It’s that time again. It is time for all students to begin scheduling their courses for the Spring 2004 semester. This can be a stressful time for some with trying to decide which classes to take and then not getting one that they really wanted.

Several courses will be added to the bank of classes from which students can choose. One of those courses is titled A’S 100 M V02: Philanthropy, Society and the BGSU Dance Marathon.

Is this course really necessary? There is no course description posted in the on-line course descriptions catalog but, according to the the Dean of the College and Arts and Sciences, Donald Nieman and special projects manager, Jane Rosser, the course will require students to complete traditional assignments such as writing essays and class discussions. The course will also involve some hands-on learning.

We are pleased to hear that the course will entail actual school work. The course work and its difficulty level is not at issue, at least not in this editorial. What is at issue the necessity of this course and the motives that resulted in its creation.

Becoming involved in philanthropies and other charities is a very admirable and noble gesture of goodwill. Sororities and fraternities, clubs and other groups on campus participate in charity and volunteer work throughout the year.

Alpha Phi Omega, Omega Phi Alpha, Circle K are just a few groups on campus that are dedicated to service. A person who joins these groups is normally driven by a desire to genuinely help individuals.Or, at the very least, they enjoy volunteering their time. The course, Philanthropy, Society and the BGSU Dance Marathon, may taint the motives of students who become involved in such a noble cause as charity work. According to Nieman, the course doesn’t require the students to become involved in Dance Marathon, but it may require them to attend the Dance Marathon meetings.

Is this class an attempt to encourage participation in Dance Marathon? Flooding the campus with Dance Marathon advertising has worked thus far.

However, the people who join the class will now have an ulterior motive, even if it is only one credit hour. There are some that believe that the class will be used by students to simply receive an “easy A,” thus completely missing the point of participating in charities and volunteer work.

The creation of this course risks pulling people into charity and volunteer work by offering them an easy A. Maybe that is the purpose of the course? We hope not.