Incoming Students Plunge into Community Service

Before they took their first class, more than 100 incoming students pitched in to volunteer their services to local agencies. Now in its third year, the Community Plunge program brought new students to campus early to participate in prearranged community service projects in the Ithaca area.

"The response to this program has been overwhelmingly positive," says Deborah Mohlenhoff, assistant director of the Office of Campus Center and Activities. "We created it in 1998 as a way for first-year students to get a head start on their campus involvement, with 31 participants volunteering at 1 site. This year the program had 103 students - along with a waiting list of an additional 21 - serving at 14 sites, including Longview, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Patchwork Therapeutic Riding Center, Cayuga Nature Center, Catholic Charities, and Ithaca Area Church and Community Child Care."

The community plungers were recruited from a pool of incoming students, including applicants for the leadership and Park scholarships as well as honors students in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Students were also made aware of the program during summer orientation. In addition to the newcomers, 16 current students who share an interest in volun-teerism served as site liaisons and all-around Ithaca College resources.

The program was free. Participants moved into their residence halls with other early arrivals and had all meals provided. The volunteers first got together at a picnic on Wednesday, August 23, and that evening heard an inspiring talk by Cariann Guyette Harsh. A 1997 speech communication graduate, Harsh has taught fifth grade, worked for an agency serving women and children affected by domestic violence, and recruited blood donors for the American Red Cross. She shared her career experiences with her listeners and encouraged them to "give love, give hope, and give back."

The Community Plunge volunteers spent Thursday and Friday in community service projects that included sorting clothing donations, doing arts and crafts with children, and pulling weeds. On Saturday they joined the rest of the incoming freshmen for continuing orientation.