Published: August 01, 2008 03:27 pm            

Central College class of 2008 makes graduation pledge

One-hundred and thirty members of Central College’s class of 2008 signed a graduation pledge of environmental and social responsibility that students at over a hundred colleges, universities and high schools have signed.

These students consciously made a voluntary pledge that states, “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

The pledge reminds students of the ethical implications of the knowledge and training they received and it can help lead to a socially conscious citizenry and a better world. According to the Graduation Pledge Alliance Web site, the pledge operates on three levels: students making choices about their employment; schools educating about values and citizenship, rather than only knowledge and skills; and the workplace and society being concerned about more than just the bottom line.

Over the years, Central College has made environmental commitments in many different areas. As the class of 2008 first stepped on campus, they were exposed to global environmental and social issues in Intersections courses, a first-year interdisciplinary seminar designed to introduce students to the intellectual and academic life at Central. All sections share a common topic and in the fall of 2004, the class of 2008 collectively studied the human place in the global environment.

        

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