presidential platform breakdown
So the word clouds were fun, but I like to sink my teeth into a good, meaty platform and tear it to pieces. That’s actually how MikeSmit.com got started with its DSU Election coverage. This post covers only Zimmerman and Snow; this isn’t a slight toward Debogorski, he simply hasn’t finished his platform yet. Depending on the timing, hopefully I can cover him as well.
It gets long, so I’ll offer a few awards and then move the discussion to after the jump.
- Hardest to mock: Snow
- Worst writing: Zimmerman
- Easiest for non-politico to understand: Zimmerman
- Most concrete ideas: Snow
- Lamest platform plank: demanding a written school cancellation policy which… already exists. (Zimmerman)
- Highest density of jargon: Snow
- Nicest summary: Zimmerman (most people aren’t going to read the 2000 word platform; she summarizes her key points on the first page of her website).
Read a detailed breakdown of both platforms at the Read More link. Note that for the GOOD parts of their platforms, you’ll have to read their websites (Snow | Zimmerman), here I focus on the negative. 
Shannon Zimmerman
I have a lot of respect for Zimmerman, she has a long history with the DSU, has given hundreds if not thousands of hours in volunteer time, and is generally well-liked. I do know her personally, though our time at the DSU didn’t overlap by very long.
By all reports she’s been strong in the candidate forums, according to her blog she’s been talking to all kinds of students, and the folks here at punditry.ca haven’t given her a bad time – an excellent campaign.
… except this written platform. Seriously, what’s up with it? It’s vague, it’s cookie-cutter, it uses mostly passive language… It isn’t without its virtues, but I expected better. Much better.
I’ll pull out some examples below, many of them light-hearted, but seriously: consider fixing it, it’s not too late.
Overall
A lot of the “platform” is actually describing what some of the less-familiar concepts mean. I appreciate that.
A lot of the “platform” is just saying “I won’t undo X, which is already done”. I don’t appreciate that.
Constant mention of “Shannon will…” is annoying.
“Connected”
“Right now, the DSU website is terrible. It doesn’t have the ability to work the way students want it to. Shannon wants an overhaul of the website so that students can actually use it whether it’s for societies, events or just info.”
You aren’t the only candidate saying this, but I’m putting my comment here: I think this is crap. The implication here is that students would flock to the website if only it were overhauled.
Here’s a fact: Right now, punditry.ca is averaging 33% more traffic than dsu.ca. Here’s another fact: 77% of the dsu.ca number is search engines crawling the site to index it, as opposed to the 100% real users on punditry.ca. An unfair comparison perhaps, but making the DSU website pretty or easy to use or whatever is not going to solve the problem. If you get lots of content that people find interesting, you might get them to show up. But it’s out of their way, it’s not on their radar screen. If you really want to publicize student events and student info, put it up on my.dal. People go there.
Re: events, why exactly are students not using TigerEvents? It’s been what, 4 years, has anyone asked this basic question and made changes accordingly? Nope.
Finally, isn’t this going to be completely delegated to the VP Internal anyway? Both of them have it in their platform (and therefore deserve a similar scolding).
The University thinks they know what’s best for students when it comes to communicating through websites. Shannon believes that students know what’s best for them and that the DSU is the best avenue for making a website for students.
You ARE the only candidate saying this part, and I think it’s nuts. In the month of February 2009, dsu.ca displayed about 5000 pages. Sadly the last data I have for dal.ca is April 2006, but in that month they displayed about 4.7 million pages. That’s from www.dal.ca only. Question: what margin of total domination is required to change your mind? Why can’t we put student content on a Dal page, like my.dal?
“With Shannon as President, the DSU will continue its full support of the t-room”
Any OTHER person as candidate would BURN IT TO THE GROUND.
“Board of Governor’s”
You’ve sat as one of three student representatives on this body for two full years now. How did you miss the fact that there is no apostrophe?
“The DSU President gives a report to the Board of Governor’s at every meeting. Shannon will use this report to bring student issues to the forefront…”
Every other president, on the other hand, has used it to discuss the latest episodes of American Idol.
“one of whom has to be a Graduated student,”
Sigh. The first and only mention of graduate students, and you call them “graduated students”. I weep.
“Faculty Societies make up a huge portion of DSU societies”
I disagree; there are 11 Faculties, and typically 200-odd societies. 5% is not “huge”.
