One of the main motivations I can identify for social change is the interconnectedness of societal problems. My experience at Ohio State, especially within Greek Life, has shown me that one group’s issue can quickly become the community’s issue. Take for example when a fraternity finds itself in trouble for having an open party that hasn’t been properly monitored and it ends up getting out of control and someone ends up drinking too much and goes to the hospital, or even just goes back to the dorms and causes some mayhem. If it isn’t Beta that is having the party then should this really affect me? Absolutely, everyone in this group has seen the issues that arise after an incident like this—the whole Greek community takes a step back; it hurts us in the eyes of the university, alumni, and parents and is a setback to some of the long-term goals, like non-deferred recruitment and sorority and fraternity houses counting as campus housing, that we have. So, from situations like this it becomes easy to see how when one group or individual loses the entire group is hurt.
Before coming to Ohio State I took a much more individualistic approach to social change, the kind that the book refers to as a Band-Aid approach. Sometimes I would volunteer at a soup kitchen or a church’s fish fry, but never in a collaborative effort or with any higher goals in mind than getting through the day. However, it’s impossible to be on this campus for too long without seeing a student group that has a definite goal and utilizes the vast array of resources, and people, here. Seeing this makes you realize that while your own personal sphere of influence may not extend very far, it extends exponentially every time you enlist someone to help you in your cause. Seeing how much further the impact of a group can go than that of a lone individual has definitely helped to shape my approach into more community than self based.
No comments:
Post a Comment