My University has blocked online gaming

[cookyy2k]

Excuse me, but do employers charge their employees for the privilege of using their network? Universities charge students for network access, it's usually called something like a "tech fee" or a "net access fee" in your tuition and fees statement. Face it, any university that blocks traffic is ripping their students off.

No. Until you can prove that the owner of a network is not entitled to regulate and dictate its usage, then anything you say is null and void. It's the simple and cold fact that it's their network, thus their rules. You have not shown otherwise.

You are absolutely in denial here. This is not a violation of consumer rights in the slightest, whatever the term means.

Legal rights or not, any university that does this deserves some seriously bad press. If I were the OP, and my school refused to take care of this, I'd do everything I possibly could to get the word out: "don't go here if you game online." There are plenty of schools out there that don't have ridiculous restrictions like this; I'm using the internet access of such a school as we write. If you'll pardon my french, fuck any live-in university that tries to pull this crap.

Because you go to university based on your will to online game, nothing to do with that uni's rep or how good they are at your subject...

Or because there are plenty of damned good universities that don't pull this crap. I see no reason to go to a school that offers my program but refuses to allow me my leisure time when there are other schools that do both.

Ok then, just remember if you don't get a job because you're up against someone who went to a better uni you wouldn't consider because of no gaming you can atleast be happy you had a few years of online gaming.

You do realize that nobody cares where your diploma came from as long as the school was accredited, right? It's not like I'm going to Devry University or some other diploma mill.

I'm afraid to tell you they do. I had the fortune of going to a well respected uni for my undergrad degree so it was far easier to get my PhD position. I know people who went to any old uni based on several criteria and whilst they did well they're now unemployed or in unqualified jobs.

 

[Delsana]

Play RPG's and some singleplayer games. Or get into board games at college, or go party like everyone with half a brain does.

That's funny because it seems when people go to parties, they tend to lose brains. It's simply a matter of whether you'd like your brain sucked out by WoW or sucked out by alcohol.

Well he did specify half a brain, not a whole one...

True, you got that one.

 

[Delsana]

Play RPG's and some singleplayer games. Or get into board games at college, or go party like everyone with half a brain does.

That's funny because it seems when people go to parties, they tend to lose brains. It's simply a matter of whether you'd like your brain sucked out by WoW or sucked out by alcohol.

You missed the sarcasm in there, but honestly parties are a social networking tool... even the Harvard and Stanford elite have them though usually wine, the ones that aren't wine are ways to weed out the potential... because no one wants a stick in the mud to be privy to massive amounts of networking, funding, and social interaction... as well as cigar, wine, and rule the world meetings.

 

[Delsana]

Excuse me, but do employers charge their employees for the privilege of using their network? Universities charge students for network access, it's usually called something like a "tech fee" or a "net access fee" in your tuition and fees statement. Face it, any university that blocks traffic is ripping their students off.

No. Until you can prove that the owner of a network is not entitled to regulate and dictate its usage, then anything you say is null and void. It's the simple and cold fact that it's their network, thus their rules. You have not shown otherwise.

You are absolutely in denial here. This is not a violation of consumer rights in the slightest, whatever the term means.

Legal rights or not, any university that does this deserves some seriously bad press. If I were the OP, and my school refused to take care of this, I'd do everything I possibly could to get the word out: "don't go here if you game online." There are plenty of schools out there that don't have ridiculous restrictions like this; I'm using the internet access of such a school as we write. If you'll pardon my french, fuck any live-in university that tries to pull this crap.

Because you go to university based on your will to online game, nothing to do with that uni's rep or how good they are at your subject...

Or because there are plenty of damned good universities that don't pull this crap. I see no reason to go to a school that offers my program but refuses to allow me my leisure time when there are other schools that do both.

Ok then, just remember if you don't get a job because you're up against someone who went to a better uni you wouldn't consider because of no gaming you can atleast be happy you had a few years of online gaming.

You do realize that nobody cares where your diploma came from as long as the school was accredited, right? It's not like I'm going to Devry University or some other diploma mill.

I'm afraid to tell you they do. I had the fortune of going to a well respected uni for my undergrad degree so it was far easier to get my PhD position. I know people who went to any old uni based on several criteria and whilst they did well they're now unemployed or in unqualified jobs.

Capability and who you know are all that matter... as long as you have the pre-req.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Apparently Team Fortress and League of Legends, both being pretty average games in themselves, are what passes for top games that a "gaming club" plays? Exactly what type of "gaming club" only meets to play videogames? No funding would go to such a club from a university or college because it is just recreational with no purpose. You would need a bit more to actually call yourself a club even if you have the "title" without the benefits.

In any case, clubs are about networking and supporting the university in some means as well as educating in some manner. A gaming club should be there to introduce to people a diverse amount of games that they wouldn't otherwise have played (or might have) and then get people together that can play games together on off-hours or at OCCASIONAL meetings (else you're just getting together to be lazy on school grounds) while focusing on the aspect and creativity of such games.

In short, game clubs aren't just about playing games, especially "the most popular" games, which in this case are ironically free... heh. Popularity has never meant quality... thankfully.

---

This WHOLE THING is useless.

If we are going to argue it then you need to argue it to the university, bickering on this thread about it will DO NOTHING.

That said, gaming doesn't take that much, but people also DOWNLOAD things in games, or they DOWNLOAD games, or they just goof off. It's also probably true that they limit video usage.

