Student Expectations Causing Grade Disputes

In my Rhetorical Theory class, the subject of student expectations in terms of their grades was brought up. My professor gave us an article from the New York Times full of information and theories to consider. Apparently the main issue is regarding students believing they deserve higher grades than what they are receiving.

A professor from the University of Maryland says that he has students who claim their grades do not reflect their effort and hard work. He believes these complaints are revolved around their sense of entitlement. In other words, students feel if they show up to class every day and do what is required of them, then they deserve a good grade. A third of students surveyed at the University of California expect at least B's for attending class regularly and completing required readings and assignments.

Another professor, also the leading author of the study "Self-Entitled College Students" noticed an increase of entitlement in her students and was curious in figuring out why. She suggests that this sense of entitlement could be related to parental pressure, competition with peers, and achievement anxiety.

A professor from the University of Wisconsin offers the theory that entitlement stems from student's K-12 experiences. He supports his theory by pointing out that during this time they become ultra -efficient in test preparation, and this hyper-efficiency has led them to look for ways to get high scores. My first thought on the matter agrees with this theory. Only I think it extends a little more further than this. All schools are different, but anyone who attended the same schools as I did, can vouch for the fact that effort did in fact get you a good grade. If a teacher recognized struggling with course material, your grade reflected how much effort you put in. If they knew you were trying your best, you received a good grade, regardless the quality of work.

The dean at Vanderbilt University claims that students often confuse their level of effort with the quality of their work. He recognizes the student mentality that "if I work hard, I deserve a high grade." As a student, I know this is true. Maybe not with everyone, but I have heard it enough between friends, peers, and just overhearing students complaining. This kind of mentality does not just appear out of nowhere, it stems from a place where it was once reinforced.

$7,490,133.87 FOR THE KIDS!

This past weekend was the 46 hour no sleeping and no sitting dance marathon for pediatric cancer. Penn State's THON broke the record and raised almost $1 million more than last year. This is nothing short of amazing, impressive, and admirable. Anyone who was a part of THON, whether is was just donating, raising money, or actually a part of THON weekend in University Park, should be proud to have made a difference in this outstanding total.

I unfortunately did not have the privilege of being in the Bryce Jordan Center, but after canning and helping raise money the past two semesters, I wanted to stay connected to what was going on somehow. The THON website is great. Throughout the course of the weekend, people were able to go to a THON blogging site where the dancers posted what was going on from their perspective as it was happening. There was also a camera broadcasting THON live in the Bryce Jordan Center, which also provided pictures that were tagged as "taken 3 seconds ago... taken 6 seconds ago..." etc.

Penn State's football coach, Joe Paterno, came on stage and spoke to the dancers and moralers that were there this weekend. Whether you're a Joepa fan or not, he said some things that really expressed the energy in the Bryce Jordan Center during those 46 hours. He said, "I wish the whole world could see and feel what's in this room right now; love, commitment, and dedication. It just reeks from this room." Later, he also said, "In my 58 years at Penn State, I've never been more proud than right now. God bless every single one of you. And I hope you will remember what you can achieve later on in life, what you've achieved here for yourselves, the people you've helped, and how proud you've made everyone connected to Penn State. God bless every single on you." And of course, the end of his speech concluded with the famous "WE ARE...PENN STATE" chant.

The dancers, those who remained on their feet for the entire 46 hours, are absolutely amazing. Hopefully these individuals will inspire more people to become involved in some way, and next year's total will be even bigger... FTK!!

MySpace versus Facebook

The majority of people my age have either a myspace or facebook account, or both. People argue all the time about which is better, which I believe to be insignificant. Facebook and myspace are just the current generation's form of communication via technology. Key words: current generation. It may seem a little ridiculous from certain perspectives, but it is what it is. 