“Having discussions with the Deans it can help find ways of better educating and promoting events…” “Uniformed Grading Schemes” “During the next Executives term” “ all students who are eligible to vote can their voices heard.”
Jeez, your writing has just gone to hell here.
“Sustainable”
“will focus on gather information”, “This process it will help determine”, “the Office is using its resources to their best of its ability”…
I take it back, your writing is pretty consistently in the neighbourhood of hell.
For example, all DSU advent advertisements should be printed on recycled paper.
I look forward to the annual DSU Advent Celebration each year. I loves me some chocolate advent calendars, especially.
“Community”
“The University has no written policy explaining what they take into consideration when deciding to close the school during inclement weather… As President, Shannon will demand that the University create a written policy”
You mean like this one? stormclosure.pdf It’s not the up-to-date policy on the Senate website, but Tom Traves is on record AFTER the new policy passed describing the criteria and they are consistent.
PROTIP: campaign promises I can solve in 90 seconds of Googling probably aren’t good ones.
By the way, every single student at the University of Alberta thinks you all need to sack up re: school closure.
“Cross Campus Sustainability”
… why is this under “community” and not, say, “sustainability”?
“As President, Shannon will ensure that all printers across campus are defaulted to double-sided printing.”
So about the money to replace the printers not capable of this… does this come out of YOUR budget? It’s not a terrible idea, but sounds a little grandiose. Hey, did you know grad students are required to bring 5 single-sided copies of their thesis to the Faculty of Grad Studies in order to graduate? Plus however many copies it takes to get their formatting right? How about you start by getting rid of that policy (good luck) before you put grad students in a position where they have to go to Kinko’s.
This IS, however, a concrete idea, and I appreciate that part of it…
“Work has been done by the Diversity Committee to introduce Single Stall Bathrooms on the third floor of the SUB and Shannon will continue to work towards making sure there is dedicated funding in the budget and that renovations happen.”
So… you won’t actively work to undo the work of the diversity committee? That’s pretty decent of you.
“Shannon will invite Dr. Traves to attend any council meeting and answer students questions.”
That’s 30 seconds of your new job. What do you plan to do with the remaining 31,556,896 seconds?
Eric Snow
I have a lot of respect for Snow, he has a long history with the DSU, has given hundreds if not thousands of hours in volunteer time, and is generally well-liked. I do know him personally, and once in a while we fight about DSU policy or bitch about federal politics.
His platform was actually pretty solid – I suspect his years of reading the site, including 2 years as a candidate, taught him about Things That Incur Wrath. His platform is not comprehensive, but instead offers a few thoughts towards achieving 5 objectives. Ok.
There’s vagueness there – isn’t there always – but every so often you hit a concrete idea, like “I will increase the grants budget”. I like quick, easy, firm commitments that are well within your power to achieve.
Of course, it’s not without its flaws. Read on.
“Too often, the DSU is perceived to be an organization made up of a few insiders who make all the decisions. In order to accurately represent the interests of students, we have to work harder at reaching out to individual students and societies…”
So you start by saying its a perception problem, but then offer solutions like its an actual problem. Which is it?
“Make 24 hour study space for all students, including research areas for graduate students, a top priority for the university administration”
Did you know I started beating this drum back in 2002-2003? We made some progress on it, too. Where’s your idea on how to do this?
“Work to make the data from teaching evaluations available to students, and ensure that the evaluations are duly considered and acted upon”
Eric, meet the Dalhousie Faculty Assocation. DFA, Eric. Evaluations of tenured professors will never be acted on. There’s no “ensuring” you can do there. Dal unions do not like anything that sounds like “performance evaluations”. I once saw a Dean try to address poor teaching practices in the Faculty, and the DFA (and therefore parts of the administration) fought him incessantly.
“Continue to pursue a uniform grading policy to address grading discrepancies at the department level”
You escaped my wrath by adding “department level” here – some time ask Jen Bond how I feel about grading policies enforced university-wide.
“Address the flaws in the current academic integrity discipline process, in consultation with the Student Advocacy Service”
What are these flaws? Why be so vague when you could be specific instead?
“… to make sure every student is entitled by due process”
Aha! A writing mistake, I knew I’d find one eventually.
