The Community Service Trust Act

With the passing of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, there is increased focus on integrating student community service, volunteerism and service learning into the curriculum. Service learning can be a key to unlock our nation's potential. Promising that national service will â€Å"strengthen the cords that bind us together as a people,† President Clinton signed legislation creating AmeriCorps. The new program, scheduled for late 1994, will in its first year rovide 20,000 young people with 7,425 in annual wages plus health benefits and child care benefits if needed and $4,725 in educational benefits in exchange for a full year of grassroots community service work. In a Mac Arthur Foundation publication on youth service, Judy Karasik reported that America is â€Å"experiencing an explosion of youth idealism, activism, and commitment to engaged citizenship† . In record numbers, Americans are reaching out. It is no longer a matter of noblesse oblige, in which the rich reach down to help the poor. Today's volunteers are people of every socioeconomic level helping each other. There are still wealthy philanthropists who serve those less privileged, but the women who would have served in previous generations are now working for pay at demanding jobs. They are often too exhausted to add community service to their other responsibilities From Miami to Seattle, the United States of the 1990s is ripe for answers to the seemingly insurmountable social problems plaguing large cities and small towns. While we have almost become indifferent to the familiar litany of socital ills–crime, drugs,teen pregnancy, homelessness, juvenile delinquency–the response to many of our community problems has been a new student activism burgeoning on our college campuses. Programs range from student organizations assisting the US Marines with their annual Toys for Tots program to full-time internships in social service agencies A week after Hurricane Andrew struck southern Dade County, Florida, Broward Community College students had â€Å"adopted†Florida City and mobilized to help survivors rebuild their community. Teams of students, along with faculty and staff, traveled to Florida City on weekends to assist in the cleanup. Back in Broward County, some of these same students mentor at-risk youngsters, tutor high school students with specific learning disabilities, act as student ambassadors to the community, and serve as peer educators providing vital HIV/AIDS prevention information to their classmates Interior design students in Texas redesigned the Alzheimer care unit of a local hospital while classmates renovated a homeless shelter. In Colorado, architectural students redesigned a town hall. At Miami-Dade Community College, Florida, students received academic credit for producing a play performed by students, faculty and residents of a homeless center. â€Å"I learned more from them than I have all my life† said David, a student, referring to the homeless people he worked with in the play. Student community service and service learning are powerful learning experiences for students, providing a way to effect change and address our nation's pressing social problems. Students who volunteer receive more than just the satisfaction of helping those in need: they learn responsibility, build character, solve problems, and gain a better understanding of their Community colleges have a unique opportunity to be on the cutting edge of this new paradigm. Speaking at a Florida Council of Student Affairs meeting, Chris Gilmore, director of the Florida Governor's Commission on National and Community Service,urged deans and vice presidents to remember that one-third of the community college mission is service. Citing a study in which 100 percent of the students reported that their service experience was more important than their academic studies, Gilmore noted, â€Å"There is no better way to learn leadership than by leading, and no better way to learn the value of service than by serving†. The term â€Å"community service† often conjures up visions of forced restitution, of convicted criminals sentenced to pay off their debts to society for infractions ranging from speeding tickets to felonies. For our students, the accepted definition of community service is unpaid work that everyone can do to improve the quality of life of those being served, of those serving, and ultimately of the community as a whole. The primary goal lies in attacking civic apathy while participating in activities that serve community needs. Out-of-classroom learning programs have gained in popularity since emerging in the mid 1960s when President Kennedy urged the nation to † ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. He called upon the nation's young to serve society in the military, community service, the international Peace Corps, or domestic VISTA programs for two-years of national service. Since that time many colleges and universities have been actively integrating student volunteerism, internships, and community service into their programs. Thousands of college students are currently working in literacy programs, day care centers, soup kitchens, and facilities for the elderly. Very often the difference between someone failing and making it is just one person who cares about them. Student volunteers can change the course of history by touching the lives of many while gaining valuable life experience. What sets service learning apart from other types of non-traditional education programs, according to Neil Merrell, director of the Center for Public Policy and Service at Mesa Community College, is that â€Å"service learning is the blending of academic study and community service. † At Mesa, says Merrell, â€Å"our goal is to encourage students to become lifelong, active participants in the community. † Service can be integrated into a class in several ways, an extra credit option; as a substitute for a requirement, such as a paper,exam, or project; or an integral part of the course, if the class is on a related topic, like social problems. Service learning is the integration of community service into an organized setting where the servers also reflect on the meaning of their service. By combining service with a reflective educational framework, the benefits far exceed those of service or learning separately. Reflection