Giving back benefits everyone

Students across campus are encouraged to give back to the Pine Belt community through course requirements, scholarship requirements, and participation in sororities and fraternities.

There are a variety of ways for Southern Miss students to get involved with community service and according to Larry Sparkman, director of the Luckyday Citizenship Scholars Program, students can gain a lot from getting involved with service opportunities.

"Direct service benefits students by helping them connect to the larger community," Sparkman said.  "Students are able to realize and address communities needs increasing their awareness, ability to empathize, and grow in critical thinking skills.

"Students involved in service activities express more commitment to being engaged citizens. They are more likely to graduate, have higher grade point averages than students who do not serve, and are more likely to vote.

"These same students are less likely to commit crimes and report a higher satisfaction with their lives and relationships," he said. "The list could go on but as you can see, direct service not only meets community needs, it meets our own needs.  Direct service helps us grow in our ability to humanize others."

The Office of Community Service Learning, established in 1992, is responsible for helping students organize community service projects.

According to their website, the university community logs over 40,000 hours of service each year through the OCSL.

Justin Defee, graduate assistant in the office of community service learning, said the office is essentially a middle man for students and organizations looking for volunteers.

"(Organizations) usually like students to go through us first," Defee said.  "If we're sending them, they can count on them to be there on time etc."

"We also do some (volunteer projects) through our office, like building Hub secretary Melissa Carpenter's house," Defee said.  "We have actual days where you can volunteer to help build her house."

OCSL also works with teachers to create courses with a service learning component.  In these classes, professors can add something extra to lectures by encouraging students to practice what they are learning.

In addition to the OCSL, each year, 100 incoming freshmen are awarded the Luckyday Scholarship award, which includes a service-learning component.

Recipients of this scholarship are required to do at least 20 hours of community service in the Pine Belt community each semester.

"This Luckyday program is exciting and unique in all of higher education because it is far more than just a financial award to outstanding students," said Dr. Joe Paul, Southern Miss vice president for student affairs, on the Luckyday website.

"It is a citizenship program that will help these scholars maximize their academic experience through community service-learning and foster among these scholars a lifelong commitment to civic engagement."
"Service Learning benefits students in learning through ‘real world' situations and by applying what they learning in an active situations," Sparkman said.  "Service Learning has been shown to increase student learning outcomes, retention rates, academic performance, and the integration of subject matter.

"Strong service learning activities meets the needs of the community and the needs of the student learning situation.  Service Learning should be a transformative process for the community and student."

However, service-learning is not limited to scholarship recipients and students who visit the OCSL, Greek Life organizations are known for hosting philanthropic projects and events throughout the year.

Recently, Phi Mu hosted their annual event, Hoop-a-paluza, a basketball tournament benefiting Children's Miracle Network and the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson.
Through this event, Phi Mu raised over $16,000 for Children's Miracle Network.

The ladies of Delta Delta Delta hosted Tri Delt Triple Play last weekend.  Tri Delt Triple Play is a cheer competition and softball tournament which raises money to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Nicole Jones, Tri Delta philanthropy chair, was in charge of the event.

Jones, a sophomore exercise science major, said she decided to get involved with the philanthropy aspect of her sorority because of what she knows about St. Jude and the trips she has made with members of her pledge class.

"It has a special place in my heart," Jones said.  "It's a place you fall in love with.  (Organizing Triple Play) has been a busy thing but it's been worth it."

The men of Delta Tau Delta held their philanthropic event recently as well. Over the weekend, they raised $29,000 through their 16th Annual Cystic Fibrosis Sports Challenge. The fraternity still has money coming in from their McAlister's fundraising night last Friday and their Chili's night Monday, said the fraternity's president, junior Thomas Myers.

Any student who wants to get involved with service-learning are encouraged to call OCSL at 601-266-5870, visit the office in room 104 of the Hub, or visit www.usm.edu/ocsl