Service for the Common Good

Earlier this week, the Corporation for National and Community Service issued a report entitled, “College Students Helping America.” Established in 1993, the Corporation was created “to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation.” It merged the work and staffs of two previous federal agencies, ACTION and the Commission on National and Community Service.

Since it was established, the Corporation has managed three primary programs:

1.   Senior Corps, which incorporated the longstanding Foster Grandparents, Retired and Senior Volunteer, and Senior Companion Programs;
2.   AmeriCorps, which incorporated the longstanding VISTA, the new National Civilian Community Corps programs, and the full-time demonstration program that had been established under the 1990 Act; and,
3.   Learn and Serve America, formerly known as Serve America.

  The report, “College Students Helping America,” presents data and findings from the Current Population Survey from 2002 to the 2005. They found that 3.3 million college students (30% of all traditional-age students), had volunteered in 2005. This represented an increase of 20% from 2002 when only 2.7 million students had volunteered.

Key findings from the report indicate:

•   Tutoring and mentoring are the most popular volunteer activities. This activity would be reflected in programs like Ohio Dominican’s Village to Child Program which has served middle school age children for over a decade.
•   Volunteer rates are higher for college students who also hold a job (less than 30 hours per week) on or off campus. This belies the perception by some that students are too busy to volunteer because they have to work to pay for college.
•   Female students volunteer at higher rates than males. This is true in most studies of college-age and older adults.

  The report does not provide any clear evidence for why this increase has occurred. The Corporation speculates that those young people who experienced 9/11 are now in college. The national response to this event may have positively impacted the inclination to serve others.

The timing of the release of this report is interesting. This Saturday, October 21, Ohio Dominican University will celebrate Make A Difference Day. Other universities and community organizations will participate in this national event on either the 21st or the 28th of October. This national day of service and volunteerism provides necessary help to the community and an opportunity to encourage year-long volunteerism.

It is certainly encouraging that the number of volunteers on college campuses has increased. But it’s hard to avoid the question, “What about the other 70%?” It always surprises me that a majority of our students choose not to volunteer their time, or choose not to report their activities. This is especially true at institutions like Ohio Dominican whose mission focuses so clearly on service and citizenship.

I applaud and thank all of our students, faculty and staff who take time from busy schedules and active lives to give some time to serving the needs of others. And I would encourage every member of our community to think about volunteering to serve the Common Good.

(As always, your comments, questions and ideas are most welcome.)