Approximately 600 first-year students began their college experience by
serving their new community during UF’s fourth annual New Student
Orientation Service Project on Aug. 27.
The students, along with faculty and staff volunteers, went into the
Findlay community to provide hands-on help to more than 30 non-profit,
civic and government organizations.
The project is a joint effort of the University’s Campus Compact Center
for Service & Learning and the First-Year Experience (FYE) Program.
The event promotes the importance of volunteerism and service.
Led by instructors in UF’s FYE, orientation leaders, UF staff, alumni
volunteers and first-year students performed three hours of service
during the orientation weekend before their first official day of
classes began on Aug. 29.
Many students completed service projects related directly to their
class topics, including cleaning up along the Blanchard River for the
class “The Watershed and I;” visiting residents at the Birchaven
Retirement Village for the class “Communication and Relationships;” and
various duties at the Fort Findlay Playhouse for the class “From
Hula-Hoops to Nose Rings: Youth Culture in the United States.”
“We solicit projects from community agencies and then try to pair
agencies/tasks with FYE classes that have a related subject,” Dr. Diana
Montague, FYE director, said. “Inclusive in the University's mission to
‘equip students for meaningful lives and productive careers’ is the
importance of civic engagement. The orientation project is just one
step in examining an aspect of meaningful lives.”
This service initiative is also designed to introduce students to
different aspects of the Findlay community as well as introduce
community organizations to new UF students. As students and faculty
help build the community around the University, they will also get to
know each other better before the school year begins.
According to Dr. Wayne Sneath, director of Campus Compact, “Campus
Compact's mission is to integrate service into the life of the
University to benefit the larger community. We are striving to make
service an integral part of what UF is known for in the community and
to support students, faculty, and staff in their desire to serve
others.”
The University of Findlay is a member of the Ohio Campus Compact, a
statewide chapter of a national organization that promotes community
service and civic engagement among college communities.