can take place in groups or individually, in a written or oral format, by using journals or essays. In service learning the volunteer work is related to the course. The process of reflection is an essential part of integrating the service experience into course work. Through structured reflection activities, individuals develop an appreciation for the connection between their community service activities and the underlying issues of the social problem being addressed. Trish Joyce, a Broward Community College English professor, offered a service option to students in her Introduction to the Short Story course. After some reluctance, David Manko, a computer science major, volunteered to read stories to children at the campus child care center. Joyce points to the following excerpts of David's reflective journal as â€Å"a shining example of what â€Å"I told him no, that it only looked that way because the ants are so small. The children were all wondering about the crystals the ants were so interested in so I decided to show them, using a grain of sand. I told the kids that to an ant this looks like a giant rock and they are strong enough to carry them. They understood and wanted to look at the pictures in the book again†¦ If I were to write a children's story those are some of the characteristics I would include†¦ Each experience I have with the children, I feel I have shown them a little of the enormous and very diverse world of literature. † . A student's college career is a time of training, not only for a career, but for life. Service learning programs are designed to make social service an integral part of students' lives during and after college. The training gained through service could provide new career opportunities, or simply an experience to benefit everyone involved. Research by Arthur Levine of Harvard University shows an estimated 64 percent of college and university students participate in public service activities in addition to their course work. Mark Cooper, a Broward Community College alumnus, heads the student-initiated Volunteer Action Center at Florida International University (FIU). Cooper, who began the FIU program two years ago while a student, believes that â€Å"service learning works because it is based on one simple principle: you don't learn the basics by memorizing the basics, but by doing projects in which you utilize the basics. Surely if education is supposed to prepare the next generation, we should be teaching active citizenship rather than rote memorization. The real value, though, lies in enhanced learning. Research by Judith Boss on her University of Rhode Island ethics classes showed that a service learning component improves learning . Solving community problems is a bonus. The nation is looking toward its colleges to stem the torrent of violence and civic apathy by instilling such core values as honesty and respect for life. The Wingspread Group, a blue ribbon panel on higher education, developed a 42-point college checklist to improve educational offerings. The panel urged administrators to ensure that â€Å"next year's entering students will graduate as individuals of character, more sensitive to the needs of community, more competent to contribute to society, and more civil in habits of thought, speech and action. â€Å"Service learning experiences build new relationships between students and instructors, between the community and the college or university, and between the people being served, and the students, benefiting all involved. Properly prepared students augment service delivery for overburdened community agencies, allowing closer contact with clientele, and providing extra staff support. The college gains an improved public relations image. More than any other educational institution, the community college's very mission is enmeshed with a commitment to improve the communities that surround its campuses. The existence of both mandatory and voluntary community service programs is nothing new for many private liberal arts institutions and public universities. Even high schools in many states are adding service hours to their graduation requirements. However, while service learning is a nice enhancement to these educational offerings, service is integral to the very essence of the community college mission. Karen Bojar, an English Professor at the Community College of Philadelphia, includes service learning activities in her literature classes. She states â€Å"Community college students have deep roots in the community; thus, community service sets the stage for lifelong commitment. She views formal volunteering through a structured experience as a career skill and teaches her students how to incorporate their volunteer work into their resumes. In the most successful service learning programs, colleges and universities work together in a partnership with community-based organizations and civic leaders in identifying needs, planning and establishing the service projects. Community awareness is essential to the success of any service learning program. For years, colleges and universities have sought creative methods of providing on-the-job training to augment classroom learning. The value of such a goal is demonstrated by student participation in extracurricular and student life activities, where self esteem is strengthened and the roles of commitment and responsibility are reinforced through employment. Potential employers have always valued on-the-job experience, often more so than academic credentials. Employers are placing a high value on community service experience as well. An increasing number of corporations are establishing corporate foundations and community giving programs. Many encourage employee volunteerism through matching programs, match employee monetary gifts, and lend their executives to assist non-profit organizations. It is always desirable for students to become more focused as they explore career choices. Student employment provides non-threatening opportunities to experience job options without a full-time commitment. Working for the common good, however, adds a sense of urgency as the needs for increased levels of civic responsibility become more and more critical. Since 1954 there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of college graduates entering the field of social work. We may soon be able to witness a marked increase