Panel pushes merits of nat'l service plan

Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.) outlined the fight he is expecting national service legislation to meet in Congress as he spoke last night via telephone to about 200 people gathered at his keynote address for the National Service Conference. Wofford, the former associate director of the Peace Corps, discussed plans to create a national program of community service for young people in exchange for college scholarships. Rather than discussing the specifics of scholarships for service program, conference participants wanted to emphasize service itself as a way to harness the creativity and idealism of American youth. But the subject of student loans could not be avoided. Wofford said that Clinton's national service legislation would allow students to pay off college loans on an income contigency basis for 25 years. According to Wofford, this would relieve students of high debt payments after graduation and allow them to take low-paying jobs in the public sector. The five other speakers at the conference talked of their enthusiasm for the president's proposal. Robert Gordon, policy analyst for the White House Office of National Service and moderator of the four-person panel, defined the three goals of the program. He said that his vision is "to fight the problems of the country . . . to help young people pay for college or job training . . . and to reunite people across barriers of class, race, and economic-social status." "Service is not do-goodism," said Smita Singh, the program officer for the Higher Education Commission on National and Community Service. "It's about rebuilding our own communities." College junior Audrey Cooper spoke about her experiences as a Wofford intern and as a Volunteers in Service to America volunteer after her sophomore year of college. "I'm here to represent the number of young people in our country who are just tired of being labeled apathetic," Cooper said. The final speaker was Greg Ricks, vice president of education for City Year, a service group that works in troubled communities. Ricks described coming to the University's campus, "a world away from a world." He said that he views community service as a unifying force, to bring diverse groups of people together and "move people out of their comfort zone." At his instruction, the participants at the conference rose to shake hands and said to each other, "We're gonna do this." Reaction to the conference appeared to be very positive among participants. College sophomore Lisa Neuberger said, "There was a lot of energy in that room." "There are many reasons why this conference is happening at Penn," said another student coordinator, College sophomore Stu Loeser. "It's because Penn really is both uniquely challenging by being situated in an area that is crying out for community service on a local level. "Not only our location, but the University has the ability and the willingness within students, faculty and adminstration to work together to try to right the wrongs of the West Philadelphia environment," he added. College sophomore Brett Meltzer said that he wished more University students had attended the conference. "I'd like to see them have to hold this conference on [College] Green," Meltzer said, estimating student attendence at about 100. The conference will continue today beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Christian Association, with panels on national service until 2 p.m. It is open to all faculty and students in the Philadelphia area.