Counting What Counts By Dave Roncolato ’79, Director of Civic Engagement
How do we measure the depth and the pervasiveness of student engagement in the community beyond campus? For the past 25 years, we have been collecting and counting hours of service each semester and over the summers. These numbers tell us something. They let us know that students are working and volunteering at non-profit orgaWhat is the civic engagement effort trying to accomplish and what measures would demonstrate success? Here is a description of the work of the Gateway’s Civic Engagement effort:
Civic Engagement utilizes time and resources to support diverse and multiple interests within and outside the curriculum. The office promotes a reciprocal paradigm of service that is done in partnership with, not for, the community. Supported initiatives include philanthropy, one-time service experiences, virtual service initiatives, ongoing service and social justice initiatives. We seek positive impact for individuals, communities, living situations, the environment and unsafe or unjust systems and structures.
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nizations and putting in hours off campus. They offer a comparison to other schools our size. These numbers are one indicator of the ebb and flow of Allegheny College student engagement. Counting hours will not, however, document real impact or show levels of commitment. Many questions are left unanswered when we simply count hours.
Programs are designed to both meet students “where they are at” and challenge their assumptions, worldviews, and comfort zones. Through commitment to Allegheny College students and the wider community, Civic Engagement cultivates a pervasive culture of service and civic mindedness. Deep learning occurs by coupling significant experiences beyond the campus with structured educational preparation and reflection. Social context and physical location inform initiatives. Student leadership, voice, and agency are at the core. Counting hours alone does not demonstrate a reciprocal paradigm of service because it does not give evidence that the “hour” of service actually was wanted or needed. Hours of service done to meet a campus organizational goal may put a burden on an agency or actually do a disservice to that agency. An hour of service done as a “mandatory” commitment for an organization can do harm. For example, one
Allegheny College student organization accomplished scraping and painting a large community center in an outlying community. The folks who utilize this center month after month were deeply moved by the students’ hard work and dedication. Pictures of the project made their way into the organization’s scrapbook to be shared over and over again. Contrast this if you will with another student group who was asked to paint a large center for a church in the same general area. This project was accomplished in a single day. Unfortunately, when church members returned to inspect the project they noticed “X” painted on the pane of glass. The legacy of this project was in stark contrast to the legacy of painting of the community building even though the amount of time and effort were comparable. In some cases, what community partners seek is not a large number of volunteers but a few volunteers with a specific skill set. Agencies need research questions answered