as more college students have a chance to learn through service to others. . In addition to the value of the experience itself, most of the student participants at Broward Community College receive service scholarships to reduce their need to borrow to pay for college. Although many of the participants reluctantly admit they signed up initially for the money, they stayed involved even when the scholarships were exhausted. Wen asked, they said they feel they got more out of the experience than the recipient of their services. The following steps will enable administrators to create a successful service learning program: Begin with a small core of interested faculty, preferably individuals who are activists themselves and already participate in community service endeavors. Form an advisory committee with membership including representatives from faculty, staff, students, corporations, and local community agencies. This committee can provide useful feedback, encourage faculty to buy into service learning for their classes, and win needed support from students and the community. Include students and faculty in the planning. Students must be involved in every aspect of developing the service learning program, from planning through implementation, though the institution should serve as administrative support to coordinate the program. Establish an office to provide service support and coordinate the program with faculty, develop agency contacts, place students, monitor service hours, and maintain co-curricular transcript data. Find a lightning rod with clout and provide incentives to reward faculty involvement. Elizabeth Ann Gilver, director of the Haverford College, Pennsylvania, Career and Community Service Program, recommends reassuring teachers that their students' course work will not suffer and using concessions to defuse opposition from the faculty In an effort to document the community involvement of students, student development transcripts are becoming popular as addenda to academic transcripts. They provide students with a documented record of their out-of-classroom experiences. These records of co-curricular activities can be presented to potential employers to indicate additional job skills acquired while performing community work. As public service gains popularity and jobs become more scarce, volunteering for community service will be viewed as yet another way for job applicants to enhance their resumes. Maintaining records of service also provide an excellent method to recognize student involvement. Several institutions use graduation and other ceremonies to present awards or plaques to students based on number of hours of service performed. A brightly colored cord or tassel on students' mortarboards can also be used to honor service achievements. At some institutions, a single instructor or group of faculty members have developed ways to creatively integrate service experiences into specific courses with no institutional support. Many four-year institutions have programs that are initiated and run by students, either through student clubs and organizations or by individual students. However, because of the abbreviated programs and short tenure of typical community college students, community colleges wishing to sustain a viable service learning program must make the commitment of a full-time faculty or staff member to coordinate their program. There are numerous departments that can assume overall responsibility for a service learning program–Student affairs, academic affairs, cooperative education, student employment, financial aid, student activities, student life, placement, or career services offices can all play a role. There is no one answer that will satisfy the individual needs of all institutions, each with very different organizational structures. The common denominator in successful service learning programs is enthusiastic program personnel coupled with a strong institutional commitment, as long term sustain ability is largely dependent on a commitment from top administration. When searching for funding, don't leave any stone unturned. Grants are available to cover startup costs from such sources as the Corporation on National and Community Service, the U. S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), state agencies, etc. Some institutions have earmarked student activity fees to cover program operating costs. Others have successfully negotiated institutional budgetary support. Work closely with your counterparts in resource development, financial aid, and grants, to seek out operating funds. If your institution provides staff and program development support or mini-grants to pilot new programs, apply for start-up funds. Appeal to local private and public foundations, corporations and individual donors. Seek out program funds or scholarships for the students. Donors are often more willing to provide tuition assistance for students who also give something back to their community. By focusing on the needs of others, students gain a sense of compassion and social awareness that develops when people help each other. A national survey conducted by Allan Luks revealed that people who do regular volunteer work report that good feelings keep them generally healthier and happier In his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good, he suggests that working through an organization makes volunteers more likely to continue regular volunteer activities. By providing college students with an organized means to experience service learning, colleges can foster a lifelong commitment to altruism. There are those who see the world's ills as insurmountable and make no effort to address them. There are others who believe that each of us can make a difference through individual acts of civic responsibility. Toward that end, every community college in the nation should provide its students with a variety of volunteer, community service, public service and service learning experiences to prepare them for a role of active citizenship and participation in improving the quality of life in their communities. Think what a legacy we could leave our children and their children if we could imbue each of the nearly 9 million students that annually pass through our doors each year with such a notion. The ripple effect would certainly go a long way toward making our world a better place.

