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Community service offers lasting results By Jeffrey Feld-Gore It seems that one of the best-kept secrets at the Savannah College of Art and Design is the SOS office. SOS at SCAD does not mean “Save Our Ship”; it means Service Opportunities for Students. This office has been in existence for more than seven years. SOS is a part of the office of student involvement and is a student-run office that coordinates community service for other students. After an article about Alternative Spring Break ran in the April 2 issue of The Chronicle, several SOS students and I stood in front of Café SCAD offering information about what we do on campus. The students who stopped to talk to us were shocked that this type of program existed at SCAD. However, for each student who stopped, several students walked by without taking time to find out what SOS was all about. By getting involved in community service students can have fun, earn money, learn something and most likely improve their GPA (something mom and dad will really love). Brian Pramick, a sophomore majoring in industrial design, said he decided to get involved because helping the environment is his main goal in his academic career. “I want to develop environmentally sustainable products, so I wanted to make it a part of my life outside the classroom,” he said. In January 2000, Alexander Astin, a noted researcher, published a study that looked at what community service does for students who participate. He found that of the 22,236 students that were studied over four years, those students who had engaged in community service work showed significant positive effects on GPA, writing skills, critical-thinking skills, interpersonal skills, choice of career and a host of other measures. Through the SOS office there are many ways students can be involved and take advantage of the benefits of community service. The most prominent way to be involved is to be a service coordinator. These are the students who run the SOS office. There are nine SCs who coordinate and facilitate specific programs. These programs are the Book Buddies, Art Education, Deli Project, Habitat for Humanity, Alternative Spring Break, Service Club, Students for a Better Environment, Clearing House and the Student Director. As Astin said, these students gain experience in networking, recruiting, project planning, promotion and delegation of responsibilities. Another way to be involved is to become a volunteer coordinator. This position is similar to the above position but has slightly less responsibility. They help out the SC on-site by organizing the jobs and various tasks. One other way to be involved is to pick up the phone and volunteer for an activity. This allows a student to get his or her feet wet and to explore the environment. For students who are still not convinced that community service is for them, they should take a minute and think about what they want to accomplish in life. Doing community service can also connect students to future employers or fellow workers in the industry. SOS has coordinated volunteers who worked as docents at local museums and galleries, helped at the Georgia Historical Society, done hands-on labor on a Habitat for Humanity site, and worked with local area schools teaching art or reading books to children. All these different projects can help you in your career. Jackie Smith, a graphic design sophomore, puts it this way: “I wanted to see and experience other places and help other people at the same time. The ASB trip last year really opened my eyes to everything that I could be doing to make myself better prepared for my future job.” If you have any questions about how to get involved with SOS, call 525-8800 or e-mail sos@scad.edu. Check out the Web site at http://thehive.scad.edu/sos/ Feld-Gore is assistant director of student activities. |
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