What kind of sucky school do you go to that only allows service organizations? I'm a member of the gaming club, the TCG club, and the guitar club -- all three of which are registered clubs. Believe it or not, the main purpose of a club on campus is to allow for social interaction. The school just put in a nice game room complete with TVs, power outlets, and network jacks. As for the choice of games, that's just what most people wind up playing, because everyone has it. You'll see everything from Left 4 Dead to Borderlands to WoW being played at any given time, and we actually do plan things for more structured events -- for example, we had a launch party for Gears 3 on Tuesday.

What you're describing sounds more like a fraternity than a club -- which, interestingly enough, we actually have a fraternity aimed at gamers on campus. You jelly?

Any club that supplies funding to something that literally is just a way to distract people from classes and not actually learn anything (except be recreational) should not be a club or at the least should not receive funding, it is a waste to spend 5,000 + a year on such a club's funding requirements without any real positive value from it. Because we all know what gets people to have poor grades in college... slacking off like playing lots of games (not Halo all day) but LOTS OF GAMES or a game for TOO LONG without breaks and distractions and the social activity that comes OFF THE SCREEN.

It is a crappy university when they decide to blow away money that can be used in better ways.

It is not a "service" so much as it is the point of clubs in all universities, hell it is the point that college clubs were first created for, and they evolved from there.

Gears 3 is a POPULAR game, same as WoW, same as EVE same as all the other garbage crap. It is not "bad" it is not "quality" it is multiplayer-spam with idiots, or it is vulgar cursing with idiots or immature people and the propagation of such things while drinking "bawls", "monster", and eating pizza constantly. That is not a diverse playthrough. When your club shows the merits of an RPG, introduces people into RTS's and the tactical and analytical skills that can be gained from intelligent usage of it, and focuses on diversity rather than obsession and yes, addiction (yeah it exists, sue me)... then you are a club that deserves FUNDING. Also, clubs have to go on trips, it's a part of club social networking. So go to the GDC or some sort of thing with your club as an entirety.

Don't get me wrong though, I play those games, I just don't obsess over them, and if I like a game I make sure I don't take that "like" into "obsession" or "thing I have to do around others or with others because I am bored and have no life otherwise".

A guitar club for instance should be learning about the guitar, teaching the lessons, and doing that... not just playing music all day and the same song constantly because it's the newest rock album-hit.

Some clubs get away with being a hybrid-club in some ways... like cigar clubs, wine clubs (with better names than those) and the like because well... they learn about the art and the sophistication and it teaches them life skills... school funding for those is different though.

Fraternity... 90% of them are just being rowdy, 5% of them are life-skill, networking, and brotherhood bonding, and the other 5% are secret rule-the-world ones.

Wait a minute, excuse me, $5,000 a year? I wish we got funding like that. The clubs on campus are lucky if we get any funding at all -- not that most of them need it. It doesn't take a lot of external funding to enjoy stuff you would be enjoying anyway with a group of like minded people, instead of on your own. As for fraternities, they seem to be moving away from the drunken stereotype; at least around here, they're glorified service organizations.

 

[Delsana]

Apparently Team Fortress and League of Legends, both being pretty average games in themselves, are what passes for top games that a "gaming club" plays? Exactly what type of "gaming club" only meets to play videogames? No funding would go to such a club from a university or college because it is just recreational with no purpose. You would need a bit more to actually call yourself a club even if you have the "title" without the benefits.

In any case, clubs are about networking and supporting the university in some means as well as educating in some manner. A gaming club should be there to introduce to people a diverse amount of games that they wouldn't otherwise have played (or might have) and then get people together that can play games together on off-hours or at OCCASIONAL meetings (else you're just getting together to be lazy on school grounds) while focusing on the aspect and creativity of such games.

In short, game clubs aren't just about playing games, especially "the most popular" games, which in this case are ironically free... heh. Popularity has never meant quality... thankfully.

---

This WHOLE THING is useless.

If we are going to argue it then you need to argue it to the university, bickering on this thread about it will DO NOTHING.

That said, gaming doesn't take that much, but people also DOWNLOAD things in games, or they DOWNLOAD games, or they just goof off. It's also probably true that they limit video usage.

What kind of sucky school do you go to that only allows service organizations? I'm a member of the gaming club, the TCG club, and the guitar club -- all three of which are registered clubs. Believe it or not, the main purpose of a club on campus is to allow for social interaction. The school just put in a nice game room complete with TVs, power outlets, and network jacks. As for the choice of games, that's just what most people wind up playing, because everyone has it. You'll see everything from Left 4 Dead to Borderlands to WoW being played at any given time, and we actually do plan things for more structured events -- for example, we had a launch party for Gears 3 on Tuesday.

What you're describing sounds more like a fraternity than a club -- which, interestingly enough, we actually have a fraternity aimed at gamers on campus. You jelly?

Any club that supplies funding to something that literally is just a way to distract people from classes and not actually learn anything (except be recreational) should not be a club or at the least should not receive funding, it is a waste to spend 5,000 + a year on such a club's funding requirements without any real positive value from it. Because we all know what gets people to have poor grades in college... slacking off like playing lots of games (not Halo all day) but LOTS OF GAMES or a game for TOO LONG without breaks and distractions and the social activity that comes OFF THE SCREEN.