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid Essay

In the short story â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid the author gives a perspective of the relationship between a strict mother and her young daughter. Jamaica Kincaid wrote series of sentences that sets the tone of the story to be uptight, oppressive, and informative. The author described her daughter into becoming a ‘slut’ which tells the readers that the mother is worried and is disapproving of her daughters actions. Others might think that the story is only about the daughter repeating what her mother tells her to do but it really it’s the perspective of the mother trying to prevent her daughter from becoming a ‘slut’ and changing her to become a lady. Although others may think otherwise that the character who plays girl, is in fact making a mockery of her mother’s commands. In theory people may say that the mother repeated herself so often about her daughter’s behavior and teaching her how to do her responsibilities correctly th at the daughter have memorized her mother’s lectures and began to repeat them to herself to show rebellion against these tasks. With the attention to the dialogue, shows the mother lecturing her daughter. In the beginning the author wrote â€Å"but I don’t sing benna on Sundays† (line 7) in an italicized format giving the idea that someone, in this case the daughter, is responding to her mother’s lecturing trying to defend herself. This goes to show that the poem is in fact a conversation held by a mother and a young girl with disapproving behaviors causing her mother to scold those unacceptable behaviors. Throughout the poem lists a few teachings into having a good behavior and proper manners. There are specific ways the mother instructed her daughter to do her chores. For example, â€Å"this is how you smile to someone you don’t like† (line),†this is how to set a table for dinner†, and â€Å"this is how to bully a man†. The lists goes on and I can relate to these rules. My mother taught me the importance of discipline throughout my whole life teaching me right from wrong and telling me to do chores and teaching me how to do things on my own since I was now becoming a young adult. Mothers have many different parenting ways to teach their own daughter how to become a lady and most  will teach their daughters by the mistakes they’ve made in the past or by the experience of their mothers giving the same lecture to them when they were coming up into the teenage years. Jamaica Kincaid based this short story on her life growing up as a child. Kincaid and her mother was very close until her three brothers were born. After that Kincaid and her mother grew apart and her mother became more intense and more demanding towards her daughter to become a lady. In conclusion the poem â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid is the self-reflection of kincaids early life. She described her life as being very controlled by her mother and being judged of becoming a ‘slut’.

The Body Shop and the Cosmetics Industry Dissertation

The Body Shop and the Cosmetics Industry - Dissertation Example The Body shop is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world and founded by the late Dame Anita Roddick. Headquartered in Little Hampton, THE Body Shop is known for its vegetable-based products ranging from Body Butter, Peppermint Foot Lotion, and Hemp (Corporate Report 2009). The Body Shop has emphasized its support for a wide range of issues around the globe. The company is noted for a range of product environmental innovation. For example, rather than using new bottling bottles from the shop, they press on using their own bottles. (Report 2007). 1.1 Problem Statements and Research Questions Although the concept of CSR has gained prominence during the last couple of decades, little research has addressed the concept within The Body Shop. This paper seeks to open another research area by focusing on The Body Shop and cosmetic industry. Thus, this paper addresses three important questions. 1. Why is CSR an increasingly relevant factor within the cosmetics industry 2. How is CSR implemented by The Body Shop to gain competitive advantage in the cosmetics industry However, this is limited to the body shop as focusing on the body shop has a number of advantages. For example it pioneered CSR behaviours in the cosmetic industry. 3. How has The Body Shop's practice of CSR demonstrated a correlation with customer purchasing behaviour Has this been affected by the recent takeover of The Body Shop by L'Oreal 1.2 Objectives and Purpose of Study This research focuses on the cosmetic industry. The purpose of the paper is to address and examine CSR activities in the cosmetic industry focusing on the body shop. The main purpose is to examine why CSR is an increasingly relevant factor within the cosmetic industry. Another objective is to... These issues pose significant challenges for companies as far as their competitive position and long-term performance is concerned. Consequently, it is necessary for companies to design CSR policies that would enable customers and other major stakeholders to perceive them as genuine companies. Such an approach will go a long way to improving the competitive position and long-term performance of the company. Companies must also increase the information that they disclose in their corporate social responsibility reports as this increases the company’s chances of being perceived as a transparent company and thus its chances of performing well in the community. This dissertation through theories and literature explores the concept of CSR and thereby takes a case study approach and analyses the application of CSR in the cosmetics industry and more specifically in ‘The Body Shop’. The Body Shop has made a name for itself in the cosmetics industry by trading the path of honesty and integrity in terms of its CSR policies. In conclusion, despite its noble approach towards CSR and better future environment over the years, it has many rooms for improvement.Here, it is important to note here that, CSR activities have become the values of the body shop, through its belief and emphasis on natural ingredients and environmental activities, the body shop has distinguished itself from other beauty shops in the cosmetic industry. Its emphasis on socially responsible and corporate citizenship has created a competitive edge in the market.

