Yes, it helps build character.
21% (14 votes)
Yes, but only a small amount.
6% (4 votes)
No, some people don't have the time.
15% (10 votes)
No, volunteering should be done by... volunteers, not be required.
53% (36 votes)
Other.
6% (4 votes)
Total votes: 68
It shouldn't be required for an education, but schools, organizations, and communities do often require it for scholarships they provide. That works for me--why should someone help provide for your education if you're not going to give back to them somehow?
Arizona State has a scholarship that, when I was on it, required out-of-state students to maintain a 3.5 GPA and volunteer 40 hours per semester. In-state students had to maintain a 3.25 GPA and were not required to do volunteer work in the community. I never understood this, and didn't think it was fair. Apparently someone else didn't either. After I graduated, they equalized the standards--by eliminating the volunteer requirement and lowering the GPA requirement to 3.25 for both in and out-of-state students.
I didn't care very much about the GPA. A 3.5 is hard to maintain and I lost my scholarship after 2 years because of it, and a 3.25 isn't exactly an easy accomplishment. But the volunteer hours--it made no sense to me why they would take away that requirement, rather than make sure all students were giving back to the community. It was really sad to see the dramatic drop in students getting involved in the community after that. I loved volunteering and I know I put in far more than 40 hours a semester, even after I lost my scholarship.
But, oh well, it happened after I graduated and I don't even live there anymore. So it's really not worth being bitter over.
read my blogs!
ProU
Not ProU
Some mistakes can't be undone/ it'll never be like it was/ and wishing for it only makes it worse
Rocky Votolato
While I'm a huge fan of volunteering, I don't think it should be coerced. Volunteers who actually WANT to be doing the work are much more useful than a bunch of kids fulfilling a requirement. In my experience, the volunteers who wouldn't be doing it if it weren't required are often MORE work for the organization than they're worth. Not always, but sometimes.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
who where forced to do volunteering for a degree from their college...it was just ridiculous because the "volunteers" actually made more work for us; there was lots of paperwork to do, they rarely showed up when they where suppose to, they didn't know what to do, and they just stood there to get their credit hours; it wasn't helpful at all.
I think anyone who doesn't want to volunteer is going to be more of hindrance then a help; and besides, many students are already way too busy and stressed; adding one more thing on top of that is just crazy. I remember my sister when to the college I'm talking about that forced all the students to volunteer; my sister was a double biology/history major who was doubling up to graduate early, she also had a job and played soccer; she really didn't have time to volunteer, but she had to.
That's stupid. Volunteering should never be coerced.
love ya,
Carrot
I almost said yes.. but then I remembered those people with the crazy school/work schedules who seriously don't have a free moment in the day. Those aren't your prime volunteers. Volunteerwork should be voluntary. If some schools make it required--so be it. But let's keep it at the high school level cuz college life is a lot more hectic and doesn't need more stresses.
~ *~
This is a signature, an automated thingy that pops up when I comment, not a demand to see my blog!
Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
Doesn't forcing someone to do volunteer work for a degree kinda defeat the purpose of volunteering?
Volunteers actually WANT to help. It should stay that way, because it means more...
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
I believe that certain degrees can be greatly enhanced with particularized volunteering requirements such as teaching degrees needing certain hours volunteering at a school or accounting degrees volunteering to aid in tax work with fellow students. I don't like the idea of forcing anyone to volunteer, but if you are offering volunteer opportunities that are related to the fields the students are looking into then I think it can be beneficial.
The Heathen's Guide
LUST (Part I)
LUST (Part II)
Of course Volunteer work should be done by volunteers... sheesh.... you should never have to volunteer. And in order to get a degree? Getting a degree is about learning your trade... not about volunteering. How about checking the stress levels on kids that aren't able to volunteer all the time because they are actually trying to pay for school!!!!
If you are forced to volunteer... are you really putting forth your best effort? No way!!
Jeanna Marie
I'm, apparently, in the minority on this one. I do think that volunteerism should be required to some extent (it doesn't have to be excessive.... just a few hours would make me happy) and I absolutely hate that people complain that they don't have enough time. Bah. Volunteering an hour here or there doesn't take a whole lot of effort; sure you may not be able to go out and party one night or veg in front of the tv another, but it is possible to do it even with an absolutely insane schedule (and I say that from a heck of a lot of personal experience). There are a billion different opportunities out there... certainly enough for everyone to find something that they can do that they can get excited about.
And I'm grumpy today so this probably will come across ruder than intended, but honestly. We obsess over our own lives far too much already, we could all get our heads out of our asses a little more often and focus on someone or something that could benefit from our help. If there were enough people willing to volunteer in the world, adding that requirement to degrees wouldn't be necessary. Unfortunately, we don't have the initiative to do it on our own and we get offended when it's required. Can we please just make up our minds already?
