$60,000? I want 60,000 hours

While the USG is making a good gesture, I think the gesture is limited. The money could have a huge impact for the Pace Center, which can in turn fund programs that help the nearby community and the rest of the United States.

But we Princeton students are capable of doing something that gives even more. In his original e-mail, Diemand-Yauman said that the referendum would demonstrate whether we were willing do our part in a time of economic recession. With the referendum we have in front of us, however, we’d hardly be making a sacrifice. For this University, giving money is easy. Giving time is harder.

I propose we hold onto that $60,000, celebrate Lawnparties with a big band to headline it and give something else: 60,000 volunteer hours. That would mean that each of the University’s more than 5,000 undergraduates would contribute at least 12 hours of volunteer work, spread across our four years at Princeton, as a graduation requirement. This means an average of three hours of volunteer work per year, which is not an unreasonable amount of time to spend volunteering during any one of the 30 weekends each academic year.

If we’re going to do something that shows we’re doing our part during an economic recession, we need this type of volunteer program instead of a donation: Money is something everyone else assumes we all have. There is a reason why the answer to the “How many Princeton students does it take to screw in a light bulb?” joke is “Two, one to call the electrician and one to mix the martinis.” We tend to throw money at our problems until they go away. Likewise, if our aim is to help the situation, I don’t think it’s admirable to keep our money within the Orange Bubble. Instead, I think we should get our hands dirty and directly help the world outside our campus gates.

Most of the groundwork for this is already there. Pace, the Student Volunteers Council (SVC) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) are not the only groups set up for volunteer work: Eating clubs, religious groups, fraternities and sororities already generally have community service chairs that organize events throughout the year. There are definitely enough opportunities for all of us students to volunteer in Princeton, Trenton and low-income areas in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Pace, SVC and EWB hold break trips that go to places throughout the country — in the case of EWB, the world — which would easily cover a student’s 12 hours.

This type of sacrifice would have many benefits. First, we could still enjoy a great entrance into the school year with fall Lawnparties. Second, volunteerism would be a more serious activity at Princeton, and students would be exposed to its importance in low-income and needy areas. Third, Princeton’s image as a traditional rich white boy’s college would soften, while its unofficial motto, “In the nation’s service and in the service of all nations,” would be viewed with more respect.

What are the steps to setting this system up? To make sure student support for such a program is there, the USG would outline a plan for this kind of University-wide volunteer program and hold a student referendum to establish it during the next elections cycle. If approved, the USG would take it to the administration to collaborate on how to make this a requirement and how to coordinate the several community service efforts spread out across campus.

Setting up these programs and covering the costs — for example, costs related to transportation and their administration — for this large volume of students would exceed $60,000 a year. But in the past, the USG has helped out with costly initiatives like renovating Dillon Gymnasium and promoting sustainability. With student support, the University could find the money for a program that does not serve our campus self-interests.

When I went to New Orleans on an SVC break trip last spring break, I heard two things relevant to this debate. The first was the local coordinator telling us that they didn’t need money to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina as much as they needed the hands to rebuild. The second was another organizer telling us it was surprising that we weren’t on a beach in Florida. Volunteerism doesn’t only improve the quality of life of the people we help — it also shows that we students care and are willing to sacrifice our time. Ultimately, 60,000 hours would do much more for ourselves and for everyone we seek to help than $60,000 would.

Ben Chen is a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Los Altos, Calif. He can be reached at bc@princeton.edu.