It is a crappy university when they decide to blow away money that can be used in better ways.

It is not a "service" so much as it is the point of clubs in all universities, hell it is the point that college clubs were first created for, and they evolved from there.

Gears 3 is a POPULAR game, same as WoW, same as EVE same as all the other garbage crap. It is not "bad" it is not "quality" it is multiplayer-spam with idiots, or it is vulgar cursing with idiots or immature people and the propagation of such things while drinking "bawls", "monster", and eating pizza constantly. That is not a diverse playthrough. When your club shows the merits of an RPG, introduces people into RTS's and the tactical and analytical skills that can be gained from intelligent usage of it, and focuses on diversity rather than obsession and yes, addiction (yeah it exists, sue me)... then you are a club that deserves FUNDING. Also, clubs have to go on trips, it's a part of club social networking. So go to the GDC or some sort of thing with your club as an entirety.

Don't get me wrong though, I play those games, I just don't obsess over them, and if I like a game I make sure I don't take that "like" into "obsession" or "thing I have to do around others or with others because I am bored and have no life otherwise".

A guitar club for instance should be learning about the guitar, teaching the lessons, and doing that... not just playing music all day and the same song constantly because it's the newest rock album-hit.

Some clubs get away with being a hybrid-club in some ways... like cigar clubs, wine clubs (with better names than those) and the like because well... they learn about the art and the sophistication and it teaches them life skills... school funding for those is different though.

Fraternity... 90% of them are just being rowdy, 5% of them are life-skill, networking, and brotherhood bonding, and the other 5% are secret rule-the-world ones.

Wait a minute, excuse me, $5,000 a year? I wish we got funding like that. The clubs on campus are lucky if we get any funding at all -- not that most of them need it. It doesn't take a lot of external funding to enjoy stuff you would be enjoying anyway with a group of like minded people, instead of on your own. As for fraternities, they seem to be moving away from the drunken stereotype; at least around here, they're glorified service organizations.

Kid... fraternities have two sides.

The outside, and the inside. The inside doesn't change... most don't do hazing but SOME STILL DO even if it's illegal... ON THE INSIDE.

You're not a club officially if you're just listed on the web as being a "student organization" but don't receive funding.

Supporting organizations with funding is part of the process that allows students to build student organizations and put them on their resume (don't put the gaming club as the NAME of the organization BTW) as well as show examples of leadership.

Why do you think "clubs" have their own directors, registrants, and student body? Why does the TREASURER exist if no funding exists?

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Excuse me, but do employers charge their employees for the privilege of using their network? Universities charge students for network access, it's usually called something like a "tech fee" or a "net access fee" in your tuition and fees statement. Face it, any university that blocks traffic is ripping their students off.

No. Until you can prove that the owner of a network is not entitled to regulate and dictate its usage, then anything you say is null and void. It's the simple and cold fact that it's their network, thus their rules. You have not shown otherwise.

You are absolutely in denial here. This is not a violation of consumer rights in the slightest, whatever the term means.

Legal rights or not, any university that does this deserves some seriously bad press. If I were the OP, and my school refused to take care of this, I'd do everything I possibly could to get the word out: "don't go here if you game online." There are plenty of schools out there that don't have ridiculous restrictions like this; I'm using the internet access of such a school as we write. If you'll pardon my french, fuck any live-in university that tries to pull this crap.

Because you go to university based on your will to online game, nothing to do with that uni's rep or how good they are at your subject...

Or because there are plenty of damned good universities that don't pull this crap. I see no reason to go to a school that offers my program but refuses to allow me my leisure time when there are other schools that do both.

Ok then, just remember if you don't get a job because you're up against someone who went to a better uni you wouldn't consider because of no gaming you can atleast be happy you had a few years of online gaming.

You do realize that nobody cares where your diploma came from as long as the school was accredited, right? It's not like I'm going to Devry University or some other diploma mill.

I'm afraid to tell you they do. I had the fortune of going to a well respected uni for my undergrad degree so it was far easier to get my PhD position. I know people who went to any old uni based on several criteria and whilst they did well they're now unemployed or in unqualified jobs.

Excuse me, but do employers charge their employees for the privilege of using their network? Universities charge students for network access, it's usually called something like a "tech fee" or a "net access fee" in your tuition and fees statement. Face it, any university that blocks traffic is ripping their students off.

No. Until you can prove that the owner of a network is not entitled to regulate and dictate its usage, then anything you say is null and void. It's the simple and cold fact that it's their network, thus their rules. You have not shown otherwise.

You are absolutely in denial here. This is not a violation of consumer rights in the slightest, whatever the term means.

Legal rights or not, any university that does this deserves some seriously bad press. If I were the OP, and my school refused to take care of this, I'd do everything I possibly could to get the word out: "don't go here if you game online." There are plenty of schools out there that don't have ridiculous restrictions like this; I'm using the internet access of such a school as we write. If you'll pardon my french, fuck any live-in university that tries to pull this crap.

Because you go to university based on your will to online game, nothing to do with that uni's rep or how good they are at your subject...

Or because there are plenty of damned good universities that don't pull this crap. I see no reason to go to a school that offers my program but refuses to allow me my leisure time when there are other schools that do both.

Ok then, just remember if you don't get a job because you're up against someone who went to a better uni you wouldn't consider because of no gaming you can atleast be happy you had a few years of online gaming.

