Class, work, class, write, class, study, exam, work, homework, bed. Sound familiar?
As college students we have shown ourselves capable of balancing the above example with a social life, recreation, Facebook and whatever else we have on our list of priorities. Who is to say there is room for much else?
The student volunteers would. If it is a service learning project through Pioneer Academic Center for Community Engagement (PACCE), a class or major requirement, through a club or just because, there are students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville who make their schedules amenable to volunteer hours.
Media Studies lecturer, Sue Curtis, teaches business communication and for the class students are required to engage in a service learning project with a minimum of 10 hours throughout the semester. Students can work in groups or work solo in designing a project, doing the project and presenting the results of it to the class.
Katie Bier is a senior majoring in business and is currently taking Curtis’ class.
“My project for Curtis is to work with the local Kiwanis club. They have many different volunteer opportunities throughout the year,” Bier said. “This past weekend I sold Peanuts at Kwik Trip and I have also gone to the local nursing home to help them.”
Bier got the idea to work with Kiwanis based on the fact she is already a part of the Circle K group on campus. Circle K works directly with community service and is parented by the Kiwanis.
Curtis reported that from her years of teaching, more than half of her students from each of her classes have stated that they would continue volunteering outside of class.
“I see volunteering as something you would want to be involved in for your lifetime,” Curtis said. “Having college professors encourage their students to volunteer so that when they leave hear and go into the work world they can volunteer on behalf of their employers.”
Volunteering works hand in hand with service learning. PACCE provides funding for projects that come out of a classroom but are done out in the community.
PACCE director and professor Kevin Bernhardt and PACCE coordinator Kathy Neumeister spoke about the grant program.
“It’s volunteerism in respect that there is no payment,” said Bernhardt. “However it is done under the offices of the classroom.”
The PACCE grant program at UW-Platteville has over 1,000 students participate in various service learning projects that range from creating a device to improve motor skills for a child or traveling to Ghana, Africa to develop a biodiversity project for cocoa farmers.
“There is a community relations component to this project because the community members love connecting with the students,” Neumeister said. “There is a great benefit to them beyond the scope of the project. They appreciate the energy and exuberance the students bring to the project.”
Volunteering can be as little as an hour a week or as much as weeks at a time, and there are many opportunities for students to volunteer at UW-Platteville and in the Platteville community.
“Any chance I get to help other people is a great opportunity in my eyes,” said Bier. “I would encourage other college students to get involved with community service because it is important to build connections with the people around you.”
For more information, look into the clubs you are already part of, Habitat for Humanity, Circle K, PACCE, local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, Family Advocates, the animal shelter, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hills and Dales Child Development Center, Boys and Girls Club and tutoring opportunities at the Platteville high and middle schools are just a few places.