“The DSU has always been a leader in our external lobbying organizations”
Well THAT’S flatly untrue. We sometimes get internally-focused presidents who don’t give a shit about external lobbying and ignore it. Not in recent years, granted.
“Stick to student issues and current lobbying organizations, while keeping the focus first and foremost on the home front”
I don’t even know what this means. The first part is about CASA versus CFS, but what’s this business about the home front? War metaphors have no place on a university campus, sir.
“expand upon existing graduate student policies in CASA.”
Ha. The CASA graduate student policies I’m familiar with suck. I’d recommend replacing “expand upon” with “slash, burn, replace”.
“Explore options to conduct comprehensive sustainability audit of the DSU, especially the SUB, to see where improvements can be made.”
Gee, exploring options, to see what you might potentially possibly be able to do? Don’t tire yourself out.
“Gather student feedback to improve food services on all three campuses”
Yeah, who *isn’t* promising that. Even Debogorski agrees with you on that one, and he doesn’t agree with you on anything.
Create a Student Advisory Committee on Sustainability to bring together societies and groups working on sustainability initiatives
Right, because what we need is *another* sustainability group on campus. I can’t imagine a world where instead of bringing people together it becomes a whole separate group.
Yes, seriously. Any or ALL of you who mention grading policies need to have a long talk with myself, Mike and/or Jen about why anything more than department-level policies are possibly the worst idea ever. I’m not kidding. Jen, Curtis McGrath and many others can recount the hours of time spent and pizza consumed at Academic/External committee meetings discussing this point.
I am very, very wary… and also now strangely nostalgic. Jen, when I’m in Halifax for convocation want to get together in the boardroom with Lisa, Mike and whoever else is around and talk about differential fees and proportional support for international students or something for a while? Just for old times sake?
Which candidate is the Christian one?
@John the Baptist
If only this was Liberty or BYU… what do you think their student union elections are like? Hmm…
I can see it now.
<3 Shannon and Dr. Traves are now friends.
<3 Shannon and Dr. Traves are In a Relationship.
<3 Dr. Traves changed his relationship status to It’s Complicated.
[ ] Dr. Traves left the My5 network.
Sounds great. I say invite him to AGM 2: Electric Boogaloo.
That’s cool though, that your plan for the administration is to write down his phone number and invite him to DSU meetings. That’s some hard-hitting stuff you’ve got there.
The DSU website is very important to you Shannon, and I know this because you mention it twice in your platform:
Given that Mike already shredded the “DSU is the best avenue” point above, I’ll focus on this instead: what specifically would you do to improve the current DSU website, TigerEvents, TigerSociety et al? Anyone can see what they’re flawed, but before you go hat in hand begging for development money, I want to know what your plan is to make them an online student utopia.
We must give the student administration inspectors time to do their work.
There is no evidence that the Dalhousie Administration will continue ignore the ineffectual and limp wristed Student Union Presidents. We have every reason to believe that the President of the University will avail himself to sit down at all council meetings to hear the grievance of his peasants.
We must must let the inspectors do their job!
@Bobbing For Details
Obviously she is going to make the DSU website handicap accessible and round the fuck out of some of those sharp corners. Clippy might lose an eye on some of those edges.
Like “We’re going to work really hard to lower tuition guys!” this promise has come up in every DSU election I can remember.
Like “We’re going to work really hard to lower tuition guys!” the executive has consistently failed to deliver.
Clearly empty promises resonate with the voters, but what assurance can you actually give us that things will change?
@David Kelly
Gregory has a similar system available but in the form of direct democracy and then the will of the students can be presented to the administration with the full backing of the Union! None of this hug-and-feel-you-elected-me-to-represent-you-but-I-do-not-want-to-step-on-any-toes-so-I-will-make-you-show-up-to-the-meeting–the-person-in-question-will-not-even-show-up-to stuff.
Despite your ludicrous attack on the handicapped, the DSU site is handicap accessible, I point you at http://dsu.ca/accessibility-info. Do not let this stop you from learning how to read though.
I think it is important to ask which of the Presidential Candidates are in favour of letting the DawgFather continue to operate on the piece of public property outside of the DSU or will the DSU’s War on Hot Sausage for Students continue?
That’s a good question. There’s plenty of talk about alternative food options for students, which candidate will be the first to tell the Dawgfather that it’s okay, that you want his sausage in their mouths?
