Doing One Thing to Make the World Better

Students in the Carlson School undergraduate program are committed to making the world a better place, one DOT at a time. DOT, or Do One Thing, is a movement that asks students to commit to one thing they want to do that will promote personal, social, environmental, or economic stability.

The undergraduate program kicked off the DOT campaign earlier this year. It was so successful that now all incoming students are asked to participate in DOT. The Carlson School is part of an ever-growing list of schools and businesses that have adopted this campaign, originally created by advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Since its inception, 30 million people have committed to DOT worldwide.

“The DOT campaign really raises the awareness that this is our world, as a whole; that we all need to do our part, and that we all need to participate,” says Carlson School student Gage Kaefring. “It’s really easy to do a small thing to make a difference.”

Undergraduate student Sammy Sites’ DOT is to pack her lunch in a lunch box rather than a brown bag. The reason, she says, is simple: “Imagine how many people bring their lunch in a bag and then toss that bag out afterwards. Think of how much trash that is!”

For Adam Lueck, his DOT is to serve as a mathematics and economics tutor for student athletes at the University. “Education is important to our generation, and for student athletes, getting that degree will be a great asset for them as they move on to their careers,” he says. “I think the DOT campaign will really make a great impact on the Carlson community and the world.”

“This really is a student-led movement here at the school,” says Christiane Bartels, assistant director of collegiate life. “It’s up to them on where they want to take it. I believe this campaign will encourage great things on our campus and hopefully, as word gets out and more people adopt this movement, the more it will spread.”