We would like to thank columnist Reva Abrol for her recent article, “A vicious cycle of weak civic engagement,” published last month. Her article brings an important issue to light: here at Princeton, and on many elite college campuses, the immense value of service is not entirely visible. To Reva, and to Princetonians who nodded their heads as they read her article, we say: we sympathize with your experience. We too expect better, both from ourselves and from the institution by which we are all linked.
We, too, know that this must change.
This op-ed, in conjunction with Reva’s article, seeks to engage in a dialogue about the culture of overachievement that reigns supreme at the University: on a campus where time is the most valuable currency, service is often not considered a top priority. This represents a loss of our most essential values as an educational institution, particularly one that strives to be “in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” Although we cannot add more hours to our days, we can adjust our community mindset so that students are more likely to allocate their time to genuine, well-informed service endeavors.
The first step in shifting the University’s mindset and prioritizing service is to recognize some of the meaningful service that is already happening on our campus and some of the dedicated students, faculty, and organizations that are making it happen. By highlighting these instances, we learn from our peers about what it means to serve and serve well and how we can cultivate a campus atmosphere that encourages more students to prioritize and think about service in this way.
For example, one of the Pace Center’s Student Volunteers Council projects, ESL El Centro, provides free English language classes five days a week to adult Spanish speakers at a community center in Trenton. Project leader Ryan Miller ’17, recounts the story of one student: “He took classes for two and a half years through El Centro. After graduating from the program, he earned his GED and now plans to enroll at Mercer County Community College.” Another SVC project, the College Counseling Project, pairs Princeton freshmen with local underserved high school juniors and seniors and supports them through the college application process. One of CCP’s high school senior mentees — a first-generation college student and first-generation American citizen — was just accepted to six colleges. Community House, a Pace Center program that works with families to close the achievement gap in Princeton, has recently started the Family Dinner series, which has had great success in bringing families together to support children’s social-emotional wellness and academic success. The Community House families, CCP mentees, and El Centro students are just a few examples of real communities and people who have been deeply affected by student service work with the Pace Center.
As the student leaders at the Pace Center, we hope to transform this dialogue into an opportunity to change students’ views on civic service as we address cultural and social issues prevalent on our campus and beyond. We know more can be done. We want to let the student body know our doors are open. We urge you to check out the Pace Center’s Stories of Service campaign, which profiles Pace student volunteers and the projects they are passionate about. Come talk to us during the Pace Council for Civic Values’office hours to find a place on campus to discover your passion for service. These new Pace endeavors are designed to shift community values, reward and publicize meaningful service and encourage more students to serve. Service also plays an elevated role in the University’s ongoing strategic planning efforts, and the Pace Center is embarking on new initiatives that focus on exploring motivations for service and emphasizing what makes service meaningful and what we learn from it. The landscape of service at the University is changing rapidly, and we are excited to see what the future may hold.
Whether you are a freshman who participated in Community Action and feel too busy to continue volunteering or you’ve never set foot inside the Pace offices, know that there is something we offer for absolutely everyone on this campus and that the Pace Center adapts and thrives due to the dedication of individuals. In some ways, it is up to the University’s administration and the Pace Center to promote service, but it is up to us to prioritize it — to demand service opportunities and to seek them out in our education and in our lives. So join an SVC project. Dream up a Breakout trip. Reach out to us with your thoughts and your ideas. Your lifelong commitment to service begins now.
Signed,
Tess Bissell ’17 (SVC)
Thomas González Roberts ’16 (CA)
Deana Hamlin ’17 (PCCV)
Angela Liang ’17 (CH)
Frances Lu ’16 (SVC)
Caitlin Quinn ’18 (PCCV)
Daniel Rounds ’17 (CH)
Nick Sexton ’17 (BP & CA)
Adam Weinstein ’16 (SVC)
Katie Woo ’17 (SVC)
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