To be frank, I think that the Dawgfather is the only safe meat on campus. The rest will give you the clap or mumps.
Despite the oversight on the existence of a written policy, I understand what Shannon is driving at regarding school closures and I’ve talked to her about why I share her concerns. The Gazette has also provided coverage on the issue, which suggests to me that it is something on the minds of students.
I’ve been at this school for seven years and have never witnessed such erratic school (non-)closures as I have since January of this year. One morning I wake up, look out the window, and everything appears fine (clear sidewalks and roads; it was raining, but when has Dal ever closed for rain?). My sister happens to call me just as I’m about to leave for school to tell me the place is closed until 11:00am. It would never have occurred to me to check the website and I would have arrived to a locked building, just as the student in the Gazette article did. Many professors canceled classes scheduled for the afternoon despite the school re-opening.
Another morning, I look out the window and the sidewalks are like skating rinks, so I check the website. Nothing. I walk to school and moments before I arrive, two cars collide on the corner of Edward and University, probably because the roads were nearly as slippery as the sidewalks.
Yet another day (February 3, to be exact), I’m at school when it starts snowing quite heavily around lunchtime. When I left campus at 1:30, the roads were so slick that the bus wouldn’t go down South Street and was re-routed. SMU closed. MSVU closed. I’ve since heard that the shopping mall closed. Dal is open for business! I had a report from a fellow Councillor who spoke to Tom Traves directly about that particular day. He said something to the effect of, “The weather didn’t turn terribly bad until after 4:00 anyway.” The fact that there are evening classes on campus didn’t seem to have occurred to him. He also suggested that if students were unable to get transportation home, they could stay at school. Where, exactly? Dr. Traves has got a big house with a few extra rooms. Perhaps I’ll pay him a visit should I ever become stranded on campus.
The fact of the matter is that this is an issue of student safety, as well as faculty and staff safety. Based on my observations, the current policy does not provide any sense of predictability as to when school will be closed, and, I would suggest, does not function with the safety of students in mind. The school’s historic reluctance to close for inclement weather also puts pressure on professors to make a judgment call as to whether they should cancel their class even though the school is open. So, yes, there may be a policy, but I don’t think it’s terribly helpful.
@Lisa Buchanan
See, a request to review application of the existing policy makes sense. If only she had consulted you when writing the platform.
As far as I can tell, U of A’s policy is “we’re open for business; you’re adults, make your own call”. I recognize, of course, the different climate here makes things simpler.
@Mike Smit
Just because U of A has a fairly reckless policy on this type of thing shouldn’t really be relevant to Shannon’s critique. Lisa gives a great summary of why we do need a consistent policy for campus, as that, currently does not exist.
Otherwise, a fair assessment. I don’t think you give enough credit to ease of understanding for outsiders. I am not part of the dsu clique and don’t understand a lot of the “dsu” jargon that takes place on this site or at the debate. I probably represent about 95% (or more) of students on campus. Therefore, having a platform that is easily digestible by everyone should be high priority for all candidates.
@Ann Elizabeth Beringer
Um, yeah…kinda. Only if we get to order veggie pizza from King of Donair. I can probably dig up Mike’s thesis on why uniform grading policies are the devil.
Double post…everyone scream! I’m sure I’m being awfully taboo.
@Change We Can’t Believe In
You’re not wrong, food choice on campus has been a campaign topic for many a DSU exec hopeful. To say that nothing has changed, though, is simply incorrect. Both the quality of the food and the number of options available has drastically increased since I arrived at Dal in 2002. When I lived in residence, the food rules were practically Draconian. If you couldn’t make it to the meal hall within the prescribed time window, you didn’t eat. I had a whole semester where I didn’t eat dinner on Wednesdays because of my class schedule. Now, there are late night food options for res students (I don’t know how well it works, but at the very least the problem has been identified). This is just one example. Actually, I just thought of another. You couldn’t get anything more substantial than a muffin in the law school until *last year*. This might not seem like a big deal, but there are law students who don’t venture out of Weldon ever. I’m glad that they are now at less of a risk of getting scurvy.
The most remarkable change has been in the SUB, which is obviously where the DSU has the most direct power of change. I lived on tuna sandwiches every day of my first summer as an exec not because I love mercury, but because that was simply the only option that was palatable in the SUB. (And this was after the food had gotten *much* better, by all estimations). Hot food that wasn’t enrobed in a bun? Didn’t exist. Booster Juice? Nope. A Tim Horton’s that had a full menu (i.e: not just donuts)? Only in our wildest dreams.
