It’s about caring. The Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility is not a hippie fad coming from the “backwoods of Eugene.” It’s about caring. The pledge is not a “political agenda” or “misplaced environmentalism” that “taints” the graduation ceremony. It’s about caring.
The editorial board argues in its April 9 editorial, “University shouldn’t hop onto pledge bandwagon,” that the pledge of responsibility detracts from the graduation ceremony and should only be done “on their own time.” On the contrary, to many students, the pledge is what their graduation is all about. And after 17 years of school, from kindergarten to college seniors, they have earned their “own time” at graduation.
Even the editorial board members admit that the University allows the pledge as an option, but they do not explain that the idea is completely student-developed and student-initiated. Thus, the University has no more connection to this form of expression than it does to a peace sign plastered on a grad cap or a lei around a neck. Personal expressions at graduation are nothing new. At graduation, it’s customary to show who we are and who we want to be.
The pledge is an opportunity for students to show others that they will examine their future employers’ relationship to our world and the people that inhabit it. Pinning a green ribbon on a graduation gown is simply a symbol that shows where a student’s values lie.
The pledge is a vow that reminds a student to ponder how caring fits into the job search. It does not define how a student should critique a job but leaves the choice open to the student. The pledge just asks the ribbon-wearer to consider environmental and social implications.
Because it is often frustrating to find work that doesn’t exploit others, the pledge cards conveniently list places where a student could look for jobs. The pledge is an idea that celebrates a student’s accomplishments but also reminds them to look to the future and make
responsible decisions.
It’s not a political scheme, but just a personal decision to care about others and our world. In this sense, the pledge is quintessentially what our education stands for. It’s a chance where we can take all we learned in school, from algebraic expressions to business management, and use it in a practical and moral way — to help others.
We get a chance to step out of the sphere of our selfish interests, even just for a moment, so we can improve our world and society even by the slightest margin.
Those who wish to stop others from the benign option of signing a card and wearing a green ribbon on graduation day need to hear Bob Dylan’s cry, “Don’t stand in the doorway. Don’t block up the hall,” in his song, “The Times They Are A-changin’.”
We should look to those wearing green ribbons as heroes for caring, and we can pick up an article of the April 9 Emerald to see who’s in the way.