Anderson+Describing+Practices


 * The Struggle to get People to do Stuff **

At club meetings, it can sometimes be difficult to find someone to do a task.

“I need a //Poly// article for next Sunday,” I’ll say at an SSTF meeting. I’m talking about the Sustainability Column that runs every other week.

“I’d do it, but I have a lot of homework.”

“I’m going home this weekend.”

“I can’t think of a topic.”

“I’m not really good at and/or don’t like to write.”

I sigh and point out that I did the last article and we should hear a variety of viewpoints. We discuss a topic, find a person, and //maybe// I don’t have to write this week’s.

I’ve seen this happen time and time again in a variety of clubs, including the sustainability ones. The person who ends up doing the project is often the one who volunteers, not necessarily the best fit for the project. Unless s/he is very motivated, the project probably won’t be done as well as it could be.

At RPI, most students are heavily focused on academics. Not that it’s bad, but a lot of people focus on them almost too much and don’t join clubs, to the point where many clubs are hurting for members, especially productive members. This lessens the amount that clubs can accomplish. Everyone knows that the others are also focused on academics, so they hesitate to try to force others to do things.