Mon, May 23, 2005 page2

• Pledge instills a social conscience

  TAKING ACTION The Graduation Pledge Alliance helps college and university students work to make positive changes in their job environments after they graduate

  • By Mo Yan-chih / STAFF REPORTER
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  Nell Lee (李育修) first heard about the Graduation Pledge Alliance in her English conversation class last year at Chinese Culture University (CCU), when her instructor invited a guest speaker to talk about the concept of being socially and environmentally responsible and making positive changes in their workplaces after graduation.

  The students were then given a small card they could sign voluntarily as a gesture in pledging to be a socially-conscious citizen.

  Lee signed the card, put it in her bag, and like most of her classmates, forgot about the card the next day.

  Fresh out of college, Lee found a job at an advertising agency, and witnessed ethnic conflicts when assigned to work on an ad project that conveyed a negative message. She then remembered the card, and decided to carry it with her as a reminder to try and make a change in her workplace.

  Lee's commitment makes her one of the first students in Asia to join thousands of graduates from more than 100 colleges and universities in the US and Canada to take the pledge at their commencement ceremonies. The CCU decided to adopt the program at this year's graduation ceremony in June.

  "Raising the level of consciousness regarding social responsibility will empower students to make decisions in the workplace that will lead to a better world," said Yao Chung-kun (姚崇昆), a professor and chairperson of CCU's English department, which introduced alliance to the university last year. "I believe the graduation pledge program is a good opportunity for college students to bring a higher standard of ethics to society."

  Founded at Humboldt State University in California in 1987, and now coordinated by the Peace Studies Institute at Manchester College, the alliance is a student social-awareness movement that has been put into practice in the West and at Asian schools in Singapore and Taiwan.

  Without providing specific rules or measures, the pledge is a voluntarily action for graduates, in which they decide to extend their concern beyond how they personally benefit in their future job environment. They are asked to sign a pledge card that reads: "I [blank space] pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work."

  Matthew Nicodemus, one of the pledge alliance's founders and now an English teacher and musician residing in Taiwan, shared the idea behind the program.

  "It's all about people making their own decisions ? every individual worker has to realize that their work has important implications on different levels," Nicodemus told the Taipei Times.

  Instead of passively refusing to do certain things, Nicodemus said that pledge provides positive thinking, encourages students to choose to go to certain companies if they want to make something happen.

  Terry Wu, another English professor at CCU and a pledge advocate, started up the program in her conversation class with the assistance of Nicodemus. This year, she persuaded the English department and the university to promote the international program at this year's graduation ceremony, where the university president will say a few words about the alliance, and graduates will be able to choose to take a pledge card and sign it after the ceremony.

  "This is what education is all about. Education is not only about getting a job or making money," Wu said.

  According to Wu, college students in Taiwan aren't very familiar with the idea of social awareness because of the emphasis of grades in the country's education policy.

  "The [American university] MIT students had a program to do volunteer work one day a year. At Harvard, they listed the top 100 companies for students to work for. I feel we should do something like that for students here, so they know they can make a difference in their jobs," Wu said.

  As someone who has made the pledge, Lee finds it sometimes hard to meet her commitment in the competitive working world. But she tried to explore different ways to follow through on her pledge.

  "I'd talk to my boss about projects I feel will have a negative influence on society. Even though I may still have to finish the project, at least I know I expressed my concerns and tried to prevent it," Lee said.

  In addition to posting her pledge card on her office desk to promote the idea to her colleagues, Lee and her former classmates also donate money to needy children.

  "Nell and I really think that we can make a difference, even if we can only change a small group of people around us," said Pamala Chen (陳佳瑜), a former classmate of Lee's and an assistant at a pharmaceutical factory.

  To better carry out the pledge, the two women said that they are considering working for non-profit organizations or becoming teachers.

  Lee also said she hopes to study environmental issues in graduate school.

  "We don't want to be one of those selfish people who only think about making a fortune, no matter what it takes," Lee said.

  Asked if the program could be carried out effectively without providing any set plans, Nicodemus said that the program allows each individual to create their own way to be socially and environmentally responsible.

  "It's about the quality, but not how many people have made the pledge. Everyone can have an impact in their own way," he said.

  For more information on the alliance, visit their Web site at: http://www.graduationpledge.org.
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