Some people do charity work every day, some do it every week, some do it “when they have the time” and some have only done it in the past- some haven’t done it at all. Those of us that have may do it from the goodness of our hearts while others just do it for resume fluff.
While we can all do something individually, a business or institution can do a lot more by “putting its weight” behind a cause or organization. For example, Starbucks has been noted for its use of ethically-harvested coffee, being proud participants of National Service Month and supporting the GLBTQ community. The company has more attention-grabbing (as well as financial) power than most if not all of its employees combined. As such, we wondered if it is time for MU to step up and do something similar, since the University has made no publicly declared endorsements.
It would be great for the image of the University, saying it would be nice to see the University come out behind one major cause and push for its success. The same member pointed out that multiple causes could be supported at different times, varying the organizations to which support is given.
Though good things are done for some better-known organizations like The American Cancer Society, more could be done in the community. In addition to beach clean-ups and local food pantries, there are likely many different ways for students to help in nearby towns. If such opportunities were made known to the student body then it would be easier to do good deeds in our community. Also, this would improve the social image of the University, potentially turning this great school into a well-known and admired name across the country. Periodic emails or flyers throughout campus could be good ways of notifying students that these opportunities exist.
Regardless of what the student body does, the institution itself could be a very powerful supporter if it chose to publicly assist a specific charity. Considering the fact that many clubs and Greek organizations support charities that supporting these groups should be enough considering that, without the University, those groups would not exist, it could be argued that the University is, in fact, doing enough.
Regardless, Greek organizations are obviously going to do charity work because , if they didn’t, they can be accused of being nothing more than drinking clubs. Attendance at their events is never mandatory and sometimes one frat will boycott another frat’s event. If the University seriously wants their Greek organizations to make a difference then they administration should enforce that events be mandatory for all Greek members.
Given the plethora of causes and charitable organizations, it may be difficult for the University to support any one in particular. Simply having the Voluntering Center in the basement of Anacon shows more charity involvement than many other colleges and universities. Having that resource available is a great start.
While we could argue about whether or not the University should get involved for hours, one thing remains true; the impact and support rallied by official support from Monmouth University can be exponentially greater than what our student organizations can accomplish on campus.