Day of Petitioning...
I have spent several hours today discussing my petition (see last entry) with students, faculty, and administrators. I also went to talk with the people who put out Columbia's official newspaper, since my little satirical article taking issue with it will be coming out in the underground student newspaper this week. It only seemed right that I speak to the people in person before coming out with my issues in print. Tomorrow I'll collect the signatures for the petition. So far everyone (with the exception of one student who is very against it) seems to be on board with the idea of not announcing prize/award recipients during the graduation ceremony. It has been interesting to hear people's reactions. I definitely expect there to be more people who are not keen on the idea. But we'll see.
I'm also aware of the fact that this could have reprecussions I don't love...namely, that I am not given awards I otherwise might have gotten. Though, I doubt that would really happen, I still think it's a possible outcome. And if it does, well, sometimes there's a cost to following the path of discipleship you feel God has laid out for you. (Not that missing out on awards makes me some kind of martyr. I'm not that short-sighted. I'm just saying it is a cost--even if not an extremely high one.) Plus, I might not have gotten any awards anyway. We'll never know.
I'm trying to figure out what to write for Valentine's Day tomorrow. Guess I'll save that for tomorrow. I will say, though, that I was talking with a guy today who was so startlingly good looking that I had a really hard time being able to keep looking into his face while I was talking to him (and I'm a hardcore eye contact kind of person). It was almost like looking directly into the sun. Weird. (No, I'm not interested in him, it was just an interesting experience I thought I'd share for the sake of Valentine's Day.) Have a good one.
I'm also aware of the fact that this could have reprecussions I don't love...namely, that I am not given awards I otherwise might have gotten. Though, I doubt that would really happen, I still think it's a possible outcome. And if it does, well, sometimes there's a cost to following the path of discipleship you feel God has laid out for you. (Not that missing out on awards makes me some kind of martyr. I'm not that short-sighted. I'm just saying it is a cost--even if not an extremely high one.) Plus, I might not have gotten any awards anyway. We'll never know.
I'm trying to figure out what to write for Valentine's Day tomorrow. Guess I'll save that for tomorrow. I will say, though, that I was talking with a guy today who was so startlingly good looking that I had a really hard time being able to keep looking into his face while I was talking to him (and I'm a hardcore eye contact kind of person). It was almost like looking directly into the sun. Weird. (No, I'm not interested in him, it was just an interesting experience I thought I'd share for the sake of Valentine's Day.) Have a good one.
posted by bethany at 7:38 PM
6 Comments:
Hi bethany...
Thanks for posting on my other blog (dctoo.blogspot.com) earlier this week. I've just begun to think about your petition, and I'm not sure what I think about it yet, but I understand where you are coming from. Good luck to you.
Peace,
kairos
Bethany,
I certainly intrigued by the petition. I wonder if the resistance you may come across will be with the donors. Many of the awards are given in memory of beloved pastors, fathers, mothers, etc. Will the families be upset that their legacies have been 'downplayed'?
Do blog more about it. I'm curious.
casey raises an interesting point. you may be fighting an uphill battle against well-placed people with deep pockets. big oil, big tobacco, big religion.
i think your petition is a great idea. and it seems to me that you've worded it very well. including the names in the program might be a nice compromise, if people are resistant to your idea.
also, what are these awards anyway? best christian?
if this backfires, at least you'll get the award for "most petitions circulated"
Micah,
The awards typically are named something like "The William McPheeters Old Testament Exegesis Award" for the best exegesis paper in Old Testament studies that year. Typically, it carries a monetary reward (maybe $100 or $200) and sometimes a book (a copy of the Old Testament in Hebrew.
There are also academic awards for New Testament Exegesis, Biblical Scholarship, Church History and Theology Papers, Book Awards for Overall Academic achievement, success in Ordination exams and so forth.
Then there is a host of awards that are not academic in nature: Best Sermon, Most Promising Youth Person, Leadership Awards, Pastoral Care. Etc. Etc.
As you can probably tell, I went to seminary with Bethany! The awards can certainly skew your sense of purpose. It can also be quite embarrasing to receive them. I have to say I was quite conflicted. Some little demon inside me wanted to be recognized for pouring my heart into school for three years. I didn't like that feeling, so I decided not to apply for any (except one!). When I won, I actually felt kinda crappy.
There was definately a sanctification sort of process going on for me at that time.
My family, on the other hand, is still beaming.
Bethany,
If your plan goes awry, I wonder if the administration would honor an individual request from you not to announce any award that you might win.
And just for the record, it would be absurd if Bethany didn't win one.
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