I’ve been going to USC for three years now. I have never once been mugged and I have never once actually pulled an all-nighter. Yet in my three years, I’ve been asked to join a bible study multiple times, filled out a survey twice and asked to fill one out many more times, been given a book on chanting, and been solicited to pledge money to non-profits more than a few times. And since on Monday I was badgered again for money, I’d like to share some stories on getting solicited at my school.
- My freshman year, I was innocently walking in front of the bookstore, on my way to another class, when this guy starts walking next to me, and asks me if I would like to join a Bible Study he was starting on campus. He explained how he was from a church in Downey and wanted to make an impact on the campus. I told him I already was a part of a bible study and went to church, but he wouldn’t leave me alone, so I filled out the little form he handed me, but I never responded to his emails about actually meeting him for a bible study
- Yesterday, while I was again on my way to class, a clipboard wielding solicitor began giving me her spiel on some organization that tries to get the university to use all bio-diesel cars and be more environmentally conscious. I let her go on through her entire spiel before I told her “No thanks”, and she gave me this really dirty look. I’m all for taking care of the environment, but when you start asking me to pledge money monthly, especially when I was on my way to Carl’s Jr., that’s where it ends for me. Plus, how can I make an informed decision in 2 minutes?
- The most passive solicitor yet? Several months ago I was walking on campus when a book got shoved into my gut, and having played baseball for more than a decade of my life, I grabbed the book and kept on walking. I then looked down at the book, and to my surprise, it was a book on how chanting can make your life better. It even had a picture of the Beatles’ George Harrison and John Lennon.
I think someday I’m going to print up a bunch of fliers that talk about how there are too many people on campus handing out fliers and making us fill out too many surveys. And then I’m going to hand those out and get people to sign a petition.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my stories of being solicited to, and if you didn’t, check out www.googlesightseeing.com and maybe that’ll satisfy you.
2 Comments Received
March 27th, 2007 @11:02 pm
Haha. I totally remember those days of being hassled on campus. Now, since completing RN school, I get hit up by just about every health cause known to man.
There’s so much need, and so many options of “good causes” to support.
I had a conversation with a friend this weekend. About feeling super passionate about helping others. But, one can become broke and tired in about 3 milliseconds if all of their resourses and energy is spread too thin.
So, where is the balance? How do we manage to be good stewards with our money and support good causes when they approach?
My woprk break is over, but I’ll share more thoughts later.
=)
March 28th, 2007 @2:41 pm
That’s an interesting point. We could support an near infinite amount of causes, but we wouldn’t be able to adequately make a difference in any of them. So there is a balance in being able to support a cause effectively.
One thing I think is interesting is that a lot of times I think we tend to overlook the causes that are right in front of us so that we can support the “Big Causes”, just so we can say that we had a part in fighting AIDS, when all the time the family next door didn’t have enough money to pay rent and has to live without a home. I feel like there is a balance there as well between making sure we pay attention to the needs in the place that God has us at, and recognizing the needs that other places around the world have.
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