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Show TEER WORK Bennion House residents serve, support each other ved Clayton Norlen STAFF WRITER ETTEN/fc. 1 Ds>i Vte>i Chtcr-nit night of karaoke Unlike many of the houses in Officer's Circle that focus on academics, the Lowell Bennion Service House isn't focused on the sciences, humanities or law. Instead, the residents living in the house share a love for service and bettering their community that goes beyond academics. With monthly service projects and weekly house dinners, the residents in the service house are dedicated to finding solutions to desperate situations. Each resident has a cause to which they devote their service efforts, but often the students assist one another with the planning and execution of each other's service projects. "(Living in the house) gives me hope," said Kathy Christiansen, a senior in environmental studies and psychology. "We are all approaching service in our own ways, and it's comforting to know that all these people are doing their own kind of service." Residents of the house plan service projects such as the annual Officer's Hollow, an event that allows elementary students from low-income neighborhoods to have a safe Halloween, and Earth Set, a program that teaches elementary students about environmental issues as they plant flowers at Red Butte Garden. The residents plan these events together as a way to ensure the house is active in an array of service projects, said Kacie Pecor, a senior in social work and the residential advisor in the house. This guarantees that everyone's passions are encompassed, she said. "The residents have a passion for helping their community and bettering the environment," Pecor said. "They realize there are unjust situations, and they are aware of what's going on in their communities and are taking active roles in finding solutions." The house and the Bennion Center are springboards, Christiansen said because. Both expose students to issues of the world and challenge them to become civically engaged and to make what changes they can through service, she said. Other environmental projects include the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Design program, health clinics and events at the residents halls. Along with service opportunities, the house often participates in projects alongside the Bennion Center, which holds food and clothing drives for local charities. "We're all students and have different schedules," said Luke Leclair-Marzolf, a junior in mass communication. "But service brings us together to work and reflect on what we've done as a house." Many residents in the house balance a full schedule of work and school along with countless CHRISTOPHER PEDDECORD/tfv&r '/ Students living in the Lowell Bennion Service House meet Tuesday night to discuss future service projects. hours of service, but Leclair-Marzolf said that living in the house is a constant reminder of the commitment the residents have made to service. The service base that the house provides gives students the opportunity to have more successful projects because they are surrounded by so many committed individuals. "I moved (into the service house) knowing that it's easier to be involved with service if you're surrounded by others who are involved," said Erin Wiedmeier, a graduate student working toward medical school. "If you're not, other things can get important, and I wanted service to be a part of my life." Wiedmeier said that some people just have the service gene and get a need fulfilled through helping others, but service is somewhat selfish because often participants receive more than those they help. She added that it's OK to be selfish with service, because both parties benefit. The residents of the house rec- ognize that the value of service comes from reflections after the work. This is where students critically engage the projects that demand service and think of ways to solve the deeper issues. "Our group has discussions and reflections on difficult topics and the things we've seen or experienced while doing service," Wiedmeier said. "It's the discussions that lead to better decisions on how to deal with certain issues like homelessness." c.norlen@chronicle.utah.edu THO Honors students give back to community Edgar Zuniga Jr. STAFF WRITER The Honors College is holding a book drive with bins placed around campus to collect books with elementary through high school reading levels for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake. Students from the college are also organizing a program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah to mentor students at Rose Park Elementary School. Tom Richmond, assistant director of the Honors College, said most students in the college are involved in a number of volunteer activities, even if not sponsored by the college itself. HSAC, the Honors Student Advisory Council, organizes most service-oriented activities within the college. Last semester, the council organized a blood drive with ARUP Blood Services. ARUP asked the college to hold another drive this semester. HSAC is planning the blood drive for April, but the date has not yet been determined. For the holidays, students in the Honors College decorated a 3-foot by 3-foot gingerbread house with a Harry Potter theme. The gingerbread house went to the Festival of Trees, an annual event benefiting paV.-V..;.,-\ tients at Primary Children's Medical Center. "I think we like to give back to the community because the Honors College does draw a lot of support from the community," said HSAC co-chair Safia Ahmed, a junior in chemistry. "Lots of the college-sponsored programs like internships, scholarships and so forth are sponsored by the community and U alumni." Honors Community Leadership Scholars is one such program where students meet with community leaders once a month to learn the importance of using their education for the good of the community at large. Ahmed said these community leaders and advocates have inspired them to use the education they are obtaining at the U to help those who are disadvantaged. Suzanne Liu, a junior in music and biology and HSAC co-chair, credited a talk that community advocate Pamela Atkinson gave to honors students as an inspiration to become involved in service. "(Atkinson) was a very inspiring lady and told us how much we needed to give back to the community," Liu said. Both Ahmed and Liu said many honors college students volunteer with the Bennion Community Service Center. From Atkinson's talk, students in the Honors College were inspired to organize a program called "Dare to Care," which takes college students to elementary schools, such as Rose Park Elementary School, to mentor children, some of whom come from low-income, single-parent homes. Participants will visit students for an hour each week to help them with their schoolwork. Honors College students will officially kick off the program this week with tables in the Union Free Speech Area and flyers throughout campus urging students to sign up for the program. "In my personal experience, life is more worthwhile when you're helping someone who doesn't have much support in their life," said John Bowers, a junior in economics and Spanish and an organizer of Dare to Care. "It is extremely valuable for those being served and for the person doing the service." The Boys & Girls Club*s book drive will continue until next month. "Because honors classes are smaller, you're more likely to be involved in (service) programs," Ahmed said. "But everyone has a potential for leadership and service in the community." ejzuniga@ chronicle.utah.edu |