Six principles of IDEA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Six principles of IDEA - Essay Example The Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) principles, relieves the financial burden that parents may experience when educating their children with disability challenges. The principle ensures that the public education system effectively meets the needs and aspiration of students individually. The federal government provides the public school districts with funding. The principle thus protects disabled students from discrimination, in the entire United States. The disabled students and their guardians or parents, are therefore involved in all aspects of the school system. The free aspect of the Act enables the education of children having disabilities, to be appropriately determined by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) that caters for individual needs of students. The public aspect of the act empowers the public schools to respond to education interests of the students. Appropriate aspect of the principle considered the individual differences among the students with disabilities, and illustrates effective measures for giving them quality

Monday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monday - Essay Example The description of work he has done, one room is compared to a wedding cake in the story, illustrates his heart-felt belief that life is not just about money. In terms of Fitch's perspective, Helprin shows us this ethic with the comment about seeing soul in a building. For Fitch, in a business where most contractors are simply concerned about getting the highest profit for the least amount of work, he sees the elements of beauty as the expression of the heart. His pride in craftsmanship and attention to detail evidences a character that is a deep, honest, and caring human being. Another significant aspect of Fitch's character is his honor. He is an honorable man above all other things. His treatment of his employees shows integrity; a quality that they mirror when they insist that they will work on Lilly's apartment at no charge. His argument with the architect over his placing supports in a building that were absent from the plans demonstrates that he cares about his reputation. Rather than adding a costly element that he could have omitted and blamed upon the architect, he decides that he is the builder and will do what's right.

Quality improvement in real estate Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality improvement in real estate - Term Paper Example Vision – The vision of the company is to become one of the most reliable and preferred real estate firms. The company aims to provide most innovative and creative services to our valued customers consistently. Mission – Mobilizing and delivering best services on basis of our vast knowledge, human resource talent, and by taking most informed decisions. The core values of the company are, Trust and collaboration Respect Integrity Identification of Active Quality Programs The company implements quality assurance and control systems based on latest available technologies and ISO standards that are widely recognized internationally. The decision to adopt ISO standards were made keeping in mind future overseas expansion. The company carries out extensive research to identify the necessary areas of improvement related to quality assurance and control concept. The process involves surveying the active quality programs of other private real estate firms. The company has dedicate d research department that works with talented employees in respective domains. The company’s active quality programs, primarily centered on internal control and quality assurance, are strategically planned keeping in mind all the current legal aspects. One of the most challenging tasks for a real estate firm is to acquire land without any hassles. The success of the firm will depend on how effectively the company identifies controls, manages and improves their active quality programs. Thus, processes must be repeatable and measurable and only then areas of further improvement could be identified and necessary steps may be taken for improvement. Some of the active quality programs initiated by the company are, Deming Cycle Analysis – The cycle may be broken into four phases namely Plan, Do, Study and Act. As discussed earlier, the company has dedicated department for research and analytical activities that specializes in this sort of activities (Evans, 2013, pp.157-158 ). Seven QC Tools – The Company uses these tools, as per requirement client requirements, to chart and identify logical sequences of activities, flow of information and materials. Lean Sigma – The Company integrates improvement methods in order to increase efficiency, reduce defects, wastes, and variances. Brief Explanation of Job As the owner of Real Estate Corporation, it is my responsibility to oversee every active operations of business. In broader perspective, my job includes business planning (drawing business strategy), planning Human Resource and marketing strategies; ensure efficient customer service and management of financial resources. More specifically, as the owner of corporation it is my duty to constantly motivate managers and employees with effective leadership skills targeted at maintaining employee commitment. All projects are passed after my final approval but they are initially analyzed by the project manager. The finance manager prepares annual bu dget after consulting with me and other co-founders. I am also the Executive CEO of the company that helps me to regularly communicate with employees of all stages of hierarchy, understand their problems, appreciate new ideas, and create a more cooperative environment. The constant interaction with all levels of the company helps to enforce greater control and responsibility over business. Identification of Major Processes of Engagement The company provides commercial real estate services to customer group

Justice as a larger loyalty and theory of recognition Essay

Justice as a larger loyalty and theory of recognition - Essay Example Richard Rorty is an American philosopher having graduated from the University of Chicago. He is a man well known in contemporary analytic of philosophy work as well as history of philosophy. In his research and writings towards justice and democracy, Rorty suggested that democracy can only be recognized world wide as moral legitimacy forms of government. From the mere observations, Rorty suggested that democracy establishment and preservation varies from one culture to another hence; democracy is affected by three major problems in general. Justice and democracy depends on the perspective ways of presentation, theoretical point of view and practical form. However, the author in his writings demonstrated distortion of democratic decision making which is brought by disparities in wealth, capitalist economies and reconciliation of democratic values are some of the major problems that democracy and justice meets. In his regards towards justice as a larger loyalty, Rorty believed that mos t of what passes for philosophy facet is puzzled, useless, solving, as well as clever towards culture and real life of people within a given community. The author suggested an aspect of pragmatists towards nature and gave an inquiry that one should simply make on what he or she see happening. In his writing however, the philosopher initiated other fellow to try some new ways of thinking and see the result as suggested.

