Raw Rewards Creativity With Cold Hard Cash

A classmate of mine, Alden Reiman, recently cofounded what I think is a brilliant idea for a website. RAW is a crowd-sourced producer of original advertising content for companies of all sizes.

The notion is simple enough—interested companies post a short pitch and users compete by submitting creative messages and tag-lines, 140 characters or less.  At the end of the week, the companies choose a winner, who claims anywhere from $20-50 in cash for each contest.

Last week, I browsed the site for no more than an hour and submitted at least a dozen entries.  The user interface was easy to use, and the character limit rewards clever and concise articulation. Sunday, they revealed the winners on Facebook, and I was surprised to see my name amongst them (you've all read my poetry...I'm not that creative).

Easiest $60 I ever made.

So, check out the site here:
http://www.rawreturn.com/

Raw is catching on fast, and if you play your cards right, you just might win a couple bucks.

You Never Know What You'll Find Unless You Look

A couple of my buddies asked me if I'd like to go with them on a service trip to Honduras.  I had no idea what to expect, but nevertheless, late last Monday night I was on a plane, passport in hand.  I don't think it's a worthwhile exercise to detail the work we did here, but this past week has certainly changed my perspective on the student body at Emory.

Before the flight, I hadn't spoken to half the people that would soon be my partners in blood, sweat, and everything in between.  Rarely at Emory have I encountered a group of 18 individuals that I can relate to in any sort of meaningful way.  This one was different.

Many of the participants were pre-meds, so we've never shared any classes.  A few graduated last weekend and we'd never held a conversation before.  I've spent three years in Atlanta, yet I had to leave the country to meet most of these people for the first time.

It's amazing to me, that at a school with just over 6,000 students, it is so easy to define yourself by something as arbitrary as a major or a few Greek letters.  This week has made it abundantly clear to me that there are a lot more good people at Emory than I once thought, and I just haven't found them yet.

The truth is, I've closed myself off to most of the student body.  My Freshman year, it felt like I met a million people, and after that, I really just stopped trying.  So, I guess what I'm getting at is that sometimes Emory can feel like a very small place, even exclusive.  It's up to you to find the people who share your values.  It turns out sitting in my apartment with the same four people wasn't the most effective method, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

Nevertheless, I passed all my classes, so Senior year is upon me.  It should be an exciting moment, but up to this point I was ambivalent, at best.  My Emory experience has certainly had its ups and downs.  This week was a breath of fresh air, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Enough About Greek Life

            Let me begin by saying that I think sorority rush is awful.  You know what else I think is awful?  Job interviews, astronomy lab, the New York Yankees.  In this incredible land of free speech, everyone is entitled to an opinion.  There are plenty of reasons to be against sorority rush, just as there are reasons to dislike just about anything.  The Emory Wheel has every right to publish an editorial denouncing recruitment, but that doesn’t make it good journalism.

            There are so many problems with Greek Life that are worth writing about, and the Emory Wheel never fails to cover the institution’s latest shortcomings.  It’s disappointing, however, to see such a lame and untimely editorial about an issue that has existed, largely unchanged, for years and years.  If this article was published in 2005, or even 1985, its relevance would undoubtedly be exactly the same.

            I’m tired of reading about old problems.  Emory treats Greek Life like the rest of the world treats, Israel vs. Palestine.  Instead of seeking solutions, we spend all of our time and energy articulating and rearticulating the same exact issues.  Just as no one is arguing that the situation in Israel is ideal, I don’t think anyone believes that Greek Life is perfect.

            The problem with The Wheel’s latest jab at sororities is that it’s weak.  The arguments are both unoriginal and stale.  The statements put forth were charged enough to elicit a response from the sorority women they offended, but lacked any sort of solution to improve the system.  If recruitment “disempowers women,” this editorial certainly did nothing to empower them.

            Humor me here; if the overwhelming sentiment is that Greek-Life is toxic, as The Wheel (not to mention the American media) continues to make it seem, then why haven’t we come up with something better?  I’m afraid it’s because we haven’t tried.  As much as I hate to say it, sometimes actions speak louder than words.  The fact of the matter is that The Wheel won’t change Greek Life, for better or for worse, at least not with editorials like this one.

Enough Is Enough

You can say what you will about hazing, but at this point it is clear that there are bigger issues happening on Emory’s campus.  Pledging a fraternity is a decision that individuals make, the majority of whom are fully aware of the gravity of that decision.  What goes on in fraternity basements may seem cruel and unusual, even scary to outsiders, but the recurring issue of sexual abuse on campus is more alarming than any instance of eating dog food or drinking vodka.  Sexual assault simply cannot be tolerated on a college campus.

            What is nauseating about the current situation is that there is no obvious solution.  It is easy to throw a house off campus or expel an individual when they commit a heinous act, but it shouldn’t come down to that.  The issue at hand is clearly one of culture; sexual assault cannot be addressed on a case-by-case basis.  This is a campus-wide issue.  It should be a basic right of students to feel safe on the campus they call home for four years.  Nobody wants to live in constant fear of their personal wellbeing.