-----
~Fallon~
An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't- A. France
-----
I guess it depends on how it's required. Like, last semester, I was volunteering 4 hours each week at the local hospital, and I was sick by the end of the semester from doing so much for school, work, volunteering, and all my extra-curricular activities. This semester, I actually am taking more classes, am more involved in my extra-curriculars (I actually got a leadership pin tonight for helping out so much for our residence halls organization... that made me really happy), I'm tutoring, and I'm working. But I cut out the volunteering at the hospital, and I'm not as sick and tired anymore.
When I thought about it, though, I volunteer here usually more than 10 hours a week, not including the time I just spend reading blogs and comments. It's waning right now because I'm spending so much time with finals and such, but all the same... I don't see it as something stressing me out, most of the time. I suppose several things go into that... for one, I don't have to travel and really spend money to volunteer here, for another, I can do other things while I'm working on the site (at the hospital, the most I could do during my shift was read, and that was variable depending on how many kids were on the floor), and I don't feel at all obligated to do it.
I dunno... I think volunteering is important, but making it required may not be the best choice... people will enjoy it more if they aren't obligated to do it, and don't have to worry about tracking hours.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
I don't know, I just think a few hours a semester or a year (I would be happy with 5 hours... that's easily doable even for the insanely busy) is better than no volunteerism experience. I wouldn't necessarily even tie it in with the degree, just whatever volunteer activities a student wants to do to meet their hours. I tend to operate on the reality is different than theory belief, so it's nice to have those experiences, even if they are unrelated because of what you personally take away from them, what you bring to them, and the good they do in so many different areas.
-----
~Fallon~
An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't- A. France
-----
I don't think volunteering should be a requirement for any type of grade unless it involves volunteer work. However, I do like the idea of working for grants or scholarships by being a volunteer. A lot of people wouldn't try it unless they felt they had to, but everyone should give a little back to their community. Like everything else, some people would be able to buy their way out of it.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
college sucks. you are paying to sit there and listen to an overpaid educator, who by any rights only knows just as much as they are teaching you about any subject. why pay to do that when you have, at your fingertips, everysingle book that your library can provide? why pay, when the library is free? really you are paying to take a test that says you are certified to talk about a certain subject. really you are just wasting years of your life, all the while paying money out of your pocket. i laugh at you collegiates. i am a librarian. my library is your library.
i hate you all, don't ever read my blogs. they are mine and mine alone. now please continue ignoring most people in existence.
Yours truly,
.demosthenes
Who said I was talking about a college degree? I know plenty of people, myself included, who get a degree without any money out of their own pockets.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
who said anything about you talking about what i said? just you. i didn't say anything regarding anyone specifically. just stating my opinion. just making it known that i disagree with the idea of paying for anything that i can do myself. and i don't do it alone either, i ask people, that i know has real world experience in the subject, i ask them why, and how mostly. most time they can tell me.
oh and by the way. the poll WAS about getting a degree, and having to do slave-labor to do so. read more clearly. & i don't care if it said 'volunteer' most times i did volunteer work, it was MANDATORY. so therefore, it wasn't volunteer work at all.
Yours truly,
.demosthenes
I WROTE the poll. I never said anywhere in the poll 'college degree'. I got my high school degree without paying anything for it. I wrote the poll specifically to exclude 'college', because I didn't want anyone thinking that narrowly about it.
I've also done plenty of volunteer work that wasn't required, including running this website, which I typically dedicate at least 10 hours/week to. I'm sorry you've only done volunteer work that's been required of you...
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Aren't librarians required to have a Masters degree?
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I think it depends what sort of library you work in... pretty sure my sister is only getting like an associates degree. I might be wrong, though.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
guess what? aside from public libraries, there is such a thing as a private one. just another of my two cents.
Yours truly,
.demosthenes
Why are you being so rude? I said it depended on what sort of library you worked in...
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
First off, knowledge is power, and anyway you can get it is wonderful.
I do agree with you that some professors do a horrible job of teaching, and that some classes are truly a joke. However, the best way to retain information and to truly learn it is to interact with it. Discussion and teaching others are some of the best ways to learn something. While not all college classes provide this, the good instructors do.
_________________________________________________
"In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" - Chuck Klosterman, "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs"
http://progressiveu.org/blog/k-moore
Forcing people to volunteer is like forcing them to wash the dishes or go into the military. Volunteering is a wonderful thing, I do it when I can, but I am not everyone. And I understand that often there is a shortage of volunteers, but I think making it mandatory would take the magic out of it, and then it would truly be despised.
_________________________________________________
"In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" - Chuck Klosterman, "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs"
http://progressiveu.org/blog/k-moore
Not to say that you shouldn't do volunteer work, but when people are forced to do it, they blow through it like it's nothing. There's no connection or passion for helping the organization out. Plus a poor attitude could come from it if the person doesn't want to participate and just wants to graduate. It should be an act of will not force.