Civic involvement - to what end?

    Not a student on this campus can forget the scramble for résumé-building activities and awards during high school, especially as college applications changed from a thing of the distant future to a burden of present reality. The expectation, or the hope, was that once in college, the résumé-building would end and students would be free to pursue their passions, slightly less restricted by extrinsic pressures and motivations. But alas, the cycle continues.
    The Tisch College's new honor society, Honos Civicus, meant to honor students who have demonstrated academic excellence as well as a significant amount of community service and have also completed two (for those with GPAs above 3.5) or four (for those with GPAs below 3.5) "active citizenship courses" at graduation this spring encourages exactly that same type of résumé building: extrinsically motivated, empty service that will be celebrated as "active citizenship."
    While we at the Daily do feel that those students who truly use their Tufts education to better the world around them should receive recognition, we sincerely hope that this is a result of their empathy for their fellow human beings and an intrinsic drive to give back to others— a passion that will sustain them through the obstacles of selfish people and low-paying "active citizen"-oriented jobs that so often comprise the years between college graduation and successful philanthropic endeavors— and not because it bolsters a résumé, or in this case, means they are able to graduate with honors. By its very nature, the desire to be an "active citizen" is intrinsic. It is an ingrained sense of responsibility to be involved in and give back to the world we are all a part of — not because it is quantifiable but because it really is the right thing to do. We do not mean to suggest that every person who will be accepted into Honos Civicus this spring and in years to come doesn't have the right intentions and doesn't devote an incredible amount of time and energy to touching the lives of others— it does mean that a university that so highly emphasizes "active citizenship" has made it a commodity to be competed for rather than a way to interact with the world.
    In addition to its blatant encouragement of "active citizenship" for completely extrinsic reasons, the University has also indicated that it hopes to spread Honos Civicus to other schools, making it seem more like the true goal of the new honor society is to boost the image of the university and not to honor its (supposedly) most dedicated and civically engaged students. This, again, appears to violate the true meaning of "active citizenship" and seems much more oriented toward recognition for Tufts, and maybe its students, rather than actual encouragement of "active citizenship."
    While we at the Daily can applaud the university's attempt to recognize more than just the academic aspects of a Tufts education in Honos Civicus, we also encourage it to remember that the real purpose of "active citizenship" extends far beyond awards and recognition.