            I am impressed with IFC’s swift reaction to the most recent case—we cannot continue to support a culture that breeds disrespect and neglect.  It would be naïve to dismiss this social freeze as the many taking the fall for the actions of a few.  This issue is one that continues to arise and will not cease to do so until it is addressed directly.  Finally a governing body at Emory has decided to attack a problem at its heart.

            We are the ones with the power here.  Whether or not fraternities continue to be a significant presence at Emory and across the country remains to be seen, but, the manner in which the student body acts socially must change.  This is an opportunity for the community as a whole to grow.  Instead of erasing problems when they occur, we have to take actions to prevent the problem from happening in the first place.

The entire campus would benefit from education on sexual assault; I know I’m hardly educated on the subject, at least not formally.  I’ve been lectured on drinking responsibly, and the proper use of condoms, and birth control on countless occasions, but I’ve never been exposed to healthy dialogue regarding sexual assault and its prevention.  It is our responsibility as students to respect our peers and foster a community that values the safety of its constituents.  IFC has shown that it is ready to make swift and powerful motions to change the ugly reality that current students are living in.

            In a culture where, for many, a night out means getting blackout and going to Maggie’s; in a culture where, for many, sexual conquest is glorified above all else; in a culture where, for many, the campus feels like anything but home; it is our duty to reevaluate how we interact with the people around us.  I’d like to personally thank IFC for taking such a strong stand against the abuse that plagues campuses across the country.  This is no longer about institutions or organizations; this is about community.  We need to save ours before it’s too late.

It's Not About Fraternities Anymore

I don't spend a lot of time on Eagle Row.  I'm not in a fraternity anymore.  In fact, I'm not even at Emory this semester.  That being said, what's happening on campus right now is nauseating.  As our academic ranking continues to fall, apparently the quality of life must diminish as well.  The fraternity houses and sorority lodges are now subject to daily walkthroughs--an invasion of privacy that fundamentally undermines the opportunity for individual exploration and growth that college is supposed to embody.

Fraternities haze.  And drink.  We get it.  Whether it's in the house on Eagle Row or in some basement of a house 3 blocks off campus, it happens.  For once, let's stop talking about why fraternities are bad, and take a moment to remember why they are so instrumental in the social atmosphere that sets the tone of a college campus.

Traditionally, fraternity row has been a place where students can go to blow off steam.  We didn't get into Emory by neglecting our schoolwork, and the office of Greek life never fails to remind us that the Greek population has a higher average GPA than the rest of the student body.  College students party.  They drink.  But more importantly, they socialize; they meet new, interesting, like-minded, and diverse people.  $60,000 a year is supposed to cover a lot more than 8 semesters of classes.  If that's all I wanted I would've gone to public school in Maryland and saved my parents a small fortune.

This new policy is supposed to promote the safety and comfort of the students living on Eagle Row.  Yet, once again, all the school is doing is to mold the hollow image that it presents to the public.  The fact of the matter is that Emory is more than a ranking.  It's more than an average SAT score.  It's more than a highly touted dining hall, and exceptional job placement after graduation.  What the university has seemingly forgotten, is that it is made up of students.  We are real people who want to be proud of our school and enjoy our time there, not just graduate and move on.

In the end, walking through fraternity houses doesn't encourage students to drink more responsibly, it just encourages them to drink elsewhere.  Eagle Row has transformed from a social melting pot where students develop lifelong relationships, to a desolate wasteland where nobody wants to be.  I came to Emory because I thought it was a school for intelligent people who also liked to have a good time.  I'm not sure if I believe that anymore.

Yik Yak…Yuk

            When you think about it, finals was the perfect time for Yik Yak to catch on.  Now we can all slander each other from our cubicles in the stacks, taking out our anger at both finals, as well as the disgusting social culture at this school.  If you don’t know what Yik Yak is, you will soon enough.  The incredibly simple app uses a character limit and an up-vote/down-vote system to broadcast anonymous statements to the local community.  The result is egregiously offensive content, including countless personal and institutional attacks.

            As amusing as calling girls “slutty” and fraternities “gay” may be to the selfish pricks who are currently dominating the Yik Yak leaderboards, statements like these can be devastating to the individuals being targeted.  While I am sure that many will argue that these individuals deserved or earned the jokes made at their expense, I am here to tell you that is bullshit.  There is absolutely nothing funny about anonymous hatred.

            This social emergency is remarkably similar to the one that occurred my senior year, with High School Menes.  It is all too easy to underestimate the power of the pen, especially when there is no name attached to the ink.  What people fail to realize is that one stupid Yik Yak at the expense of an individual will likely cause a lot more hurt on their end than joy on the author’s.

            We all go to a top-20 school, yet, we act like imbeciles when faced with new technology.  Not often enough do we take a moment to think before we act.  Admittedly, I played around with Yik Yak pretty extensively before I decided to write this piece.  My hope was that the banter would move toward real issues.  The comments about cigarettes outside, and study drugs inside the library are topics that I would gladly address on this blog, because they are interesting and relevant to the wider student body.  This app has the infrastructure to unite like-minded individuals on broader issues.