You do realize that nobody cares where your diploma came from as long as the school was accredited, right? It's not like I'm going to Devry University or some other diploma mill.

I'm afraid to tell you they do. I had the fortune of going to a well respected uni for my undergrad degree so it was far easier to get my PhD position. I know people who went to any old uni based on several criteria and whilst they did well they're now unemployed or in unqualified jobs.

Capability and who you know are all that matter... as long as you have the pre-req.

Re-read what this guy said. Also, I have to ask what your PHD is in; there aren't many fields that require that, aside from being a professor at a university -- in which case, sure, being Harvard educated or what have you is a bonus, but even then it's more about who you know than anything else. And again I say, I am going to a well respected university -- I even mentioned it by name earlier in the thread. There's no need to sacrifice your leisure activities in order to go to a good university, unless you're going for some new fangled degree like game design.

 

[lacktheknack]

Not fair but you have to deal with it, since they care so much about their precious speed, you can start a bunch of torrents just to slow down stuff. =D

What an absolutely horrible idea.

Not only did you inconvenience every single student in the entire University, but you've also given the University more than enough ammunition to remove any and all torrent privileges.

 

[evilives34]

the best way to fix this get a group of like minded people and research so proof of how much games use, im sure you could email the devs them self's and ask you likely get some stats back.

and the issue might be a lot of games (pc and consoles) use p2p connections and they may have blocked all p2p to stop torrents and the like.

i.e im friend has a 5GB cap a month from his isp and unless he needs to download a patch, gaming doesnt really put a dent in it at all maybe a gig if that

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Apparently Team Fortress and League of Legends, both being pretty average games in themselves, are what passes for top games that a "gaming club" plays? Exactly what type of "gaming club" only meets to play videogames? No funding would go to such a club from a university or college because it is just recreational with no purpose. You would need a bit more to actually call yourself a club even if you have the "title" without the benefits.

In any case, clubs are about networking and supporting the university in some means as well as educating in some manner. A gaming club should be there to introduce to people a diverse amount of games that they wouldn't otherwise have played (or might have) and then get people together that can play games together on off-hours or at OCCASIONAL meetings (else you're just getting together to be lazy on school grounds) while focusing on the aspect and creativity of such games.

In short, game clubs aren't just about playing games, especially "the most popular" games, which in this case are ironically free... heh. Popularity has never meant quality... thankfully.

---

This WHOLE THING is useless.

If we are going to argue it then you need to argue it to the university, bickering on this thread about it will DO NOTHING.

That said, gaming doesn't take that much, but people also DOWNLOAD things in games, or they DOWNLOAD games, or they just goof off. It's also probably true that they limit video usage.

What kind of sucky school do you go to that only allows service organizations? I'm a member of the gaming club, the TCG club, and the guitar club -- all three of which are registered clubs. Believe it or not, the main purpose of a club on campus is to allow for social interaction. The school just put in a nice game room complete with TVs, power outlets, and network jacks. As for the choice of games, that's just what most people wind up playing, because everyone has it. You'll see everything from Left 4 Dead to Borderlands to WoW being played at any given time, and we actually do plan things for more structured events -- for example, we had a launch party for Gears 3 on Tuesday.

What you're describing sounds more like a fraternity than a club -- which, interestingly enough, we actually have a fraternity aimed at gamers on campus. You jelly?

Any club that supplies funding to something that literally is just a way to distract people from classes and not actually learn anything (except be recreational) should not be a club or at the least should not receive funding, it is a waste to spend 5,000 + a year on such a club's funding requirements without any real positive value from it. Because we all know what gets people to have poor grades in college... slacking off like playing lots of games (not Halo all day) but LOTS OF GAMES or a game for TOO LONG without breaks and distractions and the social activity that comes OFF THE SCREEN.

It is a crappy university when they decide to blow away money that can be used in better ways.

It is not a "service" so much as it is the point of clubs in all universities, hell it is the point that college clubs were first created for, and they evolved from there.

Gears 3 is a POPULAR game, same as WoW, same as EVE same as all the other garbage crap. It is not "bad" it is not "quality" it is multiplayer-spam with idiots, or it is vulgar cursing with idiots or immature people and the propagation of such things while drinking "bawls", "monster", and eating pizza constantly. That is not a diverse playthrough. When your club shows the merits of an RPG, introduces people into RTS's and the tactical and analytical skills that can be gained from intelligent usage of it, and focuses on diversity rather than obsession and yes, addiction (yeah it exists, sue me)... then you are a club that deserves FUNDING. Also, clubs have to go on trips, it's a part of club social networking. So go to the GDC or some sort of thing with your club as an entirety.

Don't get me wrong though, I play those games, I just don't obsess over them, and if I like a game I make sure I don't take that "like" into "obsession" or "thing I have to do around others or with others because I am bored and have no life otherwise".

A guitar club for instance should be learning about the guitar, teaching the lessons, and doing that... not just playing music all day and the same song constantly because it's the newest rock album-hit.

Some clubs get away with being a hybrid-club in some ways... like cigar clubs, wine clubs (with better names than those) and the like because well... they learn about the art and the sophistication and it teaches them life skills... school funding for those is different though.

Fraternity... 90% of them are just being rowdy, 5% of them are life-skill, networking, and brotherhood bonding, and the other 5% are secret rule-the-world ones.