This is not to say that there can’t or shouldn’t be improvements, especially on Carleton and Sexton campuses. There is obviously also the issue of price, which right now is too high for many items. I suppose it’s all about framing. Perhaps if the candidates recognized in their platforms that this is an ongoing “work in progress” and vowed to keep abreast of what was working for students and what wasn’t, then it wouldn’t seem like a hollow campaign promise? I’m not sure. I’m also not sure that that us a stance which rolls trippingly off the tongue. All I do know is that it *is* still a big deal and it *is* something I want my executive tuned to.
@David Kelly & @Facepalm
Actually, a number of years back (my fellow pundits will likely recall this), Traves did attend a regular meeting of Council, heard concerns raised by Councillors and other students, and answered questions on the record. I appreciated that he took the time to meet with us. The last time he met with us formally was during the Student Space “Referendum” of 2007. We haven’t really seen hide nor hair of him since then. Of course, there was the annual reception at his house for Councillors and the University VPs, but it was on February 3 (that day I was telling you about where everything else in the city had shut down because of a snow storm), so I don’t believe it was very well-attended. Last year’s reception was postponed indefinitely (or I wasn’t invited).
From what I’ve heard, there has been very little interaction between Larkin and Traves this year, and I’m unsure of the reason for this. Mike Tipping may be able offer some insight on what the relationship was like the year before.
It might not be hard-hitting, but I think it’s important that the President of the any student union and the President of their university have a reasonably close working relationship with one another.
@Lisa Buchanan
The Student Space “Referendum” was Tom Travis’ last try at conning the clueless DSU council into doing his bidding and it didn’t work, so why should he return your Christmas cards?
Why on earth would you expect the students to back closing down the last decent place to have a beer on campus? That is all Dalhousie needs on campus, another place labeled a “Study” area and all it is used for is Facefucker and Twitter.
@Dal Drinking Society
And subsequently… Dalhousie stills loses the Gradhouse without a promise to rebuild it… unlike the referendum had guaranteed. Aw, shucks… I guess that’s what being uninformed gets you!
@Lisa Buchanan
Can Lisa be a write in candidate for president?
@Bobbing For Details
I’m personally hoping that any and all website promises are more in regards to tiger societies and tiger events than the dsu.ca website. I’m ashamed to admit this but I find dsu.ca half decent to use what with the big idiot proof buttons and all.
I might be reading between the lines – but I want the candidates to come out and say that they plan on integrating tiger events and societies within the DSU website.
Food Service on Sexton… I would love something other than the cute little food cart we have. My mom tells me about the glory days of the T-Room having full food service.
I’d just like the Dawgfather to know that he can hide out on sexton for a while if things ever get too hot up on Studley.
@Lisa Buchanan
I think you misunderstood the nature of my comment. Having a close working relationship with the Dalhousie administration is a very good thing. 20 seconds with Google found me Tom Traves’ phone number. Talk to your friendly Rogers rep and you too can have an empty campaign promise. Building an actual working relationship takes just a teensy bit more work.
There you have your problem – Lisa gave the good defense. A platform is as much about EXPRESSING an idea as it is about coming up with an idea in the first place. The plank, as expressed in the platform, ranges somewhere between “useless” and “redundant”. My criticism, I think, was spot on. I have no doubt that if I sat down with both candidates they could take each of my points and explain what they REALLY meant, but that’s not what this exercise is about.
That’s not me being nitpicky, by the way. The president is the official spokesperson of the Union, it’s reasonable to expect them to express their ideas well. And if she sent a request worded the same way to the Administration, they’d email back their existing policy and say “Done.”
@Lisa Buchanan
On the school closure issue — I actually remember that specific day you refer to, Lisa, when everyone expected the school to close and it just wouldn’t. I was at work at Student Services all day that day; exchanged some emails with the exec from Sodales so that we could cancel our meeting that night, and at least half of the people working at Student Services (academic advisors et al) left early. We got a call I think around 1:30 from the VP Finance and Administration’s office that the school would close at 5. The atmosphere in the office that day was pretty interesting — everyone was looking for a reason to go home early, all kinds of students were coming in or calling to cancel appointments, and there was some amount of celebration when I relayed the message from Ken Burt’s office that the school would actually close (after our office would be closed, anyway).
