Serve the community (or else)

A debate has emerged over mandatory service for students. The aim of learning is service. Over the past few years, Benjamin Franklin's famous quotation has come to hold more importance at his University. Administrators have long searched for a way to fulfill the University's primary goal of providing education, while providing service to the West Philadelphia community at the same time. For some of the University's schools, mandatory community service has been seen as the solution. The Dental School, the Law School and now the Wharton School have instituted a community service requirement for graduation. Officials in those schools say these requirements are the best way to involve students in the problems of the outside world. They say service enriches the educational experience. At the Law School, students must do legal work in order to graduate. "I'm a big fan of the program," Law School Dean Colin Diver said. "It gives students hands on experience in many different settings." Critics of such programs, however, argue the words "mandatory" and "community service" simply cannot co-exist. They say students can't be forced to be "do-gooders." Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington says he is opposed to the concept of mandatory service. "I think there's something inconsistent between community service and mandatory," Farrington said. "I strongly encourage our students to become involved in the community but I don't intend to make it any kind of requirement." Unlike the Law School, Wharton is combining service and education in a different way. Through Wharton 101, a required course for freshmen now in its second year, students must participate in some type of community-related project. This semester, some students are working with a program that teaches young people how to prevent fires; others are raising money for the Children's Advocate Center. The projects, which are completed during a two-month period, are designed to provide service and support to the community and to enable students to put communication and leadership skills into practice, London said. "Some of the projects are business related, we want students to learn to work together effectively in a team," London said. London says he has heard no complaints about the idea of mandatory community involvement. "I think it will show students the pleasures and rewards that come through community service," he said. "The Penn community is supportive of the idea of Wharton reaching out." By making service part of a mandatory course, London says, many students who might not have gotten involved in such endeavors find themselves "uplifted" by the experience. "I hope that people will view positive involvement in society as a part of living," London said. "The students really get a lot from this program, contacts, networks and skills. Everyone knows there's more to life than making money and, if they don't, they find it out." London hopes Wharton will be an example to other business schools. "The community has been very receptive of us," he said. "There has been a sense of demand from the community to get Wharton more involved and this is an important step in that direction." Doug Levy, a Wharton and College junior and teaching assistant for Wharton 101, says students in his project are really getting something out of the course. "I think the students enjoy this more than finance or econ," Levy said. "It's nice to have a class where you get to use your skills to make a difference in someone else's life." Levy says the students haven't been opposed to mandatory public service and many students who might not have gotten involved on their own really enjoy it. "Many of the students are planning to continue even after Wharton 101 is over, so I think that's a good indicator that the students are enjoying the experience," he said. Community service programs in the Dental and Law schools are relatively new. In 1989, the faculty of the Law School adopted their requirement of public service. Each second- and third-year student is expected to do at least 35 hours of service, with a total of 70 hours required for graduation. The Class of '92 was the first to graduate having completed the requirement. Diver says his program has had "enormous success." Although some students may not be excited about the requirement when they start out, they end up appreciating their experience. "It gives students a form of practical experience and introduces them to problems of society that they may not know about," Diver said. "It's a wonderful way to provide service to the community. We alone provide 16,000 hours of public service work to Philadelphia each year." This program has a multiplier effect, Diver says. Not only have other law schools started to adopt policies of mandatory community service, but many legal firms have increased the number of pro bono cases they work on because they know they can count on University students to help. Diver says the words "mandatory" and "service" are not in conflict here. The University is private and if a student is adamantly opposed to doing community service, he or she should choose another school, Diver says. Diver says such a program could benefit other schools on campus, including undergraduates. "A well-designed and well-structured public service program can be good for anyone," he said. "It has to have educational goals though, service alone is not enough to mandate such a requirement." In the Dental School, the idea of devoting time to community needs has been incorporated into the mission of the school, and the first class to complete the 35-hour requirement graduated last spring. Herman Segal, associate dean of community relations for the Dental School, says he hopes the program helps students to better understand the community. "I want to give the students insight into the overall living conditions of the people they will be helping in the dental profession," Segal said. "It gives students a sense of community service and helps to reinforce goals." Carol Cooper, director of community service for the Dental School, says she has not seen much, if any, opposition to completing the mandatory 35 hours of service. "Students love going out and say, 'I feel so much better after doing this'," Cooper said. "I think it is a wonderful idea, especially for our location." Even those students who were less than enthusiastic about doing their service at first change their attitudes after they started, Segal says. "By and large, we've had a good student response," Segal said. "There are many students who have gone above and beyond the 35-hour requirement." Segal, one of the program's founders, hopes community service opens his students' eyes to the problems that exist in the community and teaches them to work together to help. "I think this type of involvement really gives students a new perspective and helps to fight stereotypes," he said. Segal, like Diver, does not find fault in linking the ideas of mandatory and service together. "We turned this from a voluntary into a mandatory program," Segal said. "I guess mandatory does mean forcing students, but it really wasn't that much of a job to force them. "I see nothing but good to come out of it. In an ideal world, we wouldn't have to make things mandatory." Third-year Dental student Anne Glasschroeder says her fellow students seem pleased with the program and everyone gets the hours completed. "I think as far as dentistry, it really opens up all of our eyes to what's out there," she said. "It's a good way to understand where your future patients are coming from." Community service will probably not be mandatory for the rest of the University's undergraduates in the near future. College Dean Matthew Santirocco says the faculty and administration are interested in finding a way to put more learning and service together. "We're exploring different methods of implementing community service into the curriculum," he said. "We want to make a richer model to build service into the community." But Santirocco has not ruled out mandatory service down the road. The University community on the whole seems invested in finding an appropriate method to further involve students in the community. "We don't yet know which way best serves the needs of the community and the students," Director of Community Relations Glen Bryan said. "You expect that voluntary service is preferred because students have a greater interest in what they're doing, but in terms of results we really don't know which is better." Assistant to the President Nicholas Constan said he believes mandatory and voluntary are two very different concepts, but community service can be either. "I'm generally in favor of public service in the areas where it is compatible with the educational mission," Constan said. "I urge all students to get involved with a volunteer experience." Spruce Hill Association Vice President David Hochman says the community encourages students to become involved in the community, regardless of why they are helping out. The Dental School's Segal admits that students cannot be forced to enjoy helping others. But, he said, "You can legislate exposure to meet other people."