U. students eligible for federal grant funds

University students are now eligible to receive part of a $1.5 billion federal grant for community service. PennSERVE, Pennsylvania's Office of Citizen Service, announced yesterday at a conference in Houston Hall that the National Community Service Trust Act will allocate $1.5 billion over the next three years to community service programs across the nation. A large portion of these grants will go towards universities and university students. One such program, AmeriCorps, is geared primarily toward college-age youths. The program will receive $252 million this year. "[AmeriCorps] represents the full throttle phase of the Clinton service program," said University Pubic Service Director Ira Harkavy. Applicants for the AmeriCorps program must be at least 17 years old and should have a high school diploma. If accepted, participants will spend one year working to improve their communities. Full-time workers receive a stipend of at least $7,400 a year, as well as basic health benefits and child care, if necessary. In addition, volunteers will receive a $4,725 college scholarship. "In Center City Philadelphia, for example, there might be 50 full-time corps members working to find ways to address the crime problem," said Pennsylvania Campus Compact Director Diana Bucco. "They could be working with safe havens, dealing with gangs, or conducting education programs." Harkavy said the success of Americorps hinges on its ability to act as a catalyst for other community improvement programs, which he believes it can do. While work begins in June with the Summer of Service program, which President Clinton introduced last year, the majority of community service work will not begin until September, Bucco said. Another program covered by the act is ServeAmerica, which will provide $40 million in grants to community and education based organizations. One quarter of the funds will be allocated toward universities and other institutions of higher education. Of that, a maximum of $300,000 will go to consortiums, and $125,000 to individual universities. "The money will go to run such programs as mentoring, literacy, faculty development and integrating service into the curriculum," Bucco said. Programs would fund student volunteer service efforts and help them become closer to the community, she added. All Pennsylvania programs will be handled through PennSERVE, which state officials hail as one of the best programs in the country. "We expect $10-12 million for Pennsylvania programs [this year]," said Labor and Industry Department Spokesperson John Currie. "We have a statewide program which is among the best in the nation. I think that is indisputable." The programs covered under the National Community Service Trust Act are being administrated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which sees an important link between higher education and community service. "When higher education was created, is was created to make good citizens," said Bucco. "You might have a nice car and a nice house, but if it isn't safe for your children to walk down the street then how successful are we as citizens?"

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