Editor, the Tiger:

I am sure I am going to get a lot of flak for this op-ed but I feel it is my duty to say something. I’ve got beef with Orgsync. I will start off with a compliment to the Student Government and Dean Ramsay. I really must commend them for attempting to bring transparency and efficiency to the clubs and organizations on campus. This is a bold and much needed move for everyone. After all, it is our tuition money, our time, and interest that go to fund these organizations. On that note, I strongly believe that what the Student Government is doing with OrgSync is an expensive waste of time and a potential failure on the horizon.

While I understand the premise for Orgsync and its potential I cannot idly stand by and comply with what the Student Government wants to do with Orgsync. Things really started off on the wrong foot with rather nasty email I received from Dean Ramsay titled, “Neglect of Duty” about going to Orgsync preparation classes. While I understand it is Dean Ramsay’s duty to inform and keep club leaders in line about situations pertinent to them , sending threatening emails about cutting funding for not signing a piece of paper with a time slot on it is in no way a validation for cutting funding or calling leaders of clubs neglectful of their duties. I personally have been at the helm of the Pre-Law Society for three years and I have not even received so much as a hello or just-checking- in email from Dean Ramsay. I have often found myself going around Dean Ramsay for just about everything, and that includes validation of officers at the end of the year and even receiving guidance on leadership for the Pre-Law Society. In the future if Dean Ramsay has to start off with threatening emails to new club leaders who do not have their sea legs in running their respective clubs or interacting with the College’s bureaucratic institutions it can set a bad precedent for people wanting to create new clubs or simply take over for the old guard.

On charging the Student Government, I cannot agree with all the funding we’ve dumped into Orgsync because the Student Government has failed to realize the potential of already existing software: Blackboard. Everyone on campus including the faculty, staff, students and even members of the Board of Trustees all use blackboard for a variety of things. Blackboard is well integrated into all aspects of Hampden-Sydney and it is a functional fabric of this College. There are very few professors and students who do not use blackboard at least once daily. Because of its universality I cannot believe the student government completely missed the full potential of Blackboard as a main hub for clubs and activities as well as a strategic point for disseminating other relevant information to the College. Instead, the Student Government has created yet another hoop for the club leaders to jump through because Orgsync is a new operating system unfamiliar to many and it is just one more thing for everyone to sign on to and to update. Had the Student Government looked right before their eyes they would have seen Blackboard and saved themselves and you, the students, a lot of money and time.

My other charge as to why Orgsync will be a failure in due time is because of one very powerful event that occurs on campus on a regular basis: student apathy to attend club meetings, events, and other institution-related events. I understand that everyone is very busy in all that they do, but even I am rather astounded at the lack of attendance amongst a majority of club meetings and related events. Even the institutions on campus like the Museum and Career Services suffer from rather embarrassing attendance numbers during well advertised and interesting events. While Orgsync was initiated on campus to bring everyone onto a clear and even platform, I guarantee it will within three or so semesters fall into disuse and become an expensive and overall useless application to this college that pays a lot of money to have something so expensive sitting so idle.

However, not everything is gloom and doom. While I understand Orgsync is very near and dear to individuals in the Student Government, it is still not too late to quickly and quietly convert to Blackboard. Many clubs including the Pre Med Society and the Classics Club already have Blackboard pages. Blackboard is run by very competent and capable individuals on campus that can be accessed by everyone during regular business hours. It will be very easy for everyone to convert to using blackboard because the vast majority of the College uses Blackboard at least daily and they have familiarity with the software. Understand I am not charging Dean Ramsay or the Student Government with neglect or abuse; what I am really getting at is the true functionality of Orgsync. Based on the excellent pre-existing software we already have on campus and the apathy and the absence I’ve seen firsthand at a plethora of events I really must request to the Student Government and Dean Ramsay save face and end Orgsync before it becomes another expensive dead weight and yet another bureaucratic hoop for clubs and organizations.

Related posts:

1. OrgSync Praised and Criticized in First Few Months
2. OrgSync is a Chance to Combat Apathy
3. Board of Trustees Alters Activity Fee
4. Fall 2011 SFC Allocations
5. Dead Weekends: Alcohol, CAC, and Your Money!