Newspapers / Philanthropy Journal of North … / April 1, 1994, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Magazine for volunteers Volunteers To subscribe to the new magazine “Service: Business Volunteering in the Community,” call (202) 966-7121. 8 * I^ilantlm^yJiiHimalirfNuthCan^ IMHI April 1994 Learning in the real world Community service on rise at college campuses Voluntarism is on the rise on col lege campuses, and North Carolina is on the trend’s tend ing edge. Student activism is manifesting itself in the form of volunteer service centers, grad uation requirements and cur riculum-based service learning. By Katherine Noble New Orleans / t’s early morning in New Orleans and a cleanup crew already is sweeping up mounds of empty cups and trash from the ni^tly drinking and partying ritual that has made Bourbon Street famous. At a nearby YMCA, a group of col lege students from Wake Forest University also is up early. Their spring break is almost over and after a week in New Orleans, they’re tired. But not from partying. They easily might be taken for college students on spring break, but they didn’t come to New Orleans for the wild nightlife. They came to tutor children from a housing project, help clean and repair a hallway house and paint a home for developmental- ly disabled women. Other Wake Forest students spent the week in South Dakota on a Sioux Indian reservation, in Illinois working on flood rebel and in South Carolina at a national wUdlife refuge. Wake Forest students aren’t alone in jumping on the service band wagon. Colleges and universities throughout North Carolina and the U.S. are witnessing a resurgence of the idealism and dedication that harkens to the early days of the Peace Corps and VISTA “I don’t recab, even at that time, that we were so concerned about the world,” says Kevin Cox, a spokesman for Wake Forest University. Throughout the year at Wake Forest, nearly 800 students — one of every four at the Winston-Salem school — volunteer through the stu dent-run Volunteer Service Corps. Jessica Davey, a Wake Forest junior who spent spring break in New Orleans, traveled last summer to Calcutta, India, to work with Mother Teresa. “It was an opportuni ty for me to learn from a woman and her fobowers who have represented, who have been the epitome, of what it means to be a servant leader.” Davey and her fellow students themselves exemplify dedication to service. Wake Forest University student Brent Watkins volunteers with "Project Pumpkin" at the Winston-Salem school. Photo courtesy of Woke Forest University “We’re a student organization that has as its mission to commit ourselves — students, faculty and staff — to humanitarian values and civic responsibibty,” says Davey of her school’s Volunteer Service Corps. “We see community involvement as an integral part of a person’s educa tion.” So do educators, administrators and students at Central Piedmont Community CoUege; Eton, Davidson, Guilford, Mars Hill, Brevard and Warren WUson coUeges; the Unive rsity of North Carobna at Ashevble; North Carolina Central University, and Johnson C. Smith University - to name a tew. Many of these schools are on the forefront of a national trend toward incorporating voluntarism and ser vice-learning into coUege students’ bves. Five colleges in North Carolina recently received grants of $22,000 to $50,000 each from the Council of Independent Colleges to put into effect or expand service-learning in their curriculum. Schools in North Carobna received more of the grants awarded than in any other state. “We believe that a lot of the action in community service and ser vice-learning is at these colleges,” says Steve Pebetler, director of pub- bc affairs at the councb, a group of 345 small, private liberal arts col leges. The 30 grants are part of a multi year effort that the organization hopes wib produce a pubbcation on service-teaming and a national con ference on the subject in 1995. The project is being funded by an anony mous gift of $1.25 mibion given to the council for the project. Brenda Armentrout, coordinator of service learning at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, knows already how much service can benefit a student’s edu cation. She’s been incorporating ser vice-learning into her communica tions classes for more than a decade. Only recently did she realize there was a name for extending her stu dent’s learning environment into the community. Davidson College student Elizabeth Flemming teaches a lesson at the "Wonderful Wednesda/' after-school program. Photo courtesy of Davidson College Now, she’s a leader in the state to make service learning a core part of a cobege education. Last month, she organized a conference on communi ty service attended by 70 representa tives from 50 two- and four-year pub- bc and private cobeges and universi ties in both North and South Caro bna. Armentrout says integrating ser vice into academic studies is impor tant not only so students can learn the value of helping others, but also so they can investigate possible career choices and estabbsh contacts for jobs after graduation. And, she says, the skbls a student can develop throng service are fun- Hi^^ting colleges that emphasize coimmmity service “Healing is so urgently needed in our country and around the world,” writes Miriam Weinstein in “Making a Difference College Guide, Education for a Better World.” “Join with the many earing and courageous people all over the earth who are seeking to make a difference.” Clearly, this isn’t your typical guide to (ihoosing a cobege. Now in its second edition, “Making a Difference” includes inspirational essays on doing good in the world, as web as a report card system for evaluating cobeges based on crite ria such as a sense of community among the students, whether pro fessors emphasize teaching over research, and whether students consider their teachers to be inspi rational. It aiso tooks at graduation rates and career planning and placement ser vices. Weinstein en courages her read ers to remember that many of the most “thoughtful, socially committed and undergraduate- centered schools are small and often bttle known. These institu tions offer small classes, tau^t by fac ulty who care more about teaching than research, and ndio are ^ad to see students outside of class.” The book describes 72 coUeges and universities in the U.S. at which ethics, scmce, global con cerns and the environ ment are Integral compo nents pi the educational experience — both in and out of the class room. The book also includes a bst of “mak ing a difference careers” that might result from various majors. For example, a major in Peace and Co^ct Studies might lead to a career in arms control and pubbc pobcy. Third World development and human rights, the United Nations or civil rights. Or a geology major mi^t help industiy', government or education find and use new resources in an envlronmentaby conscious way, or go on to gradu ate school in urban planning, engi neering or environmental studies. Weinstein says she wrote the book because, as the result of thine cobege searches for her children, she discovered “how ill equipped my famUy was to make a good deci sion.” Her son is now attending Warren Wilson College in Ashevble, the only North Carobna school included in the book The book is available for $12.95 plus $2 shipping costs from Sage Press, 524 San Anselmo Ave. No. 225, San Anselmo, Calif. 84960, or by caffing (800) 2184242.5 Katherine Noble damental to the whole idea of a bber- al arts education. “It enhances their critical think ing, decision making, time manage ment and goal setting skills,” she says. “It broadens their horizons and increases their responsibility. It develops concern for others and seb- esteem and confidence. “Instead of just volunteering,” says Armentrouth, “service-learning incorporates the experience into the classroom. The classes take on a new meaning and new importance. It isn’t just a required class any longer and the student starts to understand why they need that foundation.” As at most North Carolina schools, Armentrout says. Central Piedmont won’t make service-learn ing a requirement. Instead, she is working on setting up a certificate program for students who take a cer tain number of courses with a ser vice-teaming component. Several North Carolina schools, including Central Piedmont, belong to Campus Compact, a national coab- tion of colleges and universities formed to help develop national and state pobcies that are supportive of community service. State Campus Compact offices provide hands-on assistance to campuses interested in setting up volunteer or service-team ing programs. Roger Nozaki, director of plan ning at Campus Compact headquar ters in Rhode Island, says integrating service with academic study is a national trend. Only nine of the coab- tion’s 400 members have service as a graduation requirement. Campus Compact was formed in 1985 by a group of cobege presidents who felt that students were getting a Look for COLLEGE, page 9
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 1, 1994, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75