schol haller - University of Kansas
schol haller - University of Kansas
schol haller - University of Kansas
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
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.