Wait a minute, excuse me, $5,000 a year? I wish we got funding like that. The clubs on campus are lucky if we get any funding at all -- not that most of them need it. It doesn't take a lot of external funding to enjoy stuff you would be enjoying anyway with a group of like minded people, instead of on your own. As for fraternities, they seem to be moving away from the drunken stereotype; at least around here, they're glorified service organizations.

Kid... fraternities have two sides.

The outside, and the inside. The inside doesn't change... most don't do hazing but SOME STILL DO even if it's illegal... ON THE INSIDE.

You're not a club officially if you're just listed on the web as being a "student organization" but don't receive funding.

Supporting organizations with funding is part of the process that allows students to build student organizations and put them on their resume (don't put the gaming club as the NAME of the organization BTW) as well as show examples of leadership.

Why do you think "clubs" have their own directors, registrants, and student body? Why does the TREASURER exist if no funding exists?

From fund raisers, for one thing. And it's not that clubs don't get any funding at all, it's that the funding they do get is pretty pathetic, to the point that most of them don't bother with the paperwork to actually get it. They certainly don't get $5,000 a semester. Also, "Kid"? How old are you? Because I'm a senior who will be graduating shortly. This is my last term living on campus; all I've got left after this term is an internship and one class I'm going to have to take online next Fall. If you've already received your degree, sure, call me kid, but I'm not as wet behind the ears as you seem to think.

Also, it's the videogame club -- a place for gamers to network, basically. It's not the videogame snob club, where we try to expand people's horizons on the definition of a good game.

As for the stuff about "having" to go on trips, now you're just pulling my leg. You and I are talking about two very, very different things. You seem to be talking about a student-taught game appreciation course, while I'm talking about a bloody social club.

Edit: Oh, by the way, most schools have sports clubs that exist solely as an intermural sports activity that is easier to get into than the actual school team. Where's the educational benefit to that?

Edit Edit: Okay, I just looked up the funding section in the Student Organization handbook. First of all, there is no distinction made between clubs and student organizations. Second, and more importantly, school funding is not part and parcel of being a recognized club. It's a separate application, and most of the social clubs don't bother with it, because they don't actually have much in the way of overhead; the individual members provide their own computers, guitars, food, or what have you. There's also the option of fund raising, which the handbook even has guidelines for. I don't know what you've been talking about, but it's not how clubs work at my university at all.

Oh, by the way, here's the actual requirements a club has to meet before applying for funding:

Must be open to all USF students regardless of major, age, marital status, national origin, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation

Cannot charge dues of any kind
Cannot charge USF students to attend any A&S funded event
Must have at least 10 registered student members
Must be registered with the Center for Student Involvement for 14 weeks prior to submitting a Funding Request

The VGC actually qualifies under every box. The only reason we don't get funding is because it's a hassle and we don't need it. It doesn't make us any less recognized of a club.

 

[KeyMaster45]

You're there to learn, mainly, so while I would want to be able to play online at uni, people shouldn't assume that their internet connection has no strings attached.

Yet there's an issue with this argument, I find at least, in that the university has zero control over anyone who lives off campus. They're there to learn just as much as the people living in the dorms. I would say this argument floats if it was boarding school but when you're dealing with a university that's got on campus residents and commuters it just doesn't fly.

OT: Did you check to see that it's not that you simply can't connect consoles up to the internet? I know we've got that policy here at my school but that's because they've got an authentication process to connect that the game consoles don't support. If that's the case I doubt they'd have issues with you gaming from your PC. If their policy states that they're "monitoring" your connections to make sure no online games are going out they're full of shit. I was straight up told by the IT guys here at my university that when they say they "monitor" your connection it means that they keeps logs of all the in-going and out-going connections in case you do something illegal. If they really do have people who sit there and go "uh oh, someone's playing WoW" I've got a pro-tip for you. Tech support at universities usually shut down right around the time the rest of the university does. They can't do jack if there's no one there.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

That... Kinda sucks.

Though is there a way they can actually prevent you from plugging in an Xbox to the internet? I'm sure there is, I just can't think of it.

My advice is to get into some heavy singleplayer gaming.

 

[honestdiscussioner]

I will be happy to answer your question as soon as you objectively show which is better: apples or oranges?

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Re-read what this guy said. Also, I have to ask what your PHD is in; there aren't many fields that require that, aside from being a professor at a university -- in which case, sure, being Harvard educated or what have you is a bonus, but even then it's more about who you know than anything else. And again I say, I am going to a well respected university -- I even mentioned it by name earlier in the thread. There's no need to sacrifice your leisure activities in order to go to a good university, unless you're going for some new fangled degree like game design.

It doesnt just matter if your going for your PHD it also matters when you are going to get a job. If their is tough competition which is the vast majority of jobs the employer will look at what school you graduated from. Not all universities are equal and if one university is known for having an exceptional program in their field people will look for somebody who graduated from that university.

But they don't look at that. They look at things like experience and personal references. When you're brand new, it might make a tiny amount of difference; once you've been working in the field for any amount of time, it ceases to matter.

 

[Delsana]

Apparently Team Fortress and League of Legends, both being pretty average games in themselves, are what passes for top games that a "gaming club" plays? Exactly what type of "gaming club" only meets to play videogames? No funding would go to such a club from a university or college because it is just recreational with no purpose. You would need a bit more to actually call yourself a club even if you have the "title" without the benefits.

