Do we act irresponsibly when it comes to accepting personal responsibility? This idea stems from a number of different influences.
The two most commonly seen situations in which students and organizations on this campus fail to accept a necessary level of responsibility would be with social consequences and academic consequences.
However, the issue becomes a bit murkier when looking at the entire picture. When a student does poorly on a test, is it the professor's fault or is it the student's fault? The student would be quick to blame the professor. In situations where individuals or organizations are punished for their actions, who is ultimately responsible and to whom should we look for accountability?
Although this column will make no concrete conclusions, it will articulate observations of the student body. Let us delve into the issue of academics first. Often we see our peers (or ourselves) failing to achieve an optimal grade.
More often than not, students easily blame the professor for failing to cover the topic or not adequately explaining the key points. Students occasionally chide professors after having been called out in class for not having an adequate understanding of the material. However, frequently students fail to take responsibility upon them. Whether the student decided to go out the night before and inadequately prepared or they actually do not understand the material, the responsibility lies on the student.
This same notion can be seen when it comes to social life across campus. Individuals are quick to blame organizations when a punishment is given for a code of conduct violation. So too do organizations blame individuals for consequences given to an organization.
Frequently both the individuals and the organizations are to blame. But to the extent on this campus that we see both individuals and organizations failing to adequately take responsibility for their missteps, we are heading down a dangerous path.
Ultimately, if individuals continue to blame organizations, when it is not justified, we will continue to fracture our campus and create more separation. Furthermore, when organizations unjustifiably blame individuals, they are less inclined to correct behavior if there is truly a problem.
This inability to take personal responsibility is not isolated to DePauw. It is a frightening trend that can be seen throughout politics, religion, education, and elsewhere.
If we, as a DePauw community can begin to take more responsibility for our own actions, both good and bad, then we can effectively and accurately address the issues at hand.
- Kirkpatrick is a junior from Overland Park, Kan., majoring in political science. Burns is a junior from West Lafayette, Ind., majoring in political science.
opinion@thedepauw.com