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schol haller - University of Kansas

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Give back to your community<br />

By Caleb Hall<br />

ASHC Community Service Chair<br />

By this time in the semester your<br />

respective hall’s Community Service<br />

Chair has promoted some volunteer<br />

opportunities, and I can tell that several<br />

halls are already eager to be crowned the<br />

Community Service Hall <strong>of</strong> the Year.<br />

Unfortunately, if the past years patterns<br />

hold, those who have performed<br />

community service so far will continue<br />

to do so while those who haven’t yet will<br />

probably not by the end <strong>of</strong> the semester or<br />

even the school year. I hope this article can<br />

break some <strong>of</strong> those tendencies.<br />

First we must ask why we should do<br />

community service. Scholarship hall residents<br />

like ourselves have obviously worked<br />

hard, possibly volunteering in high school,<br />

or we wouldn’t be here. So we deserve take<br />

a little break right? Wrong.<br />

�e Lawrence homeless shelter is<br />

currently full, Douglas County’s natural<br />

wonders like the Kaw River Valley and<br />

Wakarusa Wetlands are littered with the<br />

results <strong>of</strong> last weekend’s excursions, there<br />

is a growing need to help local schools as<br />

they are instituting gardening initiatives,<br />

and many children are searching for a role<br />

model through organizations like the Boys<br />

and Girls Club and the Big Brothers/ Big<br />

Sisters program. �ere are many more local<br />

needs.<br />

Meanwhile, a �rst- or second-year<br />

<strong>schol</strong>arship hall resident need not necessarily<br />

leave campus at all as food, room<br />

and companionship are all provided in this<br />

community. We are extremely privileged<br />

in this regard, and therefore there is an<br />

ethical imperative to provide community<br />

service.<br />

�ere may be times in your life when<br />

you may need to rely on the kindness <strong>of</strong><br />

others, or even realize the real worth <strong>of</strong><br />

food and water as you worry about how to<br />

get it. I certainly hope I am wrong in that<br />

regard and that none <strong>of</strong> you have to face<br />

hardship like that. But the chance is still<br />

there and just like you would want help, so<br />

too should you help others now while you<br />

are in a position to do so.<br />

A common response to this stance<br />

is that there are already outreach and<br />

philanthropy programs that help those<br />

people. Our help is either inconsequential<br />

to solving social problems in comparison<br />

or just not needed.<br />

To that reasoning I ask, “Where did<br />

those service organizations come from?”<br />

�ey came about because <strong>of</strong> hardworking,<br />

dedicated individuals wanting to help.<br />

�ere is no economic drive for<br />

community service<br />

organizations; there<br />

is a humanitarian<br />

wish for them to exist<br />

because they are some<br />

<strong>of</strong> the only means <strong>of</strong><br />

change. Relying solely<br />

on capitalistic or free<br />

market mechanisms will always leave some<br />

groups impoverished or disenfranchised,<br />

but community service acts as a balance to<br />

feed the hungry, teach the uneducated, and<br />

�x other market failures.<br />

I want to express again that by being<br />

<strong>schol</strong>arship hall residents you are already<br />

proven men and women <strong>of</strong> character with<br />

strong work ethics, and I don’t want to<br />

disregard or demean that in any way.<br />

Many students have astounding time<br />

Schol Haller | Fall 2011 | Page 11<br />

LISA CURRAN/SCHOL HALLER<br />

Emily Ferbezar, a sophmore from Douthart, picks up trash during a community service and environmental event on<br />

Sept. 23. A group <strong>of</strong> about 60 gathered to clean up litter on the walk down to 3 Spoons to get frozen yogurt.<br />

“Whatever you decide to do,<br />

just remember the reasons<br />

why we should all give back.”<br />

commitments that prevent them from<br />

giving back to the community regularly,<br />

which is understandable. What I am saying<br />

is that you do not forget the importance <strong>of</strong><br />

community service and perform it while<br />

you can to provide the greatest happiness<br />

for those in need.<br />

So wake up early that one day <strong>of</strong> the<br />

week to serve breakfast for the homeless,<br />

work at the conveniently located Campus<br />

Garden to feed the hungry, spend some<br />

time at an animal shelter bonding with<br />

mistreated animals, clean up the local<br />

parks, or �nd some<br />

other way to serve the<br />

community that interests<br />

and drives you.<br />

I highly recommend<br />

the alternative<br />

break programs which<br />

will take you to various<br />

places around the country, teaching<br />

about socio-economic problems you may<br />

not have contact with otherwise. �ough<br />

the alternative breaks may not count for<br />

hours in the <strong>schol</strong>arship halls’ competition,<br />

it can still be a life altering experience.<br />

Whatever you decide to do, just<br />

remember the reasons why we should all<br />

give back.

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