2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Perspectives
I love group work
I'm an average student and I love group work. My GPA is less than spectacular and I have no desire to improve it because of, but not limited to, one or more of the following:
•I just don't care.
•My scholarship is based on demographics (degree, gender, age, race, etc.) and I only need a minimum GPA to maintain it.
•I have absolutely no need for any form of financial aid or scholarships.
•I have no desire to attend graduate school.
•I just don't care.
I love group work because it allows me to do nothing and still get a better grade than the one I would have earned if I completed the task by myself. You see, chances are at least one person in my group or team has an interest in their GPA. It could be because:
•They are proud of it.
•They need it for scholarships that are based on GPA.
•They want to apply for graduate school and graduate school does not ask to prove teamwork experience. It asks for GPA and other things that are not related to group work.
It does not matter. What matters is I can just sit back. I can watch them do all the work and then include my name at delivery time. I always have the best excuses for not doing my part; but in reality, I lack responsibility, I am a terrible time manager and I just don't care.
The beauty is I have no fear of the real world after I graduate. Most jobs are very duty-specific, thus they do not require any real teamwork. For the jobs that require real teamwork, there will always be a team leader or project manager. There is someone held responsible for the group's progress, is compensated accordingly and has the power to initiate negative documentation to include recommending termination for those who underperform.
Maybe then I will actually increase my productivity. However, as long as my peers have no real power over my grade, I will continue to take advantage of the system. As long as professors do not use a system that evaluates individuals within a team, I can continue being a parasite of the students that have to do the extra labor because of people like me.
The most powerful tool I have is my evaluator. If the hard-working student complains about teamwork, because of people like me, chances are the professor will say we need to learn how to work in groups like in the real world. A semester is too short to teach me how to work in a team and the process will have to start all over again next semester.
Jason Heavilin
Junior, business
Response to ASARCO
A brief response to Mr. Nelson's points:Â If 95 percent of local lead pollution is because of leaded gasoline, then why does the EPA map of lead contamination in El Paso make a big red blob around ASARCO?
There is no comparable contamination near Alameda or Ysleta or communities on the other side of the mountain. I am happy Mr. Nelson has chosen a career where he can positively affect the lives of millions by making the factories of our society cleaner.
We, as a healthy nation, need good people running polluting companies. I would like to encourage Mr. Nelson to complement his young educational career with courses in the history of environmental politics and systemic use of misinformation to protect profits of the few, over the profits of the many.
Texas has no small part in this history, with ASARCO's current regulator, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. TCEQ has never denied a single pollution permit. Because, of course, not a single company in Texas has ever done wrong.
Joachim Schalk
Senior, math
I'm an average student and I love group work. My GPA is less than spectacular and I have no desire to improve it because of, but not limited to, one or more of the following:
•I just don't care.
•My scholarship is based on demographics (degree, gender, age, race, etc.) and I only need a minimum GPA to maintain it.
•I have absolutely no need for any form of financial aid or scholarships.
•I have no desire to attend graduate school.
•I just don't care.
I love group work because it allows me to do nothing and still get a better grade than the one I would have earned if I completed the task by myself. You see, chances are at least one person in my group or team has an interest in their GPA. It could be because:
•They are proud of it.
•They need it for scholarships that are based on GPA.
•They want to apply for graduate school and graduate school does not ask to prove teamwork experience. It asks for GPA and other things that are not related to group work.
It does not matter. What matters is I can just sit back. I can watch them do all the work and then include my name at delivery time. I always have the best excuses for not doing my part; but in reality, I lack responsibility, I am a terrible time manager and I just don't care.
The beauty is I have no fear of the real world after I graduate. Most jobs are very duty-specific, thus they do not require any real teamwork. For the jobs that require real teamwork, there will always be a team leader or project manager. There is someone held responsible for the group's progress, is compensated accordingly and has the power to initiate negative documentation to include recommending termination for those who underperform.
Maybe then I will actually increase my productivity. However, as long as my peers have no real power over my grade, I will continue to take advantage of the system. As long as professors do not use a system that evaluates individuals within a team, I can continue being a parasite of the students that have to do the extra labor because of people like me.
The most powerful tool I have is my evaluator. If the hard-working student complains about teamwork, because of people like me, chances are the professor will say we need to learn how to work in groups like in the real world. A semester is too short to teach me how to work in a team and the process will have to start all over again next semester.
Jason Heavilin
Junior, business
Response to ASARCO
A brief response to Mr. Nelson's points:Â If 95 percent of local lead pollution is because of leaded gasoline, then why does the EPA map of lead contamination in El Paso make a big red blob around ASARCO?
There is no comparable contamination near Alameda or Ysleta or communities on the other side of the mountain. I am happy Mr. Nelson has chosen a career where he can positively affect the lives of millions by making the factories of our society cleaner.
We, as a healthy nation, need good people running polluting companies. I would like to encourage Mr. Nelson to complement his young educational career with courses in the history of environmental politics and systemic use of misinformation to protect profits of the few, over the profits of the many.
Texas has no small part in this history, with ASARCO's current regulator, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. TCEQ has never denied a single pollution permit. Because, of course, not a single company in Texas has ever done wrong.
Joachim Schalk
Senior, math
The UTEP Prospector online welcomes readers to comment on our content and engage in substantive, mutually respectful exchanges. The Prospector does not review, moderate or edit comments prior to posting, but reserves the right to edit or delete any and all reader comments. Comments with excessive profanity that steer too far off topic, are libelous or resort to personal attacks are subject to removal. Comments made on The Prospector Web site may be republished in the print edition and may be edited for brevity or clarity.
Be the first to comment on this story