Questions & answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions & answers - Assignment Example As the CMO, Dr. Yeasted is on the finance body making suggestions and approvals for any budgeting to be carried out. In his role, he has to prioritize issues in order for the most important and necessary at the moment to take precedence in the budget and also have to explain the same to the staff. The strategic plan at the moment in the hospital is that of trying to streamline the hospital activities and quality with the new health care policies such as the managed care and affordable care act. This is still what he worked on and the success is starting to be evident. Prior to him becoming a CMO, Dr. Yeasted was a Board member of the same hospital and hence has a cordial relationship with the board members including the chairman. This relationship is free of tension as they have known each other for long and have also worked together as physicians. The most enjoyable thing is that he gets to change the life of the community by simply making the correct decisions and implementation of the policies which is part of his job as a CMO. The least enjoyable is attending and participating in meetings which take up majority of his time (Kassel, 2015). I was surprised that the CMO had many roles up their sleeves and sometimes even did not find to practice medicine. I thought their life was just easy as there were other administrators and the Board in the hospital and hence he only had to do the approving and nothing else. According to Dr. Yeasted, in as much a health care administrator is busy with office work and meetings, he or she needs to set aside side time to visit the patients and interact on an informal basis with the staff to not only create rapport but learn more about the hospital. The CMO advices the students who wish to become administrators to become conversant with the issues of finance and take precaution about it. The finances are different from other organizations and hence need different strategies to handle them as well as know how to

A Response to Crossing the Tracks of Friendship and Dating Essay

A Response to Crossing the Tracks of Friendship and Dating - Essay Example It also shows that lately there have been signs of disagreements in the relationship on topics like "religion, being involved in church, and also about being sexual" (Braithwaite, 1999). Beneath the questions is the hidden issue of intimacy, whether they would indulge in it since they have started to get involved physically already or abandon it altogether in congruence to their concept of friendship. Despite their uncertainties, Robert and Anya's main objective is still each other's well-being because they do genuinely love each other and are, "almost soul-mates" (Braithwaite, 1999). That love is outwardly displayed in the form of constant communication about their relationship, that they can be "open and direct with each other" (Braithwaite, 1999). The dominant medium of communication is the late-night conversations over the telephone. Because of their willingness to talk openly together they seek solutions to their questions. One solution they have come up for their interpersonal issues is their mutual categorical agreement not to date. One convenient advantage is the clarity of the definition of friendship and its conventional boundaries, that they need not anymore court possible miscommunication or mixed signals with their actions towards each other. This is the best solution at hand because it is commonly agreed by both and leaves no room for ambiguity. The disadvantage, however, is that it currently halts any development towards and intimate relationship. A relationship is a dynamic process and two people who are attracted to each other and share the same values ought to have every room available for going to the next level, if permitted. Yet both also see the possibility that they "don't have to see friendship and romance as excluding each other" (Braithwaite, 1999), that maybe they can have both. An advantage of this solution is the acceptance and recognition that both concepts, although seemingly contradictory, can further enhance the relationship. In friendship is the ease that Robert and Anya have already established in talking about anything of consequence which can probably lead, as they further mature, to a deeper understanding of each other's unique individuality and very personal needs that romance can fill in. This case teaches us that interpersonal communication is a practical necessity that requires a lot of work to interact well in society. Interpersonal communication is a work by itself. It s not just a passive tool to be used to go about one's everyday business but is something that grows and can be developed through deliberate effort. One applicable theory in the case is the theory of Relational Dialectics of Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery which tells about the simultaneous presence of the push and pull of tensions in a close relationship. The closer the relationship is the more conflicts will come threatening to tear the relationship apart (Cooke, "Relational"). It is evidenced by Anya's perception of Robert's lack of consideration of her feelings when he kissed her without her express consent, the early observation incompatibility, the playful accusations of who likes whom more with Robert's vehement rebuttal, Anya's supposed flirtatious nature and her denial of it. Under this theory, these potential conflicts are best