GW streamlines way to rig the Obama challenge
I, like the rest of you, got an InfoMail today about the new "VolunteerMatch" system that GW is starting to use next Monday. Its a website where you can create an account (or use the one already created for you by the University) and simply log the "hours" of "community service" you've done. It was pretty obvious at the beginning that GW as going to make sure we got the 100,000 hours no matter what, but now the University is pretty much coming out and saying "hey, we're rigging this, and you can help us!". This website will offer no oversight or accountability. What is going to stop someone from putting up hundreds of fake service hours on the website? Nothing. And that's exactly what the admins want. I have a feeling that sometime late next semester there will be a "100,00th" hour party a-la Freshmen Day of Service. However many hours we students actually compile this year will not be known, because its not important. Its not about the hours. Its not about the service. Its about the press, the prestige and getting to brag that we had Michelle Obama as our Commencement speaker.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
I will be logging 25 hours of community service a day, every day.
Nice to see that the Patriot has come around, after condemning YAF for issuing a call against the service initiative in September to echoing YAF in both your print publication and now reiterating demands for accountability.
"Come around"?
Someone want to tell me what is wrong with doing community service? I mean even if we get Michelle, who cares, as long as we are helping people right?
We have nothing against community service, but we don't think GW is really cares about community service at all, hence the criticism.
Why do you think they don't care, they do have an entire office devoted to it
Because GW doesn't care... It's not about helping people it's about prestige and name recognition and all the side benefits of community service.
And I think the Patriot should organize a "Juicy Campus" style strategy against this whole crock of an idea.
Everyone go in and log ridiculously impossible number of hours for days on end. Like Logan said, 25 hours a day, every day.
Last Anon,
That is truly pathetic and an insult to those of us who want to do good community service and see Michelle Obama come to our commencement. I'm a senior and wouldn't mind having someone as intelligent as her come to speak. People are just opposed to this because they don't like her, which is also a pathetic reason for being against it
Anon #nth.
Where did I say I hated community service OR Michelle Obama? My issue with this, which you are obviously too dumb to understand, is that it is becoming very obvious that the University isn't concerned with people doing actual community service.They are concerned with the "milestone".
Your damn right that GWU doesn't care about the actual service as they do the PR and prestige that comes with it (hence camera, bright lights flashing bulbs, and hyperbolized rhetoric about service). But since its rigged I have a solution to prevent fixed service quotas...see below:
If Juicy Campus comes back, does that mean that the Mewtwo threads will be back? If so, and if Juicy Campus gets 100,000 new posts, will Mewtwo speak at Commencement? I'm just saying that the world's most revered pokemon > Michelle Obama in terms of legit commencement. If everyone at GW participates in JC, wouldn't that be a unifying activity?
I bet GW can't rig that one, no matter how hard they try. Mewtwo would just use his poke-powers to enforce legitimacy. So heres my challenge to you GWU: bring back Juicy Campus, Answer the Mewtwo Challenge, give Dr. Knapp an ultra ball and lets catch us the greatest graduation speaker ever.
Viva Mewtwo!
Anonymous
I'm a senior and have done volunteer service as well as work study each year. I would want to log in and count my hours for something...
what if GW continues the tradition and keeps logging hours for the next years (with incentives and some kind of get together for different milestones each year) - will this make it better? obviously GW is doing this for Obama..but why boycott it like idiots this could continue in future years and have a positive impact. If you don't want her as a speaker or are unhappy with the portal, just leave it alone and do no community service or don't log it. Whats the point of boycotting it? What wonderful things are you accomplishing?
Bulbasaur sighting. Fifth floor Gelman stacks.
Counting hours is one thing.
And I actually like Michelle Obama, for the most part. She seems like a very nice lady who wants to bring light to a variety of community service and political issues... Just like almost every other first lady.
I don't like what GW's brass is doing though.... First they are rigging the system. GW will absolutely no matter what reach 100,000 hours no matter what.
Even if GW in reality has done 10,000 hours of what is ACTUAL community service (Political Campaigning is NOT community service... and neither is dozens of the things GW is counting).
There is ZERO accountability on this system and that is my problem with it.... GW could log tens of millions of hours of community service through this site and there is no way to back track and hold accountable each student who submits hours.
If we're going to go through with this ridiculous campaign lets at least be honest, and accurate, in our recording.
Post a Comment
The Patriot accepts anonymous comments [unlike the draconian editors at the Hatchet]. However, we strongly prefer that you USE A NAME. Mostly it's because we don't take anonymous comments seriously, but it's also because we hate bullshit. Have a nice day.