In any case, clubs are about networking and supporting the university in some means as well as educating in some manner. A gaming club should be there to introduce to people a diverse amount of games that they wouldn't otherwise have played (or might have) and then get people together that can play games together on off-hours or at OCCASIONAL meetings (else you're just getting together to be lazy on school grounds) while focusing on the aspect and creativity of such games.

In short, game clubs aren't just about playing games, especially "the most popular" games, which in this case are ironically free... heh. Popularity has never meant quality... thankfully.

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This WHOLE THING is useless.

If we are going to argue it then you need to argue it to the university, bickering on this thread about it will DO NOTHING.

That said, gaming doesn't take that much, but people also DOWNLOAD things in games, or they DOWNLOAD games, or they just goof off. It's also probably true that they limit video usage.

What kind of sucky school do you go to that only allows service organizations? I'm a member of the gaming club, the TCG club, and the guitar club -- all three of which are registered clubs. Believe it or not, the main purpose of a club on campus is to allow for social interaction. The school just put in a nice game room complete with TVs, power outlets, and network jacks. As for the choice of games, that's just what most people wind up playing, because everyone has it. You'll see everything from Left 4 Dead to Borderlands to WoW being played at any given time, and we actually do plan things for more structured events -- for example, we had a launch party for Gears 3 on Tuesday.

What you're describing sounds more like a fraternity than a club -- which, interestingly enough, we actually have a fraternity aimed at gamers on campus. You jelly?

Any club that supplies funding to something that literally is just a way to distract people from classes and not actually learn anything (except be recreational) should not be a club or at the least should not receive funding, it is a waste to spend 5,000 + a year on such a club's funding requirements without any real positive value from it. Because we all know what gets people to have poor grades in college... slacking off like playing lots of games (not Halo all day) but LOTS OF GAMES or a game for TOO LONG without breaks and distractions and the social activity that comes OFF THE SCREEN.

It is a crappy university when they decide to blow away money that can be used in better ways.

It is not a "service" so much as it is the point of clubs in all universities, hell it is the point that college clubs were first created for, and they evolved from there.

Gears 3 is a POPULAR game, same as WoW, same as EVE same as all the other garbage crap. It is not "bad" it is not "quality" it is multiplayer-spam with idiots, or it is vulgar cursing with idiots or immature people and the propagation of such things while drinking "bawls", "monster", and eating pizza constantly. That is not a diverse playthrough. When your club shows the merits of an RPG, introduces people into RTS's and the tactical and analytical skills that can be gained from intelligent usage of it, and focuses on diversity rather than obsession and yes, addiction (yeah it exists, sue me)... then you are a club that deserves FUNDING. Also, clubs have to go on trips, it's a part of club social networking. So go to the GDC or some sort of thing with your club as an entirety.

Don't get me wrong though, I play those games, I just don't obsess over them, and if I like a game I make sure I don't take that "like" into "obsession" or "thing I have to do around others or with others because I am bored and have no life otherwise".

A guitar club for instance should be learning about the guitar, teaching the lessons, and doing that... not just playing music all day and the same song constantly because it's the newest rock album-hit.

Some clubs get away with being a hybrid-club in some ways... like cigar clubs, wine clubs (with better names than those) and the like because well... they learn about the art and the sophistication and it teaches them life skills... school funding for those is different though.

Fraternity... 90% of them are just being rowdy, 5% of them are life-skill, networking, and brotherhood bonding, and the other 5% are secret rule-the-world ones.

Wait a minute, excuse me, $5,000 a year? I wish we got funding like that. The clubs on campus are lucky if we get any funding at all -- not that most of them need it. It doesn't take a lot of external funding to enjoy stuff you would be enjoying anyway with a group of like minded people, instead of on your own. As for fraternities, they seem to be moving away from the drunken stereotype; at least around here, they're glorified service organizations.

Kid... fraternities have two sides.

The outside, and the inside. The inside doesn't change... most don't do hazing but SOME STILL DO even if it's illegal... ON THE INSIDE.

You're not a club officially if you're just listed on the web as being a "student organization" but don't receive funding.

Supporting organizations with funding is part of the process that allows students to build student organizations and put them on their resume (don't put the gaming club as the NAME of the organization BTW) as well as show examples of leadership.

Why do you think "clubs" have their own directors, registrants, and student body? Why does the TREASURER exist if no funding exists?

From fund raisers, for one thing. And it's not that clubs don't get any funding at all, it's that the funding they do get is pretty pathetic, to the point that most of them don't bother with the paperwork to actually get it. They certainly don't get $5,000 a semester. Also, "Kid"? How old are you? Because I'm a senior who will be graduating shortly. This is my last term living on campus; all I've got left after this term is an internship and one class I'm going to have to take online next Fall. If you've already received your degree, sure, call me kid, but I'm not as wet behind the ears as you seem to think.

Also, it's the videogame club -- a place for gamers to network, basically. It's not the videogame snob club, where we try to expand people's horizons on the definition of a good game.

As for the stuff about "having" to go on trips, now you're just pulling my leg. You and I are talking about two very, very different things. You seem to be talking about a student-taught game appreciation course, while I'm talking about a bloody social club.

