Choosing to give
I’d like to comment on a few facts Andrew Pazdon neglected to mention in his poorly researched column, “This little piggy goes too far” (Nov. 9, p. 4). I agree with him that not all students are going to embrace giving with open arms. But that’s not what the “piggy bank initiative” is asking students to do. It simply offers a venue for students who do feel compelled to give back to GW at this point to do so. If you don’t want to participate, then don’t.
I made a gift to the University Scholarship Fund this year as a student, not because I was forced to, but because I acknowledge that I am able to attend such an expensive school thanks to financial aid and scholarships. Nearly three in five students are in the same situation. In this case, we’re talking about coins and an occasional dollar.
Furthermore, instilling the importance of giving before graduation only serves to benefit students. A portion of the U.S News & World Report rankings are based upon alumni participation, where GW’s participation rate among its alumni was a mere 8.5 percent last year. That participation level is less than half of its market basket schools. Improving that rate and GW’s ranking only serves to increase the value of a degree from the University.
In response to his inquisition of how many of the administrators donate a part of their sizable salaries back to the University, I say this: Had he done his research, he would have found that a number of GW professors and administrators actually do give to GW. Approximately 600 gifts came from faculty and staff last year and many gave gifts of $1,000 or more. Professors and administrators do lead by example, so maybe we should too.
Eric Thibault, class of 2011, assistant manager for Colonial Connection. The writer is a former Hatchet staff writer.
Don’t disconnect students
As last week’s article “Professors call laptops a class distraction” (Nov. 12, p.1) describes, many professors have banned laptops from classrooms. However, in today’s culture it is cruel to ban Internet use for long periods of time. Students should be connected to the world, even during lectures.
Personally, I’m connected to the Internet as often as possible. But I don’t just refresh Facebook every thirty seconds. I check my e-mail, the weather, Twitter, political Web sites, blogs, and news aggregates. And I do this all during class.
As a journalism major, I think it’s critically important to keep up with the news as much as possible, even if that means during class time. Breaking news happens fast, and when, for instance, a shooting occurs at Fort Hood, I want to know about it instantly instead of having to wait until after class to hear about it. I want to read the actual tweet announcing that Obama thinks Kanye is a jackass before it is retracted. And I want to discuss all the important political stories that broke that day at dinner with friends. But when I have four classes in a row, all of which ban laptops, I’ve missed a whole day of news and analysis, and I’m rendered uninformed.
Browsing Facebook during class last week, I discovered that a friend was just in a bad car accident. In October, a friend had her baby while I was in class – something I only knew because she tweeted about it. Had I actually been taking notes in class instead of browsing the Internet, I would have missed out on these important events.
When someone is assaulted with a hammer in the Duques bathroom, and I’m in class a floor below, I’d like to hear about it instantly. I’d rather not find out about a crazy guy with a hammer on the loose somewhere in the building the hard way.
Nicole Mann, class of 2012
