[6656] in APO-L
Re: Why service requirement?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julie Anne Hazeltine)
Thu Sep 9 18:54:45 1993
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1993 15:01:49 -0400
Reply-To: Julie Anne Hazeltine <V050LP7C%UBVMS.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Julie Anne Hazeltine <V050LP7C%UBVMS.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
>Hmm... this service requirement thing has always been a thorn in every-
>one's side. There is an "up" side to it, but also a "down" side.
>When I was VPS at the University of Buffalo (a long time ago), I didn't
>have a service hour requirement. My aim was to make the srvice projects
>enjoyable enough that I wouldn't have to FORCE brothers (and pledges) to
>participate. I also made sure that there were enough projects (I had one
>almost every weekend) so that EVERYBODY would get a chance to get some
>service hours.
Mark....
We use to have a 50% project requirement....which was fine for when you have
twenty or less projects. That seemed to much when one semester we had more
than that amount. So we changed it to 30hrs and/or 50% to cover the semester of
less work.
>
>While the above seemed like a great idea, it had its drawbacks (as the
>President at the time pointed out to me). First, because there was no
>service hour requirements, he believed that we were sending a sort of
>unspoken message that said "You don't have to show up." This was, in
>part, true. My personal feeling was that I did not want to force people
>to do service. They wouldn't have joined APO if they didn't want to
>do it. The second problem with my policy was that, at the time, our
>chapter was down to about 10 active brothers. So, if somebody didn't
>show up at a service project, it made a difference in our performance.
True...We also felt that "requiring" a set amount of hours/projects also
separates the active from the "dead" wood. And granted at the time we were
down to ten members and every little bit was needed....we are now up to
proximately 65 actives and still we have that requirement (and most likely
will keep it). Why? It comes down to a simple reason....we are dedicated to
SERVICE and we feel that those who are truly interested in being active and
having a say will comply (FLOABW) with this requirement. The down side is like
other LARGE chapters it will fall upon the VPS's shoulders to create a service
program to comply with the 30hrs requirement. If he doesn't we have the 50%
clause to fall back on.
I think having a requirement is not forcing a person to do service. It is a
quideline for a brother to achieve to remain active. Other groups that are
service oriented on campus require a "minimum" amount of service to "remain
active" within that organization.
>So... to sum it all up: Having no requirement for service hours WILL WORK
>with a large chapter (where you have plenty of manpower). It will also
>work with chapters that have many service projects (so even if you HAD a
>requirement, it would be fufilled). This policy will not work too well,
>however, if your chapter is small and service projects are few and far
>between.
I agree....but I also would like to add that it will work with large chapters
as to create a criteria for active membership.
>Marc Boffardi
>Former brother of Epsilon Sigma (University of Buffalo)
>(now residing at SUNY New Paltz)
In Leadership, Friendship, and SERVICE,
Julie
********************************>% SNIP! %<************************************
Julie A. Hazeltine
Alpha Phi Omega Tact, [n.], 1.) "the art of making a point
Epsilon Sigma without making an enemy"- Howard Newton
The Independents 2.) "consists in knowing how far to go
VP Faculty Student Assoc. too far."- Jean Cocteau. 3.)" the
STUDENT ability to give a person a shot in the
UNIVERSITY at Buffalo arm without letting him feel the
needle." -O.A. Battista
