We Wash. U. students pride ourselves on our social and cultural savvy, but like most academics, we’re only too happy to wallow in abstraction. We’ll change our profile pictures in protest against the Defense of Marriage Act but won’t take the time to write our congressional representatives and state lawmakers. We’re comfortable mocking sustainability efforts, claiming they “use too much paper,” instead of ditching a to-go box ourselves every now and then. And we’ll begrudgingly do community service—but only if it garners a ticket to the plenary session.

As Clinton Global Initiative University fast approaches with hordes of students and bright ideas in tow, it brings with it a valuable time for reflection on the state of activism on campus. The stated goal of CGI U is “to bring together people with a plan and a passion to create positive change and take action.” But what happens after all the breakout sessions end and Stephen Colbert exits the building? Will seeing Bill Clinton on stage spur anyone to action?

Of course, part of the problem lies in the limited number of students actually taking part in the weekend’s festivities. With around 200 student delegates and 1,000 more attending the plenary session, the total comes out to right around 20 percent of the undergraduate student body. While logistical concerns limit the number of students actually able to attend the sessions of CGI U, there does appear to be a large disconnect between initiatives spearheaded by the University and campus groups and actions taken by the student body at large. Minimal interest in the CGI U service trip this past weekend spurred the University to offer plenary session tickets just to increase engagement. We brag about being a sustainable campus yet do a fairly abysmal job of recycling on an individual level. We can’t just stop using plastic bags for their own sake; we have to share pictures of ourselves with reusable ones to win a prize.

This need for forced incentivizing is the real issue on campus. We have become so focused on short-term gratification that we’ve missed the point of clear, direct and effective action against pressing issues like fossil fuel usage and working toward social justice.

Almost 76 percent of the University’s energy comes from coal—much higher than the national average of about 48 percent—yet there is comparatively little attention paid to this fact. When the issue of need-blind admission surfaced last semester, there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm for a campaign to revisit our admissions standards or have a real conversation about economic and other forms of diversity.

Before all you vocal desk chair activists start to complain, we recognize there’s no easy answer to the problem of rampant apathy. However, taking the time to get over our painfully self-aware, collectively detached coolness and pledge our time and ideas toward something worthwhile would be a great first step. Go ahead. Attend the plenary session of CGI U if you’re one of the lucky few. But don’t make it a throwaway event and return to business as usual Saturday morning. Do something inconvenient. Work on actually sorting your trash (it’s not hard with single-stream, we promise). Bike to Schnucks. Or really dare to get out of the Wash. U. bubble and volunteer with one of the myriad campus service organizations. Doing your part doesn’t have to be hard, but sometimes it is. Do it anyway. You might not get the immediate gratification of a free ticket to see a former president, but you could discover a new passion or just be able to take solace in the thought of leaving the world a better place than you found it. And that’s worth the effort.