Friday, August 24, 2001

New position to coordinate more service opportunities
Erin LaMourie
staff reporter

University Ministries will hire a new community service coordinator in the coming weeks to help provide students with community service resources and opportunities.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills said TCU was in need of someone to fill this position.

“Service has become an important part of TCU student activities and clearly is in line with the university’s mission statement,” Mills said.

The new job is a 40-hour-a-week position in contrast to a similar 15-hour-a-week position held by Bea Nealy since Fall 1998.

The coordinator will work with people in community service agencies to assist campus organizations and individuals who are interested in finding community service opportunities.

“Our goal is to establish a close match at the beginning between the interest, and the goals and the experiences of people with the needs that are out there,” Minister to the University John Butler said.

Other universities have similar positions that focus on volunteer referrals.

Rebecca Bergstresser, Southern Methodist University’s Director of Community Involvement and the Women’s Center, said they try to provide opportunities for everyone to get involved. SMU provides weekly service projects through an organization called Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts, or MOVE, and its Alpha Phi Omega chapter, a national service fraternity.

Mills said TCU’s long-term goal of hiring a coordinator will be to incorporate community service into school curriculum. TCU students are already providing about 60,000 hours of volunteer service a year, he said.

“Clearly (volunteering) is an interest of students,” Mills said. “A position of community service coordinator will enable TCU to more effectively organize the volunteer experiences for those who already participate and to provide more opportunities for others to participate.”

Brian Wood, Student Government Association president and co-director of TCU Leaps, said he felt community service was important for student development.

“If we are going to be responsible leaders, we need to be doing our part,” said Wood. “We love TCU. We love the community we are in. That’s part of why we do community service,” Wood said.

Abbey Jones, service vice president of TCU’s APO chapter, said she is excited about the opportunity to work with the coordinator.

“I think everyone in college is looking for an outlet to get involved,” Jones said. “You can get a lot out of volunteering and it is not necessarily a long-term commitment.”

Heather Patriacca, senior religion major and a member of the student interview committee for the coordinator, said she hopes the new coordinator will be able to get students excited about community service.

“I think that excitement is what TCU needs,” Patriacca said.

Erin LaMourie
e.m.lamourie@student.tcu.edu