Despite survey responses indicating the percentage of Brown students undertaking community service projects may be on the decline, leaders at the Swearer Center for Public Service say they have not noticed this trend.
A survey conducted by the Career Development Center last spring reported that student volunteerism at University had declined. While 65 percent of the class of 2002 had participated in community service while at Brown, only 51 percent of those surveyed from the class of 2003 reported taking part, according to Peter Hocking, then-assistant dean of the college and director of the Swearer Center, who provided The Herald with the numbers in March.
The CDC has not yet calculated the official percentages of this year's survey, according to Christopher Cruz, the office's communications and public relations officer. However, the CDC's unofficial numbers state that 259 out of 700 members of the class of 2004 - about 37 percent - who have responded thus far reported that they pursued community service projects while at the University. However, it is questionable whether these figures accurately reflect the level of student participation in community service because not all students answer this particular question on the survey, Cruz said. He added that when percentages like those provided by Hocking last year are calculated, they are a combination of CDC data and data collected by the Swearer Center.
At the time, Hocking attributed the decline to several factors, including a conservative political climate that he said diminished the importance of community service. Still, leaders at the Swearer Center say they have not noticed a decline in volunteerism among Brown students, though the focus of their efforts may have changed, according to Alan Flam P'05, senior fellow at the Swearer Center and senior associate University chaplain.
"There has been a movement to make service exotic, like we have to travel to Haiti or New Mexico to do service when five minutes away there is community work to be done," Flam said.
He also mentioned that an increasing number of students arrive at the University from high schools where community service is a mandatory part of the curriculum, though he said he is unsure how this affects students' attitudes toward community service in college. While these requirements may heighten the enthusiasm of some students, they may turn others away toward other extracurricular activities.
"I feel that students coming to Brown have a tremendous sense of idealism, a desire to contribute in some positive way to the world and I don't see a diminishment in that. I've been here for almost 24 years," Flam said.
Flam asserted that the level of student volunteers has remained consistently high throughout his years at Brown. The number of programs offered by the Swearer Center has also held steady over the past six years, he said. A guide of resources and programs lists 42 different opportunities and avenues to volunteer in Providence, ranging in areas from "housing and hunger" to "art and society."
Roger Nozaki, director of the Swearer Center and associate dean of the college, said he agrees with Flam that student volunteerism remains steady, citing a Feb. 14 Herald article that reported the University is ranked No. 13 among medium-sized colleges and universities producing volunteers for the Peace Corps.
Katie Kinsey '09, a member of the CityGirls mentoring program run through the Swearer Center, said she volunteers "because I feel like it is the point of college in a way. I mean I'm a student, and my biggest responsibility is doing my homework, otherwise I just have free time. Also, I keep hoping that I'll find something that will really inspire me that I will want to do for the rest of my life."
Though Kinsey said she believes that "in general there's a lot of enthusiasm within the student body to volunteer and there are a lot of different opportunities," she also thinks the University could offer more programs that appeal to a wider variety of students.
"I think there are few programs that are well organized and few accomplish something really tangible and productive," she said. "I think there's a lot more good intention than actual accomplishment."
While students like Kinsey find community service rewarding, others choose to dedicate their time to other pursuits.
"I don't volunteer because frankly I am going to owe huge sums of money to this fine institution of higher education and I need to start collecting that money now," said Will Guzzardi '09. "So I tutor, I'm looking for other jobs and trying to live the frugal life."
Mike Gartner '09 echoed this desire to pursue paid extracurricular activities.
"I am so busy, so if I do have time to do something, it's going to be something where I can make money," he said.
