In a previous opinion piece, a group of seniors shared how service and community engagement have been integral to our Princeton experiences. We defined meaningful service as building compassionate relationships with those around us. Deeply engaging with the world and our own communities — both through academics and extracurriculars — was immensely beneficial to our growth as individuals, and we are grateful for these defining experiences.
Although those within our group have had significantly different experiences at Princeton, we all identify as "service-minded” students. To be sure, not all students for whom service is a fundamental part of their experience have found their outlet at the Pace Center. Even in light of this, it is a bit shocking that we had difficulty finding more than 30 seniors who were interested in writing about what it means to be service-minded.
We believe that is a problem. Service should not be a form of identification for some. Ideally, we want to see community engagement become part of what it means to be a Princetonian. Within our university, students define themselves in a multitude of ways: some talent-based through sports or dance groups, and some identity-based like being a member of the Black Student Union or being active in LGBT life on campus. But no special talent or identity is required to be engaged in service, and there is no objective reason why service is not already closely tied with the very concept of being a student.
We believe that community engagement is a core value, and it should be treated as such instead of as an extracurricular activity. Our University already stresses certain values: perseverance, hard work and intellectual curiosity. Most students leave Princeton having internalized these values. But the desire to serve becomes a reflex for only some, whereas we should all graduate having gained a new way of engaging with our world, using a lens of service and compassion to guide our actions. We should feel the need for service to be an intimate part of our lives after we leave here.
The question is why does it not already happen?
The problem lies both in our individual attitudes and in institutional constraints. There are ways in which both we as students and the University can move toward to embed civic engagement into our ethos and daily habits.
First, it is important that all student groups begin to think of ways that they can incorporate service into their work. We applaud the efforts that have sprung up in recent years by clubs and athletic teams to incorporate service into their experiences. We encourage student leaders of all campus organizations to incorporate this type of engagement in their work. If all groups — from a cappella ensembles, to cultural organizations, to pre-professional networks — dedicated themselves to incorporating service into their mission, our campus culture would shift. We strongly believe that the best way to do so is through consistent, long-term service projects, rather than simple one-time engagements.
In order for these initiatives to occur, the University could provide funding to incentivize students to emphasize service through extracurriculars and summer experiences. The Pace Center can provide technical support to non-Pace student groups, and ODUS can create a fund for clubs that commit themselves to engaging with the broader community. The Princeton Internships in Civic Service program should also be expanded, better advertised and not restricted to the organizations selected by the Pace Center.
The University could strengthen its commitment to viewing service as a crucial mechanism of learning. If we truly believe in our motto, “in the service of the nation,” our institution should treat service as having the same educational value as a lecture course. To this end, Princeton could easily restructure its incentive system — along with the language it uses — to promote service learning. One example is the Community-Based Learning Initiative, which allows students to receive credit for academic work that supports a local organization. Though CBLI exists, few professors ask their students to engage in these projects. Again, incentives are key. If Princeton would reward both students (by giving end-of-year prizes for CBLI projects) and faculty (via financial or administrative benefits) for engaging in these projects, it would signal to the entire student body that engaged academic excellence is prioritized at this University.
There is no shortage of good examples of ways in which Princeton could reimagine itself in order to live up to its unofficial motto. What is ultimately important is that the institution and the individuals within it recognize the centrality of service to our education. The University has a responsibility to explicitly communicate that it values community engagement beyond simply stating so at our matriculation and commencement. In order to develop service-minded students, we call on the University to make service and civic engagement central to our model of education.
Amantia Muhedini ’15, Breakout Princeton Student Executive Board, Poverty and Peacemaking Conference Organizer
Caleb Bradford ’15, Community House Executive Board
Claire Nuchtern ’15 Pace Council for Civic Values, Student Volunteers Council Project Leader, former U-Councilor
Ebony Slaughter-Johnson ’15, Former Student Volunteers Council Project Leader and former Student Volunteers Council Executive Board Member
Janie Lee ’15 Pace Council for Civic Values, former Students for Education Reform President
Katie Bauman ’15, Student Volunteers Council Executive Board
Katie Horvath ’15, Former Princeton Committee on Palestine President, Bridge Year Princeton Alumna
Logan Coleman ’15, Former Co-Director of the Princeton DREAM Team
Nihar Madhavan ’15, Breakout Princeton Student Executive Board, Community Action Leader
Sarah Jeong ’15, Breakout Princeton Student Executive Board
Shawon Jackson ’15, former Breakout Coordinator Board, former USG President
Zhan Okuda-Lim ’15, Pace Council for Civic Values, U-Councilor
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