Edit: Oh, by the way, most schools have sports clubs that exist solely as an intermural sports activity that is easier to get into than the actual school team. Where's the educational benefit to that?

Edit Edit: Okay, I just looked up the funding section in the Student Organization handbook. First of all, there is no distinction made between clubs and student organizations. Second, and more importantly, school funding is not part and parcel of being a recognized club. It's a separate application, and most of the social clubs don't bother with it, because they don't actually have much in the way of overhead; the individual members provide their own computers, guitars, food, or what have you. There's also the option of fund raising, which the handbook even has guidelines for. I don't know what you've been talking about, but it's not how clubs work at my university at all.

Oh, by the way, here's the actual requirements a club has to meet before applying for funding:

Must be open to all USF students regardless of major, age, marital status, national origin, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation

Cannot charge dues of any kind
Cannot charge USF students to attend any A&S funded event
Must have at least 10 registered student members
Must be registered with the Center for Student Involvement for 14 weeks prior to submitting a Funding Request

The VGC actually qualifies under every box. The only reason we don't get funding is because it's a hassle and we don't need it. It doesn't make us any less recognized of a club.

Your application has some serious... lacking of requirements.

First off, does your club even have a faculty member in it? If not by all the club organizations from universities I know, including Harvard and top schools... it isn't a "real" club... after all that's the basic requirement of all of those. Second, "trips" are part of the networking tour outside of gaming in front of a screen with little social interaction or networking. Networking comes from reaching out and if you like games then going to networking events is the best way to either get a leg in that industry or if not, then to instead involve yourself in educating you about things or just meeting people and seeing how other businesses or what have you work.

The point is that in all cases your idea, vision, and concept of a 'club' is very different than what is seen at most prestige universities, and the reason isn't just "casual interaction while playing" but instead to build relationships for the future AND have some down time, but the building relationships and preparing for outside of college is pretty much the point of clubs, which is why they are used on resume's and thus why they are geared towards supporting the university in some means.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Apparently Team Fortress and League of Legends, both being pretty average games in themselves, are what passes for top games that a "gaming club" plays? Exactly what type of "gaming club" only meets to play videogames? No funding would go to such a club from a university or college because it is just recreational with no purpose. You would need a bit more to actually call yourself a club even if you have the "title" without the benefits.

In any case, clubs are about networking and supporting the university in some means as well as educating in some manner. A gaming club should be there to introduce to people a diverse amount of games that they wouldn't otherwise have played (or might have) and then get people together that can play games together on off-hours or at OCCASIONAL meetings (else you're just getting together to be lazy on school grounds) while focusing on the aspect and creativity of such games.

In short, game clubs aren't just about playing games, especially "the most popular" games, which in this case are ironically free... heh. Popularity has never meant quality... thankfully.

---

This WHOLE THING is useless.

If we are going to argue it then you need to argue it to the university, bickering on this thread about it will DO NOTHING.

That said, gaming doesn't take that much, but people also DOWNLOAD things in games, or they DOWNLOAD games, or they just goof off. It's also probably true that they limit video usage.

What kind of sucky school do you go to that only allows service organizations? I'm a member of the gaming club, the TCG club, and the guitar club -- all three of which are registered clubs. Believe it or not, the main purpose of a club on campus is to allow for social interaction. The school just put in a nice game room complete with TVs, power outlets, and network jacks. As for the choice of games, that's just what most people wind up playing, because everyone has it. You'll see everything from Left 4 Dead to Borderlands to WoW being played at any given time, and we actually do plan things for more structured events -- for example, we had a launch party for Gears 3 on Tuesday.

What you're describing sounds more like a fraternity than a club -- which, interestingly enough, we actually have a fraternity aimed at gamers on campus. You jelly?

Any club that supplies funding to something that literally is just a way to distract people from classes and not actually learn anything (except be recreational) should not be a club or at the least should not receive funding, it is a waste to spend 5,000 + a year on such a club's funding requirements without any real positive value from it. Because we all know what gets people to have poor grades in college... slacking off like playing lots of games (not Halo all day) but LOTS OF GAMES or a game for TOO LONG without breaks and distractions and the social activity that comes OFF THE SCREEN.

It is a crappy university when they decide to blow away money that can be used in better ways.

It is not a "service" so much as it is the point of clubs in all universities, hell it is the point that college clubs were first created for, and they evolved from there.

Gears 3 is a POPULAR game, same as WoW, same as EVE same as all the other garbage crap. It is not "bad" it is not "quality" it is multiplayer-spam with idiots, or it is vulgar cursing with idiots or immature people and the propagation of such things while drinking "bawls", "monster", and eating pizza constantly. That is not a diverse playthrough. When your club shows the merits of an RPG, introduces people into RTS's and the tactical and analytical skills that can be gained from intelligent usage of it, and focuses on diversity rather than obsession and yes, addiction (yeah it exists, sue me)... then you are a club that deserves FUNDING. Also, clubs have to go on trips, it's a part of club social networking. So go to the GDC or some sort of thing with your club as an entirety.

Don't get me wrong though, I play those games, I just don't obsess over them, and if I like a game I make sure I don't take that "like" into "obsession" or "thing I have to do around others or with others because I am bored and have no life otherwise".

A guitar club for instance should be learning about the guitar, teaching the lessons, and doing that... not just playing music all day and the same song constantly because it's the newest rock album-hit.