            Not surprisingly, however, Yik Yak has devolved into a garbage heap of hurtful jabs and cheap laughs.  Emory has proved, once again, that it is composed of selfish, entitled jerks.  At the very least, the participants in this forum have proved that they are of this breed.

            The two most popular Yik Yak’s currently, with 159 and 117 up-votes apiece, address the masculinity of ATO’s hell week and Emory’s Long Island community, respectively.  While I’m sure that someone could make an argument that those are Emory’s two most pressing issues, I’d like to think that we could do better.  So, for what feels like the hundredth time, I urge you to put down your phones, mind your own business, and if you really have something to say, put your name on it.  Yik Yak is a waste of time—might as well get back to studying.

Education vs. Competition

Emory is rich in diversity and abundant with differences in both opinions and priorities.  There is one goal, however, that all Emory students should have in common: education.  No matter what letters you wear, clubs you join, or places you spend your time, you should not be here if you do not value education.

Yesterday, student groups were giving presentations in one of my classes.  Part of the requirements was a Q&A session, and the professor kindly requested that the audience ask informative, but respectful questions of their peers.  Instead, many of the questions were vicious and obnoxious, setting the presenters up for failure.  A few selfish students ambushed their classmates while they were defenseless; they seized an opportunity to make themselves look smart and their competition look weak.  These selfish individuals attacked their fellow students when they were vulnerable, and that was not in the spirit of the assignment.

This ugly air of competition, however, is most definitely in the spirit of the Business School.  After every test, the weak students walk out crying while the strong ones emerge with villainous grins.  Not a word is spoken between the two.  Likewise, in the library, students study in tiny coalitions—hardly a helping hand is given to the enemy on a project or before an exam.

The blatant disrespect of these students, not only towards each other, but more importantly, towards education, is baffling.  We pay $60,000 a year to learn, yet we do everything in our power to impede others’ learning.  Instead of fighting for A’s, we should be fighting for education.  We’re not savages; we’re students.  We should start acting that way.

I envision a community where question and answer sessions are challenging, rather than intimidating.  I envision a campus where students actively offer their assistance, rather than reluctantly request that of others.  I envision a student body that celebrates dialogue and teamwork, rather than witty remarks and GPA’s.

Don’t get me wrong; I couldn’t be happier that I’m in the Business School.  The coursework is interesting, and the opportunity is endless.  Nevertheless, at times I am embarrassed and even appalled by the constant necessity for competition, and the dizzying disrespect that accompanies it.  In the grand scheme of things, where you lie on the curve is pretty insignificant.  It’s about time the students here figured that out.

The Roommate Agreement–Campus Movie Festival

A couple of my friends entered their short film in the Emory Campus Movie Festival.  Check it out.

Registration

            I awoke, startled, to the sound of “Bring it Back” by Travis Porter blaring from my phone.  It was 8:30…I still had a few minutes so I hit snooze.  At 8:45, my alarm went off once again.  This time I knew I had to get up.

            My first registration appointment was set for 9:15.  In the meantime, I sat at my computer reviewing my strategy for which classes I would choose.  Our advisors urged us to plan out our classes, and have several options in case our first choices filled up.  So I heeded their advice; I had a plan, and backup plan, and a backup to my backup plan.

            In our first registration period we’re allowed to sign up for up to 4 classes.  9:15 came, and all the classes I wanted were still available.  I clicked accept, and the classes went through.  No problem.  That wasn’t too bad.

            My next appointment wasn’t until 12:45 so now I had some time to kill.  In the meantime, my roommate and I went to the dining hall, grabbed breakfast, and came back to the dorm to relax.  So far, registration had been a breeze, so we hung out, listened to music, and didn’t think twice about the second appointment.

            For the next round, my roommate registered first.  Once again, he got his classes without any complications.  It was 12:15, and all my classes were still open.  We high-fived, and began our wait once again.

            At this point, my second registration appointment seemed like a formality.  The classes I wanted were available, as well as both of my backups.  But in a matter of moments things went downhill fast.  First one class closed, then another.  Then the first one reopened.  It was 1:25, and my schedule no longer seemed so secure.  The next wave of registration was at 1:30, and my worst fear came true.  Two more classes closed.  Luckily, my English was still open, but just like that I was out of a sixth class.

            Now, I was on the clock.  I had 15 minutes to find another class that fit my schedule and wasn’t full.  I raced through the course atlas, but seemingly each one was already closed.  Finally, at 1:44 I gave up.  I needed to make sure I at least got my English class.  The clocked turned and I clicked “register” immediately.  I was in.

            Now I just needed one more class.  But I didn’t know what to take.  I had thought about taking a philosophy class, perhaps one on the human mind or the philosophy of law, but they were both full.  I looked back at the philosophy homepage and spotted Philosophy 132: Intro to Philosophy of Art.  In desperation, I punched in the 4-digit code.  It was open.  Not exactly what I’d wanted, but it would have to do.

            In the end, I had to foul off a few curveballs, but I made it through registration in one piece.  Classes start tomorrow, and that should be a whole different ballgame.