2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: The Golden Rule in action
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
03/06/08 - Yesterday was Karen Blanding's birthday.
It's likely the vast majority of students have never heard of her, but the custodian in the Memorial Union tirelessly picks up after students day after day. Few would know it's her birthday and fewer would bake her a cake.
But Ronzio Pizza employee Nicole Bedard did just that yesterday, delivering Blanding a cake complete with candles. The random act of kindness was just one of many overlooked good deeds that occur every day on campus.
Last night, while the Student Senate was locking horns over who will be the next student body president, two student groups were seeking to help the community a floor below them.
In the 193 Degrees Coffeehouse, the group Schools for Schools sponsored a fundraiser for its mission to help schools in war-torn Uganda. Down the hall in the Ballroom, ZETA put on a concert to raise money for the victims of the Station nightclub fire.
On Monday, Uhuru Sasa will present a teacher appreciation day, and later that week LASA will show a presentation on domestic violence.
It's comforting that in a world filled with apathetic students that some set out with a mission for good. The students should be commended for giving up their precious time for selfless reasons.
It's easy for students to argue they are up to their ears in homework and no time is left for planning events. But there are people and groups each and every day that prove students can have an impact.
Most of the time the impact is small, a few dollars here and a few dollars there. But combined, it equals big money. And, more importantly, it really is the thought that counts. Students who are lazy and uninvolved during college will be lazy and uninvolved after college.
In a world filled with crime, dirty politics and just plain rude people, the world needs college students trained in kindness. Unfortunately, there isn't a Learning Kindness 101 class, meaning students must find their own ways to give back to the community.
Some choose to help organize events, others open their wallets to attend a fundraiser and still others go out of their way to recognize the underappreciated. Whatever the venue, there's a hope that students leaving the university will graduate with more than a degree in journalism, math or political science. Perhaps the next generation of students will leave with a degree in kindness.
It's likely the vast majority of students have never heard of her, but the custodian in the Memorial Union tirelessly picks up after students day after day. Few would know it's her birthday and fewer would bake her a cake.
But Ronzio Pizza employee Nicole Bedard did just that yesterday, delivering Blanding a cake complete with candles. The random act of kindness was just one of many overlooked good deeds that occur every day on campus.
Last night, while the Student Senate was locking horns over who will be the next student body president, two student groups were seeking to help the community a floor below them.
In the 193 Degrees Coffeehouse, the group Schools for Schools sponsored a fundraiser for its mission to help schools in war-torn Uganda. Down the hall in the Ballroom, ZETA put on a concert to raise money for the victims of the Station nightclub fire.
On Monday, Uhuru Sasa will present a teacher appreciation day, and later that week LASA will show a presentation on domestic violence.
It's comforting that in a world filled with apathetic students that some set out with a mission for good. The students should be commended for giving up their precious time for selfless reasons.
It's easy for students to argue they are up to their ears in homework and no time is left for planning events. But there are people and groups each and every day that prove students can have an impact.
Most of the time the impact is small, a few dollars here and a few dollars there. But combined, it equals big money. And, more importantly, it really is the thought that counts. Students who are lazy and uninvolved during college will be lazy and uninvolved after college.
In a world filled with crime, dirty politics and just plain rude people, the world needs college students trained in kindness. Unfortunately, there isn't a Learning Kindness 101 class, meaning students must find their own ways to give back to the community.
Some choose to help organize events, others open their wallets to attend a fundraiser and still others go out of their way to recognize the underappreciated. Whatever the venue, there's a hope that students leaving the university will graduate with more than a degree in journalism, math or political science. Perhaps the next generation of students will leave with a degree in kindness.