The Student Newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College
Red & Black
Washington, Penna. 14 M arch 2013
EXTRAS
AmeriCorps
A Glimpse into the Duties of a Fellow
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courtesy nationalservice.gov
AMERICORP OATH OF SERVICE: “I Will get things done for America, to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I Will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I Will take action. Faced with conflict, I Will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I Will persevere. I Will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I AM an AmeriCorps member, and I’m getting things done!”
E ditorial P olic y The Red & Black is the official, registered, student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Thursdays with the exception of exams and break periods. Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the College, nor the views of its students, faculty or administration. The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to
reject letters of pure promotional nature, as well as letters which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency. The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions. Letters are due the Monday before print publication and may not exceed 600 words. All letters must include the author’s name, campus box and telephone number. Names may be withheld upon request under certain conditions on rare occasions. All letters may be submitted to redandblackstaff@jay.washjeff.edu.
Abrianne Rhoad Red&Black Editor-in-Chief Amidst the hustle and bustle of the days leading up to the spring break, students at Washington & Jefferson College may have noticed a few students manning information tables at George & Toms—one table coincidentally selling “Toms” shoes, the other handing out stickers and information about the AmeriCorps Community Fellows program on campus. AmeriCorps around the nation will conclude their celebrations of the annual AmeriCorps Week March 17. Since 1994 roughly 800,000 AmeriCorps members have given an upwards of one billion hours of service, according to the Corporation of National and Community Service. On campus, the number of AmeriCorps Fellows for the 2012-2013 rotation rests at nearly 20: Ahleighia “Twiggy” Carter-Croom ’16, Alex Howell ’16, Leah Vaughan ’16, Emma Church ’16, Nicole Wagner ’16, Mike Kasunic ’16, Vincent LeDonne ’16, Wes Corbin-Pein ’16, Elizabeth Ekstrand ’16, Brianna Medieros ’16, Amy Doherty ’15, Caitlin Fadgen ’15, Connor McKenzie ’15, Sara Crayton ’15, Harley Straub ‘15, Chelsea Cummings ’14, Nikki Hladik ’14, Taylor Gruss ’14 and Michael Nemchick ’13. On the AmeriCorps W&J Wordpress page, fellows like Church and Hladik offer touching accounts of their service and direct involvement with tutoring and mentoring programs, like the ones offered the LeMoyne Center in Washington, Penna. “Volunteering is an activity that I believe everyone should par-
take in as much as possible, due to the change that it can provide in the lives of both parties who participate,” writes Emma Church ‘16. She continued: “For the volunteers, they get to enjoy the sensation of feeling that they made a difference in the world or in someone else’s life. And for those that are helped by the volunteers, they too have their lives changed as they get to know the volunteers and have them integrated into their own lives.” Nikki Hladik ‘14 wrote of the beauty of volunteering: “You have the freedom to work in any area you please while still working towards a common goal of helping others and bettering the future.” Hladik continued, “I had the opportunity to explore the vast array of possibilities in volunteering and really hone into what was important to me.” “I spent time all over the gamut, from the Lemoyne Center working with young children, to Pres Prep at Washington High School... after school tutoring... babysitting children... cooking and serving a local church spaghetti dinner. “Even though some of these may not have been my ideal work, I learned a great deal from them and saw that helping others can come in so many different ways and that they are all equally important if we are to make a better world,” said Hladik. The current group of community fellows consist of 10 rising sophomores, five rising juniors and a handful of rising seniors and soon-to-be-graduates, the experience all around reflects a near-universal inclination: fellows join for any variety of reason and leave as community leaders.
CONFLICT VS. COMMUNITY Starting Fall 2013, Washington & Jefferson College will be conducting an Integrated Semester on Conflict and Community. In order to participate in the integrated semester and receive a transcript designation for it, a student must satisfactorily complete at least two courses in the program and write a project connecting material from those courses. Courses offered for the integrated semester are open to all students as are the public lectures and events associated with the program. Contact Richard Easton, reaston@washjeff.edu for more information, or read about the Integrated Semester program in April.