Some clubs get away with being a hybrid-club in some ways... like cigar clubs, wine clubs (with better names than those) and the like because well... they learn about the art and the sophistication and it teaches them life skills... school funding for those is different though.

Fraternity... 90% of them are just being rowdy, 5% of them are life-skill, networking, and brotherhood bonding, and the other 5% are secret rule-the-world ones.

Wait a minute, excuse me, $5,000 a year? I wish we got funding like that. The clubs on campus are lucky if we get any funding at all -- not that most of them need it. It doesn't take a lot of external funding to enjoy stuff you would be enjoying anyway with a group of like minded people, instead of on your own. As for fraternities, they seem to be moving away from the drunken stereotype; at least around here, they're glorified service organizations.

Kid... fraternities have two sides.

The outside, and the inside. The inside doesn't change... most don't do hazing but SOME STILL DO even if it's illegal... ON THE INSIDE.

You're not a club officially if you're just listed on the web as being a "student organization" but don't receive funding.

Supporting organizations with funding is part of the process that allows students to build student organizations and put them on their resume (don't put the gaming club as the NAME of the organization BTW) as well as show examples of leadership.

Why do you think "clubs" have their own directors, registrants, and student body? Why does the TREASURER exist if no funding exists?

From fund raisers, for one thing. And it's not that clubs don't get any funding at all, it's that the funding they do get is pretty pathetic, to the point that most of them don't bother with the paperwork to actually get it. They certainly don't get $5,000 a semester. Also, "Kid"? How old are you? Because I'm a senior who will be graduating shortly. This is my last term living on campus; all I've got left after this term is an internship and one class I'm going to have to take online next Fall. If you've already received your degree, sure, call me kid, but I'm not as wet behind the ears as you seem to think.

Also, it's the videogame club -- a place for gamers to network, basically. It's not the videogame snob club, where we try to expand people's horizons on the definition of a good game.

As for the stuff about "having" to go on trips, now you're just pulling my leg. You and I are talking about two very, very different things. You seem to be talking about a student-taught game appreciation course, while I'm talking about a bloody social club.

Edit: Oh, by the way, most schools have sports clubs that exist solely as an intermural sports activity that is easier to get into than the actual school team. Where's the educational benefit to that?

Edit Edit: Okay, I just looked up the funding section in the Student Organization handbook. First of all, there is no distinction made between clubs and student organizations. Second, and more importantly, school funding is not part and parcel of being a recognized club. It's a separate application, and most of the social clubs don't bother with it, because they don't actually have much in the way of overhead; the individual members provide their own computers, guitars, food, or what have you. There's also the option of fund raising, which the handbook even has guidelines for. I don't know what you've been talking about, but it's not how clubs work at my university at all.

Oh, by the way, here's the actual requirements a club has to meet before applying for funding:

Must be open to all USF students regardless of major, age, marital status, national origin, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation

Cannot charge dues of any kind
Cannot charge USF students to attend any A&S funded event
Must have at least 10 registered student members
Must be registered with the Center for Student Involvement for 14 weeks prior to submitting a Funding Request

The VGC actually qualifies under every box. The only reason we don't get funding is because it's a hassle and we don't need it. It doesn't make us any less recognized of a club.

Your application has some serious... lacking of requirements.

First off, does your club even have a faculty member in it? If not by all the club organizations from universities I know, including Harvard and top schools... it isn't a "real" club... after all that's the basic requirement of all of those. Second, "trips" are part of the networking tour outside of gaming in front of a screen with little social interaction or networking. Networking comes from reaching out and if you like games then going to networking events is the best way to either get a leg in that industry or if not, then to instead involve yourself in educating you about things or just meeting people and seeing how other businesses or what have you work.

The point is that in all cases your idea, vision, and concept of a 'club' is very different than what is seen at most prestige universities, and the reason isn't just "casual interaction while playing" but instead to build relationships for the future AND have some down time, but the building relationships and preparing for outside of college is pretty much the point of clubs, which is why they are used on resume's and thus why they are geared towards supporting the university in some means.

Well, this isn't an Ivy league school; it's a State University. We don't exactly have a branch of the Skull and Bones society out here. As for faculty involvement, we've got a sponsor, but I'm not even sure who it is, because they aren't heavily involved. The only club I've ever been to a meeting of that actually included the sponsor was the Classical Society, which was a club mostly aimed at classics majors. Most of them are student run, and the professor only signs on as a formality.

Edit: I think I know what you're talking about with the lacking requirements; the ones you're thinking of, with things like having a faculty sponsor, having a constitution, and electing officers, are part of the initial process of getting recognized as a club. In the funding requirements, that's included in the rule which states "(The club) Must be registered with the Center for Student Involvement for 14 weeks prior to submitting a Funding Request."

Edit Edit: As for networking, the campus is big enough that anything that brings like-minded individuals together qualifies under whatever definition of the word you want to use. We have over 50,000 students; clubs mostly exist to make meeting people less overwhelming.

 

[willsham45]

I think it is generally for saving bandwidth. Nothing more annoying than struggling with slow internet when you accally need to use it, just think of the number of people who use it. You got 1 super fast internet connection split between how many computers?

Still I know how much it can such...cause I was in private halls and had no restrictions

Maybe next year look to private accommodation and then you can get your own internet connection.