experience with knowing how to spend it wisely and think before throwing money at something that just wouldn't be smart for the club.
I would love to be able to help raise money for the club through fundraisers and potential other ideas. I have also been looking around at other past applications for Treasurer to see what other people's ideas were. I came to the conclusion throughout my searching that I would just ask all of you wise, old, experienced alumni what worked, what didn't work, and for some ideas that maybe you wanted to work but didn't get the chance to do.
This year, Madison Automotive Apprentice Program (MAAP) has been huge for MM, providing us with a great place to work on our rides for a couple hours during the day, get some of the best coffee in Harrisonburg, and just hang out. I spend about 10+ hours there every week, usually doing homework in the back room, but sometimes helping Cole or Michael with a 356 Speedster, VW Beetle, or whatever other project cars they have in there at the time. MAAP is just such an amazing opportunity for MM and I would hate to see nothing much come of this. Since I spend many hours a day there, I would be able to help tie the two organizations even closer together, which I would absolutely love to see.
Switching gears a little bit, I wanted to address something that I feel like has kind of gone out the window with this club a bit this year... the excessive breaking of laws and overaggressive driving on the streets. I haven't personally witnessed much of it, but I have heard many stories and I am very against it. It's good to have fun and enjoy your cars, but breaking the law is something that we just don't tolerate. It can get us in a heap of trouble and it's just wrong. There are places and times to go 100+ mph and race side-by-side with your friends and/or enemies... drag strips, tracks, autocross events, etc.. I just want this club to be a place where we have lots of fun and enjoy many things, but also a club that is respected within the community of Harrisonburg and JMU, especially with the police officers of the area.
Building on that, I just had a thought. Maybe we can do an event (maybe fundraiser) with the police force either at JMU or Harrisonburg where we organize some sort of car meet or autocross, something that gets the officers involved with us so that they can see personally that we are all great guys (and gals) who just love cars and hanging out. I don't see anything bad about building a relationship with the police force around here and the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. What do you all think?
Please, by all means, ask away. I'll be happy to answer any questions and concerns you might have.
Thanks!
Joseph Plauger