This is tough and I agree with the others.
That said, I would like to represent a somewhat different perspective, just to balance things out and as a reality check.
A few years ago I had a similar issue. The one difference was that I was being asked to do something like this for free, with the idea that good deeds will be rewarded down the line. I said no. I just couldn't take on one more such thing. Overall, I'm glad I hadn't.
That said, I think I did lose out. The person asking had some amount of clout (like she'd organize somewhat exclusive parties) and I was never included in her special activities. I suspect I would've been had I done what she'd asked. Oh well, not a huge deal overall, but some repurcussion.
Regarding the pay, I do think that it is fairly common for students to do work below market value. Of course, you do have way more going on than you can handle right now. But this situation is not that rare and other students do say yes (making it harder for people like you to say no) so while not really appropriate, it is certainly not unprecedented. And in some cases a student may be smart to say yes in such a situation. (Plus in this case, there may be some amount of payoff to you from being in a dept that has a good online presence, granted, may be little.)
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 8/29/2006 06:33:45 PM