IOW, yeah, I think this is a real issue and it has been a problem this year.
Single stall bathrooms = good idea in principle, stupid in execution.
The SUB needs the current number of 3rd floor bathrooms, or more, to host events/conferences. Taking away bathrooms will lessen this ability. Bathrooms are expensive to build/change/add.
If you want a single stall go to the mgmt building or across the street to the FASS.
Spend DSU money elsewhere/
@Past Finance
On a similar note the NSPIRG office contains a single-stall washroom… I’m not sure it is still there, though it was as of a year ago.
It was, they have to share it with DASSS and DSS….they have on occasion hot boxed it (PIRG idiots).
Once upon a time there was a great plan drawn up by some students and Mr. Pat Martin to cut Gazette space/darkroom, the big room and make a pile of smaller offices for societies……..
@Past Finance
If this office space plan had been undertaken and I had never had to share an office with NSPIRG (which I did for two years as a DASSS exec) I might have some kinder thoughts for them… if only.
@Ann Elizabeth Beringer
The bathroom is still there. When I was on DASSS I felt uncomfortable crossing their side of the office (dirty glares from a grubby hippy can be surprisingly intimidating) and instead used the ones out in the hallway.
@jonesy
Pretty much same issues here. It was especially uncomfortable after I opted out…
Pretty sure this is all written by someone whose name starts and ends with ‘e’
I’m a little shocked at your intolerance. Someone tries to clean up the sh!t-sandwich that is the DSU and you get all in their face. This person definitely has the right thing in mind, and I’m a little surprised that everyone here just assumes that english is everyone’s first language.
Learn to respect other cultures, you might find you have something to learn from them instead of just sucking on the Tom Traves teat all the time.
Random side note of things that really annoy Tommy T:
Asking for your international differential fee back every year as a form of reparation payment for the take over/taxing/looting of Mainers (my relatives among them) during the War of 1812 which were then used to found Dalhousie University.
Suck on that teat.
Eddie? Eugene? Elise? Elsie? Eloise? Estelle? Eve?
… Ezra Edelstein?
@Past Finance
I am currently chair of the Committee for the Promotion of Diversity on Campus and have been trying to get gender-neutral washrooms in the SUB for the past three years in my capacity as LGBTQ community rep. This is a matter of safety and accessibility for the transgender community. The committee also hopes that the new facilities will include baby-changing stations to better serve those using the SUB who have small children.
The renovations to the third floor washrooms will not reduce the number of facilities. Originally, I believed that it would be as simple as changing the signs on the doors, until I learned that while the women’s washroom has only one toilet, the men’s washroom has a toilet and two urinals. The committee met with Pat Martin, Director of Facilities Operations, a number of months ago and learned that because of the floor’s capacity requirements, the renovation would be significant in order to maintain the current number of facilities. [As for the washroom in the NSPIRG/DASSS/DSS office, it is really only accessible by those who use the office.]
Washrooms are one of the most daunting environments for members of the transgender community. Many transfolk feel unsafe when using a gender-specific washroom for fear that another person will feel they do not belong there based on their physical appearance. What if a member of the DSU’s staff is going through gender transition and having difficulty “passing”? Are you going to make that employee go to another building to use the washroom? Seeing as DalOUT hosts events in the SUB almost every week and has a growing membership from the trans community, and the DSU’s mission is to “represent the diverse interests of Dalhousie students,” I believe it is important that the DSU recognize that operating under a gender-binary is archaic, and provide gender-neutral washroom facilities.
Over Reading Week, the committee asked Pat Martin to contact Facilities Management for an estimate on the renovations. Based on their assessment, the renovation will not have to be as significant as we originally thought. The estimate is that the renovations will cost a maximum of $5000 and are more likely to be in the $3000 range.
This year, Council approved going over-budget on capital expenditures. As a result, there are very few things on the cap ex “waiting list”. For this reason, I believe that this is an ideal time to move forward with making the SUB more welcoming to transgender students, faculty, staff, and guests of the SUB. Expenditures that improve safety and accessibility, to my mind, are some of the most important things on which the DSU can spend its money.
@Lisa Buchanan
Well explained, Lisa!