Service program struggles to adjust to a new home

Starting over with almost all new members, the service program is facing an uphill climb. Residing rather inconspicuously on the 12th floor of a 25-story high-rise, one lone student carries on the tradition of a once-proud program. Along with 24 friends, College junior Erin Murphy used to live in one of the most recognizable buildings on campus, the Castle, as a member of the Community Service Living-Learning Program. When the Psi Upsilon fraternity moved back into the Castle this fall, however, the program was forced to move to Hamilton House, or High Rise North. The three block move might as well have been several miles -- Murphy is the sole returning member of the renamed Community Service Residential Program. What was that about "location, location, location"? The program was forced out of its historic, Penn-owned home -- the only one it knew in its seven years of existence -- this semester by Psi U, a fraternity which built the Castle and which the University is contractually obligated to let live there. Now, 25 members are starting over. Although most of them have little knowledge of the Castle program, Murphy -- the link between past and present -- said she hopes her experience will help them write a successful new chapter in the history of community service at Penn. "I think the program shows promise," she said. "Whenever you have people committed to community service, things get done." The End of an Era For most of the 1990s, the CSLLP made the Castle -- located at 36th Street and Locust Walk -- a thriving center of events on campus. From coffee houses whose proceeds went to charity to Halloween haunted houses for neighborhood children, the three-story, fortress-like building became a symbol of cooperation and philanthropy to both students and community members. All of that came to an end in 1997, when the University failed to persuade Psi U to sell it the building. Penn ultimately agreed to let the fraternity return to its house -- which it built 100 years ago for $30,000 -- and forced the CSLLP to find a new location. The CSLLP was established in 1991, one year after Psi Upsilon was evicted following a racially motivated kidnapping. In 1995, Psi U recolonized, beginning the process for returning to the Castle. The University bought the building from Psi U in the 1930s but is contractually obligated to give the fraternity the chance to live there. In January -- when Penn officials announced that the program would have to move to a high rise -- several former CSLLP members said they did not think the program would be as effective if moved to the high rises, where there is less visibility and meeting space. Many CSLLP members said that they would not return to the program if it moved out of the heart of campus. "We just didn't want to move [away from] campus," said Kristen Pauley, one of last year's Castle residents. The Castle's location was what made the program special, she said. "I don't know if it can sustain itself in the high rises," the Wharton junior added. "Nobody really knows about the program any more." Youth Movement So does moving to a less visible location mean the end of the program? Not if the program's current batch of 25 members have anything to say about it. At least based on the numbers, the people in the program are a drastically different mix from their predecessors. While last year's Castle program consisted of many upperclassmen and experienced program members, most of the students in the high rise version are not only new to the program, but to Penn. There are about 25 students in the program -- the same number that lived in the Castle last year. But 14 of the new members are freshmen and six are sophomore transfer students, according to graduate associate and program director Rob Carney. But Carney maintained that while the program will be vastly different from years past, it will not necessarily be any less effective. Although the first-year Social Work graduate student conceded that having all new members is "a negative" because there are no experienced members to advise him about the program, Carney also noted a positive result -- it allows the first-year students to create their own program, based on their particular interests. But without the Castle, and with almost no experienced members, there is almost nothing to distinguish Hamilton's 12th floor from any of the others in the high rises. "I do wish we had the upperclassmen," Carney said, adding that he hopes to bring former CSLLP members to the high rise to speak to his charges. Carving its Niche Despite the hurdles, Carney and the CSRP students see their group as a new beginning, and hope for their program to become anything but inconspicuous. College freshman Lindsay Walberg said that while most of the students are new to the CSRP program, they do not lack community-service backgrounds. "Almost everyone had volunteering experience in the past," she said. Walberg, who was involved with the national Americorps service program in high school, found out about the program through brochures sent by the University. Barbara Garcia, the lone senior in the program, explained that while the students have not conducted any major activities yet, they hope to plan one main project that will unify everyone's goals. Already in the works are trips to soup kitchens, the "Thrift for AIDS" store and blood drives, Carney said. Garcia, a College senior, said she did not mind having the program in the high rise. "I don't personally have regrets about it not being in the Castle," she said, adding that she had never lived in the Castle and therefore did not know what the program was like in its earlier incarnation. Still, Murphy -- who decided to rejoin the program because a friend had also joined -- said she was not completely pleased with the University's decision. Murphy said she fears that without the Castle's large common rooms, the program will have to discontinue popular programs such as the haunted house and coffee houses. Murphy added she still hopes the University will ultimately "realize the importance of the program" and give them a space on Locust Walk. For Better or for Worse? Although the new community service program is likely to be vastly different from what came before it, current and former members say that it may be able to match the popularity of the Castle program -- if not exceed it. The new location may not necessarily damage the program, a former member said. "If they're willing to put up with the high rises, it'll be better for the program," said College junior Megan Davidson, a former Castle resident. She explained that the Castle attracted many people who were more interested in its location than in actually doing community service. "[The Castle's location] actually weakened the program," she said. Also, CSRP members have a resource their predecessors in the Castle didn't have -- Civic House, a campus community-service hub that opened across the street from Hamilton House in September. Civic House provides a facility for many of the events popularized by the Castle, said Davidson, who has begun working for Civic House. In an effort to keep the Castle tradition alive, for example, Civic House will begin hosting coffee houses this semester. The first event will take place October 23. Chris Dennis, Penn's top college house official, said two weeks ago that the CSRP program is in the process of "deepening a connection" with Civic House." Back on the 12th floor of Hamilton, Garcia pointed out that the residential program may allow the students throughout the floor to form more friendships than is typical in the high rises, which are not commonly known as "social" dorms. Garcia, who is also a member of a community-service fraternity, said she hopes the program is strong enough to expand to more floors next year.