Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
On Aug. 28 at 7 a.m. more than 1,500 first-year students living on campus were awoken by the sound of their resident assistants pounding on their doors. Most students rolled out of bed still wearing pajamas only to find out they were in for more than just a hall meeting.
Resident assistants and Residence Life staff led the first-years to the Collins Center for the Arts for an assembly. The purpose of this assembly was to encourage first-years to stay focused on schoolwork and classes while still staying active on campus and enjoying themselves.
All the excited chatter and talk of exploring campus was put to a stop outside the door as students were told to take a bag lunch and get on an assigned bus. Most students looked at each other in confusion, not prepared for the chaos outside the assembly hall. Each bus was bound for a different location on campus or in the surrounding community where passengers were dropped off to participate in service projects ranging from sorting clothes and donations to physical labor.
“Our goal was to allow the students an opportunity to get to know each other in a different environment, to introduce them to the community and then hopefully introduce them to service as a part of their experience at the university,” said Lisa Morin, coordinator of the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism.
Morin worked closely with EJ Roach and Residence Life staff to plan the day’s projects and activities. Establishing the first annual Day of Service at the University of Maine was Roach’s final initiative as director of First- and Second-Year Programs before beginning his new position as director of campus activities and student engagement.
“My goal was to get them out into the community in small groups doing something that was different and spending time with classmates off campus,” he said.
This year’s Day of Service consisted of 45 different projects, and approximately 800 students participated. Campus-based community service projects included volunteering at Page Farm and Home Museum and the Black Bear Exchange. Projects in Orono, Brewer, Veazie, Bangor and Old Town served organizations like the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA.
Students taken to the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge spent several hours outside clearing trails and emptying bird houses. Those assigned to Habitat for Humanity were sent to one of two locations. One group went to the Re-Store in Holden to unpack donated items and to help stock the show room. The other group went to the construction site of a house in Bangor to assist the building crew by cleaning and moving materials.
According to Roach, the Day of Service was conceived as a way to introduce first-year students to campus and nearby communities, as well as the volunteer opportunities available to them through departments like the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism. In addition, area organizations like the Orono Commons Nursing Home or the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter may learn to see UMaine as a resource.
In spite of good intentions, feedback has been mixed.
“It was a good idea, but they went about it wrong. It was too much activity without enough time to adjust,” said first-year wildlife ecology student Jessica Nyholm.
Other students agree the Day of Service would have been more effective had it been executed differently.
“Organization is key to success in coming together as a community and as a family. The time we were allotted, and so unexpectedly, did not allow us to work to our full potential both at the project and in getting to know each other,” said first-year athletic training student Jack Schafer.
“It was hard, but I’m glad I did it because it was really rewarding,” said communication student Corbin Leek.
“I was very grateful to the students, project leaders and community organizations for their patience,” Morin said in response to complaints about the event.
She said the day was a success save a few logistical issues, and students were enthusiastic about the service projects and being involved in their college community.
“It was a magnificent opportunity for students to help others but come together as a community and we are thrilled with the outcome in every way and shape possible,” said Dean of Students Robert Dana.
“The vast majority of it was perfectly organized. Periodically, people found it difficult to find out who to report to, but that was all worked out very quickly,” Dana said in regard to concerns about organization.
Dana said he experienced the Day of Service firsthand and it seemed to go smoothly and as planned. Morin and Roach agree the event was a success and one
they hope to repeat next year.
Bangor Daily News