Facebook started off in 2004, originally designed for college students. A lot of people complained who couldn't join, but it soon became available for everyone. That kind of defeated the purpose, but I guess they had to step up their game to compete with myspace. Myspace has almost 110 million users and is known as the largest social networking site on the internet. I'm probably going to use the word creepy several times throughout the rest of my blog, and I have a good feeling the majority of readers, those who are active users of either network, will understand what I'm talking about. I feel like a large amount of user profiles on myspace are annoying bands and/or creepy 40 year old men who enjoy lurking young girl's profiles. That is probably a biased opinion and not really fair, I get it. But nonetheless, there is a reason myspace consists primarily of one generation; once you hit a certain age, you should probably stick with your generations form of communication. I apologize to anyone in a band who uses myspace as a promotional tool, but tone it down a few notches, we're not all interested in being your friend and checking out your shows. 

I liked the concept of facebook being strictly for college students. It was less creepy and seemed more plausible as a social networking site for college students. I have friends on facebook who don't go to college, so they probably won't like this next opinion, but you win some and you lose some. There needs to be restrictions to avoid the creepiness, and even though facebook is ten times better in my opinion, it seems to be becoming more like myspace everyday. Each site has so many similar applications, soon it's going to be hard to tell them apart. 

We can probably all agree that facebook can be pretty distracting between pictures, bumper stickers, games, etc., but that's kind of the whole idea. I've waisted so many hours of my life doing pointless things on facebook, and I love every minute of it. We need those simple guilty pleasures in life that are insignificant. I don't always want to pick up a book or a newspaper when I'm bored or need a break from school. Sometimes I just need to do nothing that is entertaining. The idea of facebook being a place for college friends and a source of networking with people in your classes or field makes is seem less insignificant. 

I received a friend request from a family member, many many many years older than me, and I just can't find the point. Older people should have the same rights as younger generations, blah blah, but why do they want all the same rights? I understand certain parents joining facebook to stay in contact with their kids and their kid's friends, and professors who want to stay in contact with students and other faculty, but if you're over the age of 40 and get the same pleasure browsing photo albums and bumper stickers as a college student avoiding writing a paper or waiting for class to end, you might want to reevaluate the time you have on your hands. I like the idea of my parents not understanding certain things I do, they're not supposed to. That's the difference between generations, and that's what makes things interesting. If we listened to all the same music as our parents, wore the same clothes, and were friends with all the same people, I would probably want to cut off my big toe. I love trying to explain things to my parents and seeing their reactions, or watching them attempt to text message, or trying to make sense of the things on the internet that I find amusing; it's amusing in and of itself. 

Higher Education and Civic Engagement

Being a student at Penn State, I'm well aware of the amount of civic engagement that occurs on and off campus. I think it's interesting when I talk to my friends who attend community colleges and find out how less engaged they are. It makes me wonder if there is a connection between institutions and engagement. 

After research, I found I was not the only person with that question. A specific article, For-profit post-secondary education and civic engagement, was written in response to a researched hypothesis regarding civic engagement and students who attend community colleges compared to students who attend Universities. The authors of the article used data from the U.S. National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), National Post-secondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS90), and Beginning Post-secondary Survey (BPS) to test the hypothesis that students who attend for-profit schools show lower levels of civic and community engagement than students in community colleges. This hypothesis does not support my theory that students who attend community colleges are less engaged, but it still goes into depth on the topic, which I found to be interesting.

During the course of their research, they consider the differences in civic behavior being the result of the different types of schools, and/or the experiences students may have in their programs. They find their hypothesis strongly supported. Students attending for profit schools show less involvement in civic and community engagement than students at non-profit community colleges. The conclusion to their research agreed with other researchers ideas that for-profit schools have more narrowed institutional goals that strictly prepare students for the labor force, which then causes these students to be less aware of others and less interested to participate in the political process and community affairs. 

After their hypothesis was supported as expected, the authors furthered their research to understand why there is such a difference. They considered questions regarding the students who attend these types of schools, the size of the institutions, and the higher education outcomes. They found that larger institutions with higher enrollments have less students who interact with faculty. They also have substantial evidence that major differences between community colleges and for-profit schools are found within the curriculum, extracurricular activities, and community service programs that foster civic engagement. 

