Spring Break
Column: EWP - 'Don't know ... just do it'
Sam Slaven/Columnist
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Opinions
I told my friend I was going to write about religion and she said, "You'd better get ready for the hate mail." I told her she was wrong, because anyone reading this piece is most likely well-informed, well-educated and open to the viewpoints of others.
Then I thought about it for nearly a full minute and decided that I really didn't want to start an argument between the believers and freethinkers that would inevitably create a heated debate with the freethinkers making their point and leaving the discussion and then spiral downward even further with the believers accusing each other of gross misinterpretations of the scriptures.
I needed a new idea so I scrolled through my e-mail to search for a topic, and to my surprise, the IRS had sent me a message to let me know that I was going to receive a $10,000 refund.
Unfortunately, to claim it I would be required to purchase a six-month supply of Viagra. As the depression set in, I continued to scroll down and saw an RSS feed from The DEN. Apparently the Electronic Writing Portfolio had been explained and clarified in a forum on Tuesday.
Depression cured!
What exciting news this was, because I've been trying to understand the purpose of this program since I first enrolled here.
I asked my friends at other universities around the country if they knew anything about the EWP. Most of them laughed and said they'd never heard of such a program. I asked my professors what the EWP was and the best answer I got beyond, "I don't know," was, "I don't know; just do it so you can check the block and graduate."
No problem.
From the beginning, the EWP has somehow reminded me of the young lieutenants in the Army that would come up with a clever acronym or slogan to implement a program to improve safety.
The Army had been promoting the slogan "Safety First" since World War II. The new lieutenant comes up with "Put Safety First." There's no change in the intent of the message; the only thing it served was to justify giving the lieutenant a high mark on his annual evaluation report.
That's exactly what this EWP program seems like - a program set up to justify someone's evaluation, position or paycheck. We already have a program in place to evaluate students' writing - class grades.
Maybe it's set up for its exact intended purposes; that would be a surprise.
Maybe it's set up to evaluate the professor's ability to evaluate good writing; that would be a slap in the face and not a surprise.
Maybe it's for some other reason completely.
I don't know. I don't care.
What I do know is I've submitted mine so I can, "Check the block and graduate."
Sam Slaven is a senior geography major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinons@gmail.com.
Then I thought about it for nearly a full minute and decided that I really didn't want to start an argument between the believers and freethinkers that would inevitably create a heated debate with the freethinkers making their point and leaving the discussion and then spiral downward even further with the believers accusing each other of gross misinterpretations of the scriptures.
I needed a new idea so I scrolled through my e-mail to search for a topic, and to my surprise, the IRS had sent me a message to let me know that I was going to receive a $10,000 refund.
Unfortunately, to claim it I would be required to purchase a six-month supply of Viagra. As the depression set in, I continued to scroll down and saw an RSS feed from The DEN. Apparently the Electronic Writing Portfolio had been explained and clarified in a forum on Tuesday.
Depression cured!
What exciting news this was, because I've been trying to understand the purpose of this program since I first enrolled here.
I asked my friends at other universities around the country if they knew anything about the EWP. Most of them laughed and said they'd never heard of such a program. I asked my professors what the EWP was and the best answer I got beyond, "I don't know," was, "I don't know; just do it so you can check the block and graduate."
No problem.
From the beginning, the EWP has somehow reminded me of the young lieutenants in the Army that would come up with a clever acronym or slogan to implement a program to improve safety.
The Army had been promoting the slogan "Safety First" since World War II. The new lieutenant comes up with "Put Safety First." There's no change in the intent of the message; the only thing it served was to justify giving the lieutenant a high mark on his annual evaluation report.
That's exactly what this EWP program seems like - a program set up to justify someone's evaluation, position or paycheck. We already have a program in place to evaluate students' writing - class grades.
Maybe it's set up for its exact intended purposes; that would be a surprise.
Maybe it's set up to evaluate the professor's ability to evaluate good writing; that would be a slap in the face and not a surprise.
Maybe it's for some other reason completely.
I don't know. I don't care.
What I do know is I've submitted mine so I can, "Check the block and graduate."
Sam Slaven is a senior geography major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinons@gmail.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
wolfey6
Bill
posted 2/19/09 @ 12:35 AM CST
I completely agree with this. The EWP has never been explained to me as anything other than a favorable alternative to the extremely silly writing exam that was in place before it (was anyone surprised that no one tried on a test given at 8 AM on a Saturday with few if any repercussions?). (Continued…)
Rick Kambic
posted 2/19/09 @ 8:51 AM CST
Your ignorance about EWP doesn't inspire much thought because you have no research behind the complex issue: not even a quote from the EWP Web site. What gets me going is the irrelevant information used in your lead that inadvertently pokes at religion. (Continued…)
blissfully ignorant
posted 2/19/09 @ 2:31 PM CST
Wow I'm sure happy an entire event was put on featuring Blair Lord to clear up what the EWP is, and fairly compelling argument was made that the EWP is Eastern's unique way of meeting assessment standards that it needs to remain an accredited university. (Continued…)
Viagra
posted 2/19/09 @ 2:59 PM CST
I think the guy writing this is making the point that he doesn't know what the EWP is and that no one has been able to explain it to him. And this was just plain hilarious. (Continued…)
Post a Comment