@33jacket Thank you for your service. I understand your frustration. I was an early disciple of Ryan Gravel and the Atlanta Beltline. It always disheartened me to constantly fight misinformation spewed by the AJC. But the reason why the Beltline works (in addition to being a once in a lifetime opportunity with an awesome plan) is that we got people to buy-in. It's hard to put in the amount of work that you must have put in and not see change, while also seeing common folks like us spew vile and call for change. Just keep in mind that the only way to create change is getting people like us to buy-in and contribute our time, money, and influence. It's a thankless job, so again, really, thank you.
@OldJacketFan thanks for spearheading this conversation and stating your willingness to help.
GTSwarm is a special community to me. I was a broke grad student when I found it. I could barely afford food, let alone a subscription to rivals. So when i found a site that was free (subscription and ads) and had the best information provided by the superhuman Eric, I was so appreciative. We've had so many awesome discussions on this board. I really think it has helped with recruiting and with connecting alumni, students, athletes, families of athletes, and sidewalk fans. If a few people (what's gtswarm's creation story?) can create this community on this site, maybe all of us can work together to create something more valuable, something that structurally changes the way our school operates its AA department.
We all agree that GT is better off with sports. We all agree that we can be much better about how we run the AA. We're smart people who can tap into powerful networks. We have a medium that allows us to communicate for free. And, the one thing Atlanta and GT does better than anyone is form collaborations that are mutually beneficial to parties who may have opposing interests. See, Civil Rights Movement, GT's Co-Op Program, GT-Emory Biomed, 1996 Olympics, Atlanta Beltline, ATDC, etc., etc.
I work in gov't affairs. I have a background in finance and law. I don't have money yet to contribute, but I do have time and specialized knowledge. I know how to lobby, I know how to research, I know how to put pressure on public officials who may stand in our way (I also work with 2 former UGA football players. Very bright guys. I've converted them into GT fans. And i've gained a respect for UGA. UGA and GT don't have to be enemies in all aspects of life. In fact, collaboration between the two schools could make us both better off. there's still room for clean old fashion hate, of course. But our worries about GA's influence with the BOR may be overblown). How can I help? How can we GTSwarm members work together to make GT Sports great again (sorry, it's just such a catchy phrase).
