During that time, GSAC had three different presidents, and not a single student who was on the Council in the 1997-98 academic year is still on it. I believe much of GSAC's success in meeting its goals has to do with the fact that the larger goal, to build community among graduate students, doesn't change. A friend of mine this summer, upon seeing the new Star Wars movie, commented on how sad it was that our generation squandered its energy on visions of progress, on futuristic-looking entertainment, rather than on the drive toward transforming their world itself into a realm of the future. I can't agree. I think about how George Jetson first demonstrated video conferencing.
Progress grows out of a shared imagination.
We are already looking at the future and participating in shaping it on a daily basis. I urge you to take advantage of this exciting stage of community construction, to talk to each other, to begin sharing ideas and collaborating. Only in participating in what we collectively imagine do we create our collective future.