LISA PYTLIK
Volunteerism threatens lifestyle
A menacing new group is form
ing, today, on our very own
campus. This group threatens
to change the college experience as
we know it.
College is a special lime in a per
son’s life. It is full of stresses and
pressures that help the average stu
dent experience life in a unique way.
For example, it has been the privilege
of many busy students to savor feel
ings of burnout, depression, purpose
lessness and lowered self-esteem.
And, to the extent that students
devote their lime to their studies at
the expense of their social life, they
also have been able to experience
loneliness and a disintegration of
adequate support systems.
But now a certain group, if suc
cessfully established, could change
all this through very sly and covert
means.
The group would be known as UNL
Habitat for Humanity (UNL-HFH). It
would end the familiar misery of our
college existence, using three meth
ods: It would aid the already estab
lished Lincoln chapter of HFH in
constructing houses for the poor and
homeless; it would raise funds to
support its work and the work of other
HFH chapters; and it would educate
us, the larger campus community,
about housing needs in Lincoln.
These activities sound harmless
until one considers their far-reaching
implications.
a campus cnapicr oi hfh would
impose on the consciences of stu
dents and possibly influence many to
join and work with others of various
backgrounds, races and social classes.
This might break down social barri
ers that look years of hard work to
build.
Furthermore, as they work together,
these students might form relation
ships that would dissipate loneliness
and depression. In addition, seeing
the results of their work might create
feelings of purposefulness and self
esteem that would ruin hundreds of
perfectly good pity parties.
Finally, if a group such as this
were allowed to form, it might en
courage the establishment of other
such humanitarian groups with simi
lar effects. In the end, college chaos
as we know it could be utterly de
stroyed.
Because this is a relatively free
country and campus, there is no way
to stop groups such as these from
forming. Those who value the wretch
edness of their college life must, there
fore, carefully guard their consciences
to avoid becoming involved in this
movement towards cooperation and
compassion.
To aid those who wish to do this, I
have comprised lists of arguments
that one should NOT use when debat
ing with her or his conscience con
cerning the matter of charitable or
Because this is a
relatively free coun
try and campus,
then k no mix to
stop groups such as
these front forming.
Those who value the
wretchedness of their
college Hie, must.
therfore.carefully
guard their con
sciences to amid
becoming inspired, in
this moyemenl to
wards cooperation
and compassion.
ganizations:
“There is really no need for (fill in
the name of the charitable organiza
tion you are trying to avoid here).”
This argument docs not work be
cause most organizations will flood
your conscience with thousands of
statistics that say just the opposite —
that there IS a need. HFH, for ex
ample, claims Lincoln contains more
than 6,000 substandard housing units
and 800 families arc on the wailing
list for subsidized housing.
“Most charitable donations go
toward administrative costs, not to
those who really need it.”
This argument often is true for
money donated to larger organiza
tions that employ large numbers of
paid workers. Smaller community
based charities, however, often arc
run mostly by volunteers and take
donations that can go d i rectly towards
those they help.
The City Mission, for example,
lakes donations of food and time. The
Gathering Place, located near the
Capitol,often uses volunteers to serve
free soup suppers to the hungry. And
HFH accepts donations of housing
materials and hard work to reduce the
price of the houses it builds.
“Charity does not teach the poor
the skills they need to rise up from
poverty. Instead, itpromotesa ‘some
thing-for-nothing’ attitude.”
Many humanitarian organizations
are aware of the dynamics that keep
people in poverty and take these into
account in their day-to-day opera
tions.
The Lincoln City Mission, for
example, requires that the people who
stay there be sober. It also employs
counselors for the residents, has a
GED program in which the residents
may participate and hires some of the
residents to work various jobs within
the organization.
HFH also has considered underly
ing factors in its operations. HFH
does not “give away” free housing.
Through the use of 20-year mort
gages and interest-free loans, the
families who receive the houses pay
the principal cost of the house plus
insurance and taxes.
Furthermore, the families are ex
pected to put in 400 hours of “sweat |
equity” for their home. These hours
may be fulfilled by helping to build
their home or doing other work for
HFH.
“I’m a col lege student. I don’t have
time to help, and I don’t have money
to donate.”
Many charitable organizations do
not mandate strict commitments of
time and money. The main purpose of
the campus chapter of HFH, for in
stance, is to act as a resource pool for
the larger Lincoln HFH chapter. Stu
dents can sign up to be on the HFH
mailing list and attend meetings and
projects whenever they have time.
Likewise, organizations such as
the Mission, the Gathering Place and
even the YWCA often will take one
time-only donations of time, espe
cially when they are planning special
events which conveniently may fall
during student breaks or on week
ends.
Actually, no logical argument will
work to convince one’s conscience
against joining charitable organiza
tions such as the proposed UNL-HFH,
which meets today.
In this case, the most effective
defense to employ is apathy. Students
who truly value their right to a wretched
college existence should carefully
avoid the sections of the DN that
might advertise the meetings of
humanitarian-type groups.
They also should scan headlines
before reading articles to ensure they
don’t take in any information that
might induce feelings of compassion,
responsibility or guilt.
Finally, if, by some unfortunate
accident, one docs read something
that creates a compelling feeling to
take action, one should immediately
turn to his or her neighbor and begin
to discuss something more important,
such as football, until the feeling passes.
PyUik is a senior art and psychology
major and a Daily Nebraskan stafT artist and
columnist.
Wejgot
therjght
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