Persistent Illumination

Yesterday, I resigned as the president of Imprint Publications, Waterloo.

I offered my resignation just after the close of the 2004/05 Annual General Meeting, offering it to the membership still present immediately following adjournment. Nearly 30 persons were still present at that point. I asked to hear any substantial objections to my offer, giving a brief explanation of my reasons for resignation. Hearing none, I resigned.

The decision had been some time in the making. I knew that the major duties that were on my plate - chairing the Annual General Meeting, chairing the Editor-in-Chief hiring committee, watching over the ship until a few crucial things were attended to - would be done as of the close of yesterday's AGM.

I also knew - from looking in the mirror, among other ways - that I had been running myself beyond my personal comfort zone for too long. Earlier in the term I had resigned from or demoted myself in all of my other volunteer duties: executive on the Entrepreneurs' Association of UW, fundraising exec for the UW chapter of Engineers Without Borders, etc.

Also, my current job search was not going as well as could be hoped, and I had a serious student loan problem that I had been dealing with. In that light, volunteering had to come after taking care of my own personal life. And, as was painfully revisited at the AGM, being an officer at Imprint is still only a volunteer pposition.

I am torn between a great sense of relief and an even greater sense of apprehension. Yes, I will not be required to hold the weight of Imprint's world on my shoulders anymore, but I do anticipate that my responsibilities will remain as a sort of phantom limb for quite some time - not actually present, but still feeling realistically (and somewhat painfully) as if they still existed.

Adding to the apprehension is the unknown reaction to my resignation. There seem to be a mix of Dilts 'supporters' and Dilts 'antagonists' these days - depending on who you talk to, I am either one of the more popular people on campus or one of the most hated. Not that I seek either reaction - both disturb me more than a bit. I'm merely someone living by his own convictions and beliefs, greatly enjoying a wide range of interests and activities, hoping that his 'education' is comprised of a bit more than hours spent on papers and library trips.

Still, the criticisms bother me. A former ESS president is in this week's letters to the editor criticizing me on unfounded grounds about my recent OSAP column. A rejected applicant for Editor-in-Chief has posted on his blog that I am one of the most hated people on campus. Anybody care to tell me why I deserve this reputation? Seriously, I'm all ears.

Two years of almost full-time service, on a completely volunteer basis, whilst pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo. I would hope that this credential alone would help deter the critics. Still, I do have to wonder why it doesn't...