If you commit, stick with it

Following through with your responsibilities is a sign of character

Being in college it is assumed that students will maintain some form of responsibility, whether it is completing homework every day for classes or taking on tasks for an organization you are a member of.

Most students manage the responsibility of homework by getting assignments, projects, and papers completed on time. The quality of work reflects in a student’s grade, earned by putting time, energy, and hard work into the assignment and doing the best with the resources available. What I have just described is becoming more of a dream the longer I attend college and witness how students act in regards to responsibility and the energy they apply, which shows in the quality of the finished piece.

Classes and homework are not the only responsibility a large number of students at Chadron State deal with on a daily, or weekly, basis. Many are involved in at least one extracurricular activity, ranging from sports, to organizations, work, and even being social are responsibilities students may juggle. When it comes to all these activities, some would believe the more a student is involved the higher their responsibility. Unfortunately, as of late, I have noticed students who are involved in two or more extracurriculars are less responsible and some even pass the work to someone else if a group is involved.

First, let me make the point that not all students who are involved are like this. I have just witnessed lately that the more a student is involved, the less they follow through with their work. I also am not going to claim to be perfect. I procrastinate and occasionally ask for assistance, but there is a line between procrastination and simply handing the work to someone else because you have “more important matters to attend to.”

If you offer or are assigned a task to complete, no matter what it is, it is your responsibility to follow through and complete that task to the best of your ability with quality work and in a timely manner, or at least that how people expect work to be finished. It is upsetting when I notice students handing off their work for someone else to complete because they simply do not want to do it.

A student has the right to say no if they are too busy and cannot complete the task, but do not take it on knowing you are busy and then pass it off for others to finish. That is not only a pet peeve of mine, but others, and is irritating. If you do not have time for the task and pass it onto someone else, what makes you believe they have time to complete it? That is unwanted stress on the other party and is simply rude.

Bottom line, if you offer to head a committee, wish to join a sports team, are given a homework assignment, or any other form of responsibility, remember that you are in charge of the finished product from start to finish.

Be respectful of others time and responsibilities, and act like the adult most of us are; complete your work and give it all you have.