THON: FOR THE KIDS

THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, referred to as THON, is dedicated to the quest to conquer childhood cancer. 37 years ago, THON consisted of 34 Penn State participants who worked together and raised $2,000. Last year, with over 15,000 participants, THON raised over $6 million.

Every year in February, the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, holds a 46 hour no sitting and no sleeping dance marathon, all proceeds benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital.

• Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined.
• Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region.
• One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year.
• On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday.

These are just a few of many facts, which compel students to become involved. The success of THON would not exist without the effort and support of Penn State students and Alumni, not only in Pennsylvania, but across the entire world.

THON is just one of many things that makes Penn State such a unique University. The unity portrayed at all the Penn State campuses across Pennsylvania, and the dedication and commitment of students, faculty, and Alumni, is nothing short of admirable. Everything is always FOR THE KIDS.

http://www.thon.org/

From the Frat House to the White House

College students across the nation took a stand in the recent 2008 election. After taking an active roll in political awareness the past four years, the reasons responsible for the immense incline in interest amongst young voters is not difficult to find. But with so many factors determining the involvement of young voters, how does individual college campuses across the nation intrigue students to become involved?

In past elections, statistics show that college students have been everything but compelled to have a voice, and there are several reasons to consider. Maybe if Election Day was considered a holiday, then students might enjoy the benefits of having no class, and possibly recognize the day as something important. Maybe students are just lazy and would rather not go the extra mile. When asked, students blame their lack of motivation on the feeling their vote does not count, and the idea that politicians do not target young voters with the issues they discuss in campaigns. So what was the difference with the 2008 election?

More than two hundred students at the University of Richmond voluntarily took time out of their weekend to listen to a speech about Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid. The University of Maryland has an organization called the Young Democrats, who marched from dorm room to dorm room, encouraging their fellow students to vote. Students at American University rode buses from New Hampshire to Florida, offering their help to the campaigns earlier last year.

Consider the question, “Does the interest in becoming active develop from knowledge?” Education is important and extremely vital when forming an opinion and defending it. American University offers a “Politics and the Media” course for all students. The University of Maryland applies voting registration as a requirement in certain courses. Multiple Universities invite speakers and hold forums open to the students to listen and participate. If students have even just a general understanding of issues, they will be more likely to subconsciously form an opinion. The more these issues are dwelled on in the environment these students live in, the better they will understand and the more likely their opinions will surface.

According to the registry in Virginia, more than 60 percent of total new registrants in 2008 were under the age of 25. The 2008 election has proven that students can be reached if you find the right approach to engage them.

Students can be peer pressured into doing “just one more keg stand” at the frat party, but can they be peer pressured into having an active role in a presidential election if that seems to be the “thing” to do. In which case, would it be appropriate to label a positive enforcement as peer pressure? One form can end you up in bed all day nauseated with a headache, and the other gives you a voice at the polls. This can also be a question of what the trends are amongst college students in order of importance.

Blogs: Friend or Foe?

Since I started my education at Penn State, the world of blogging has been thrown in my direction numerous times. I never fully caught on to the niche, but in some perspectives, blogging ranks high as a form of communication. In other perspectives, blogs are uninteresting, overrated, and can ultimately backfire.

I think it only makes sense that everyone should be apprehensive about the outcomes that could arise from the things they write, which hundreds or even thousands of people can see. I also think that being somewhat conservative and prudent in the online world is common sense. I have no problem admitting that I'm not only highly opinionated, but probably the complete opposite of conservative. However, I will also admit how imperative it is to me that future employers only have limited resources that can be used against me. Who wouldn't agree with that?

I read somewhere that writing coherently and consistently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for a human being to undertake. That's interesting to me, seeing as though consistent writing defines my current educational path. If it's true that most people don't have much to say that's interesting, blogging is probably expendable. However, blogging presents the opportunity to interact, develop relationships, and share knowledge.

I think the amount of student engagement in institutions molds them in some way, whether it be political, in the community, or just in the classroom. I'm going to take that theory and run with it. I'm not sure how many fancies it will suit, but I guess we'll see.