Shaw Leadership Program (For people in and not in it)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

<p>I have some questions about this program.</p>

<p>Since the students in it live in their own dorm house, to they tend to have fewer opportunities to meet others? Also, for anyone who is not in Shaw, do the people who are in it seem to fit in well with the rest of the school, or are they somewhat socially awkward?</p>

<p>Any comments are appreciated</p>

2

<p>To Boston College 2013, Shaw Applicants, and Whom This May Concern:</p>

<p>In the following missive, I will outline my experience in the Shaw Leadership Program for exactly what it was: the good (and there was good), the bad, and the ugly. I write not to tarnish the program, but to illuminate the truth and hopefully spare those unwitting applicants the anguish.</p>

<p>The Good:</p>

<p>I came into the program excited to meet twenty other extremely diverse freshmen, people with whom I would normally have never interacted. From the onset, we were told “Shaw is Family”, a sure by-product of having twenty people living in such intimate quarters. We had our own kitchen, a common room, a porch, and our very own unique rooms. Already we were set apart from the prison cell-esque residence halls that comprise the rest of freshmen housing. We all came to know each other quite well; we bickered and fought and inevitably became a family.</p>

<p>This program does a good job of allowing you interact with upperclassmen who truly seem to be the backbone of it all. They offered kind advice and wonderful support.</p>

<p>The rest of the program is indisputably lacking.</p>

<p>The Bad:</p>

<p>The unfortunate side effects of living in such quarters are:

  1. It hampers you socially: Living in Shaw House automatically pigeonholes you from the rest of the BC flock as “different”. Whether you think this good or bad, it puts you upon a pedestal. Although friends are indeed made outside the house, the physical, social, and mental boundaries the program create are unmistakably confining.
  2. It hampers you academically: The Shaw House is no place to study. People are up to the wee hours of the night talking, running around, making noise, and doing whatever they please. This is fun when you are those people, but not fun when you’re trying to sleep or study.
  3. Drama. Drama. Drama. I never experienced so much in my life. Most of it stems from the cramming so many different people into such tight quarters, but much of it also stems from petty scandal. People tend to gossip a severe amount, and you spend quite a bit of time dealing with this strife. This exacerbates the last two points quite a bit.
  4. It does not teach how to be a leader: After all, this is a leadership program, right? The “leadership” portion consists of weekly meetings with speakers (usually BC officials) on what it means to be a leader. These are at many times fun and entertaining, but at most times unfortunate and aggravating. Conceivably the most frustrating about these meetings is that they tended to be repetitive, the speakers droning on about their own versions of leadership. Essentially, the program was ineffective.
    Possibly the most formative part of the program is the service, which fell apart this year when the service leaders were asked to step down after some policy-breaking “incidents”. Also the “mentoring” is an overall sham. Although some mentors do prove useful and become great friends with their mentees, most mentors do not apply or involve themselves at all.</p>

<p>The Ugly:</p>

<p>First of all, let me say that many kids in this house generally enjoy anything a normal college student would. This includes going to parties, drinking, maybe smoking, and doing anything Asher Roth tends to rap about.</p>

<p>That said, the administration does not allow any of this. One strike and you’re out. (Out = kicked out the house, the program, and put on housing probation. Housing probation = one strike and you’re kicked out of housing at BC itself.) We did not know this, and for probably the first month and a half we held a few parties in the house until a great number of us got caught by the RD (residential director) who lives below us. These students were almost kicked out, and put on housing probation. They were forced to do sanctions in which they created substance-free events for the greater freshman community. This goes far beyond any sort of write-up for a BC freshman, which usually consists of a slap on the wrist. However, being a leader comes with consequences, which inevitably are harsher.</p>

<p>A next group got written up and expelled from the program. As their first time getting written up, they appealed, and on the basis of a procedure “that took too long” (according to ResLife), they got to stay in the house. Their sanction consisted of writing essays, reading the very dry “Laws of Leadership”, and creating events for every law in that book (20 laws). These events will become the basis of the Monday night meetings, so essentially the Shaw 2013 program comes out of a Shaw 2012 punishment.</p>

<p>The administration proceeded to call a meeting in which they outlined a “no-tolerance” policy, a policy harsher than that of Honors Housing, ELP, and Healthy Living. Further, they specifically established that “Shaw is not family”. They did this all on the basis of previous years being “too rowdy” and promoting a “frat house” environment.</p>

<p>The next group got written up and officially expelled from the program. Eventually, ResLife banned them permanently from the premises.</p>

<p>Conclusion:</p>

<p>I do not wish to discourage people from applying, I merely want you all (and I think this fair) to know exactly what you are getting into. I would find myself morally remiss for not elucidating the harsh truth behind this life changing decision (and freshmen year of college is life changing, make no mistake about that). You can achieve this much coveted “family” atmosphere on any other floor, and you can find all you need to be a “leader” just by attending BC, or even applying to such programs as ELP, AHANA, the list goes on. Those looking to pad their r</p>

3

<p>hey thanks to whoever posted this on the facebook thread. i saw this and i was like “hah i knew it was a sham!!!”</p>

<p>lol i love how programs and the people who sponsor them think they can create/form/polish people into leaders. Leaders cannot be made. Leaders are born through their actions.</p>

4

<p>Okay as a proud Shaw alumni, I wrote a lengthy four to five paragraph essay responding to BCEagles09 post. Then I erased it and decided it was better if I just say this:</p>

<p>Everyone has their own take on the program. The program has room for improvement. I loved the experience. Living with twenty unique, high achieving peers taught me more about leadership than any leadership “seminar” I have been to or program I have participated in. I disagree with BCEagles09 take on it, but he is more than allowed to express his opinion. The program is not a “Sham”.</p>

5

<p>Whoa, I was thinking of applying, but I feel like his cons may outweigh the pros :/</p>

6

<p>Hello, I am also a BC student and a Shaw Alumni. I want to make it abundantly clear that eaglesfan8245 was the person who was kicked out of the Program for being caught smoking weed. </p>

<p>I mean if you smoke weed that’s fine. But if you get caught by the Cops and then expect to stay in a prestigious leadership program, then you are just an idiot. </p>

<p>While he does have grains of truth…he DEFINITELY over exaggerates the negatives because of bitter feelings and poor social skills.</p>

7

As a current member of the program I’d love to offer some feedback on my experience with Shaw.

For me Shaw was not a limiting experience at all. Living in the Shaw house my freshmen year offered me a supportive community, but by no means were my housemates the only people I interacted with. Shaw is about being a part of a community of people that push you to outside of your comfort zone and become more well rounded people.

Members of the Shaw Leadership Program and doing incredible things on the BC campus and in the city of Boston as well. They are involved in student publications, student government, admissions program, academic research, campus ministry, music, arts, theater, political organizations, service work and countless other things. By no means are Shaw students limited by their experience with the program, unless they choose to be.