United We Serve

In the aftermath of the attacks of Sept. 11 and the ensuing war on terrorism, many people are reevaluating their views on exactly what it means to be an American citizen. Residents of the United States have become noticeably more connected to America and the idea of coming together as a united nation.

This feeling of solidarity is manifested in an increased interest in helping one's neighbor through community service. Last week, in his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called on every American to donate the equivalent of two years of volunteer service throughout his or her lifetime. Bush's push for service will be conducted through his pet project, the USA Freedom Corps.

At the University, the Sept. 11 attacks have also sparked a spirit of service, kindling a heightened sense of community among students. This spirit is evidenced in a remarkable rise in participation in community service programs on campus.

How has community service changed after Sept. 11? Renu Ouseph, a volunteer through Community House — a campus organization that assists needy children in a variety of areas such as tutoring and mentoring — explained that Sept. 11 has prompted an increase in the number of students willing and eager to volunteer.

"At Community House, our list of volunteers interested in one-time or annual projects was huge this fall," she said. "Other students were motivated to participate in more time-intensive, weekly volunteering projects. A few people in the tutoring project that I work with told me that they decided to devote their time to the program partly because the events of Sept. 11 motivated them beyond the constant worries of whether or not there's enough time to volunteer at Princeton."

Ouseph is involved in Step-Up, a middle school tutoring and mentoring project. She works at the John Witherspoon Elementary School with sixth and seventh graders who need special attention.

"For the past two years, we've had a consistent stream of dedicated volunteers. This past semester, we had a large percentage of freshmen volunteers, which may be a reflection of Sept. 11's effects," she said.

"Often while doing community service, it's difficult to take the time to reflect on the impact of one's work, but I think that Sept. 11 caused a lot of students to think about why it is that they do or do not choose to do community service," Ouseph reflected on the nature of volunteering at the University. "That type of reflection can be very useful in gaining a sense of meaning from volunteering."

"In talking to people on campus," Ouseph continued, "I think that most students do want to do some form of community service at Princeton, but they may think that there isn't enough time or that they won't be able to really do meaningful work. Sept. 11 created a stir of people ready to 'do something.' I personally believe very strongly in the capacity of long-term programs to do meaningful work."

At Community House, these long-term programs range from projects that assist children with HIV/AIDS to ones that instruct students in English as a second language. Community House's varied initiatives address the needs of children of a wide range of ages, from the Preschool Program to SAT Prep and the Princeton High School Project, a tutoring program for at-risk students that lack the outside resources to foster academic achievement. Students can also become involved in the University's Big Brother/Big Sister Program, an opportunity to work one-on-one with elementary and middle school students who live in surrounding areas, in order to provide academic and social support.

Meanwhile, short-term projects also have their following. Especially successful was the American Red Cross blood drive, in which Community House participated. The blood drive and the campus-wide relief fund to benefit the Red Cross drew a tremendous turnout in the days immediately following Sept. 11. USG President Nina Langsam '03 led the University's part in the blood drive effort, sending volunteers to the Red Cross chapter on Alexander Road starting Sept. 12.

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"We had to turn people away because there just weren't enough spaces for all the volunteers," Langsam said.

According to Langsam — who has overseen other Red Cross blood drives — judging from previous participation patterns, this level of student involvement was not only unprecedented, but also quite unexpected.

..."I had no idea what to expect ... I wasn't sure if students would be willing to sacrifice their other activities to volunteer ... most of them had never volunteered for the Red Cross before," she said.

...Ouseph noticed a similar outpouring of student involvement in community service projects.

..."Immediately after Sept. 11, many students looked toward the service organizations on campus in order to help in whatever way possible," she said. "When I staffed a booth for Red Cross donations ... a lot of people were very responsive and giving. Many of my friends have given blood, donations of every kind, and [given] their time very generously to help out since Sept. 11."

Nathan Kitchens '02, a Community House staff member, said that he, too, noticed a rise in the number of students seeking to become involved in service immediately after the attacks.

"We did have an initial rise in interest in the aftermath of the [terrorist] incident. We got a really overwhelming response at the activities fair soon after the events, and volunteers seemed to show more interest in getting involved and helping the community after the tragedy," he noted.

When asked if he believes this rise was related to Sept. 11, Kitchens responded, "I think Sept. 11 definitely played a role in the spike in volunteers. People felt they needed to do something worthwhile in the aftermath and community service provided a perfect outlet for volunteers."

As Kitchens stated, while many students expressed interest in service projects in the weeks following the terrorist attacks, Community House's programs have remained relatively the same since Sept. 11.

"Community House hasn't seen a big change [since Sept. 11]. We're doing the same projects and continuing with our mission to serve the Princeton community," he added.

The University has also funded its own projects to address the needs of terrorist victims. The newly created Arts Alive program, for example, provides cultural experiences in New York for up to 10,000 schoolchildren directly affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Some of these children and their families were forced to relocate their homes as a result of the terrorist incidents, while others live in communities with an especially high concentration of victims who perished in the attacks and rescue efforts. A number of the children also lost relatives to the attacks.

University students already volunteered Jan. 30 to accompany the children of New York Public School 234 on a visit to the American Museum of Natural History, the museum's Hayden Planetarium and two Broadway shows. Eventually, Arts Alive will include educational programs related to the arts events the children are attending. These events will include dance, music and theater performances and visits to art galleries and other museums.

The University sophomore class and the Performing Arts Council are coordinating student participation in the project. Since the program's inception, the number of students who has asked to take part has far exceeded the number of spots available. The University is conducting the Arts Alive program in partnership with Hope and Inspiration through the Arts, a New York City-based, not-for-profit organization founded in 1969 to provide access to the arts for the elderly, individuals with disabilities and at-risk youth.

While projects such as the Red Cross blood drive and Arts Alive, which aid those people directly affected by the terrorist attacks, have been especially noticeable in the past few months, the need for community service efforts in other areas is apparent.

Melissa Fernandez '04, a board coordinator for the Student Volunteers Council, spoke of the need to "transfer the spirit" of post-Sept. 11 volunteer efforts to local projects unrelated to New York City's victims. She said that people should concentrate on what needs to be done "within our backyard," and that sustained projects will help to "foster a greater sense of community." Fernandez added that the motivation behind community service — whether it is out of patriotism, moral beliefs or political duty — is irrelevant.

The need to rally around the common cause of helping those affected by the terrorist attacks did seem to contribute to an immediate increase in community service at the University. Yet the question arises as to whether Sept. 11 will have a lasting effect on campus volunteerism.

Laura Kaplan '02, a board coordinator for the Student Volunteers Council, said that she is skeptical as to whether Sept. 11 will translate into a sustained increase in student volunteering.

"As time passed and we all slowly moved back towards our normal routines, the number of volunteers diminished again to the levels we've seen in past years. Hundreds of students continue to participate in weekly service projects and hundreds more make time on occasion to volunteer. But I don't think the events of last fall had a lasting impact on the spirit of volunteerism," she said.

Many student leaders, though, are hopeful that high levels of volunteerism will persist.

"I think it's too early to tell, but I certainly hope so," Kitchens said.

Langsam echoed Kitchens' sentiments.

"I hope that the people who volunteered after Sept. 11 realize that they made a difference in the lives of the victims' families, and that they will feel inspired to continue volunteering," Langsam said.