The Influence of Service

(The following article originally appeared in The GRIND, Spring 2004 Issue)

What kinds of service have you performed, and what influence has this had on the quality of your education or career?

Faculty and Staff

Kirsten Delegard
History, Department of Women’s Studies
I am something of a cynic when it comes to what I see as fads in higher education, so I was cautious when both the staffs at the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the Women’s Studies Program encouraged me to incorporate service learning into my class on “Women and the Political Process” in the fall of 2002. Any doubts I had were erased over the course of the semester. I was exhilarated by the way hands-on work in local political organizations enriched the more traditional reading and writing assignments. Moreover, the challenge of putting theory to work in the community prompted students to reflect on the complex challenges of sustaining political commitments and seeking social justice. The result was the most exciting intellectual growth I’ve seen in my teaching career.

Carlisle Harvard
Director, International House
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of being an assistant director for 14 travel seminars to the Soviet Union (until 1991 and Russia since then). This has been my top priority other than my family, my work, and my church. Visiting this area of the world over this period of time has allowed me to see a country in transition from a socialist dictatorship toward a capitalist democracy. It’s also kept me in touch with the experience many international students have of being in a different culture, surrounded by a language I’m not fluent in, and trying to make my way. I’m very grateful for these experiences and for the Russians who have made their country very dear to me.

Jacqueline Looney
Associate Dean for Graduate Student Affairs
The Graduate School: It has always been important for me to take ownership of and invest in the places where I work and live. Whether it’s tutoring at a local school, advocating for better services for the elderly, or serving on a university committee (of which there are many), I have found that expanding beyond the natural and safe boundaries of home and work both enriches and adds balance to my life. Over the past four years, I have witnessed a measurable change in the growing visibility and involvement of our graduate students in university life, not only through their scholarship, but also in their commitment to leadership and service. A student recently told me that she noticed that after stepping out of the lab to participate in service activities, she actually returns to her work more energized, focused, and productive. I think students are learning that, with proper balance, taking advantage of community and academic service opportunities adds an important dimension to their lives. It is indeed an encouraging sign that more and more graduate students find ways of sharing their diverse talents with the community and also see themselves as a vital part of what makes Duke a great university.

Philip Stewart
Professor, Romance Studies
The term, of course, covers everything from onerous routines to exciting challenges. The basic gain for the individual is that, at whatever level, service helps one understand how an individual’s teaching fits into a larger picture—departmental, curricular, or institution-wide. At the college or university level, it provides the enriching experience of meeting colleagues in other fields, even other schools. This is how you find out what your college or university is like, and as a result you feel more a part of it.

Students

Maureen McClarnon, Sociology
I took part in the Literacy through Photography program, sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies, during my first year here. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the grade school two blocks from my home, so I had the opportunity to work with neighborhood kids showing them how to do something really cool (taking pictures, developing the film, and making prints), then sneaking in the “learning” part—writing about the pictures. I got to know my community better—and faster—than I would have otherwise, and I was able to be part of the bridge between town and gown. Plus, it kept me from getting sucked into the tunnel vision of graduate school. Since the summer of that year, I’ve been a DJ at the radio station (WXDU), which has as many DJs from the community as from the student body, and I spent two years on the VOICES editorial board. I’ve met all sorts of people this way, so I’d have to say that volunteering gives me perspective—everyone else’s.

Vijay Natarajan, Computer Science
I am a volunteer with the Association for India’s Development (AID). AID is a charitable organization and is affiliated with the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC). We support developmental projects in India. Working for AID has made me realize that we cannot achieve much in terms of social development if we just consider community service as something to be done once a month or once a week. It needs to be an integral part of one’s life. I am striving towards this goal. I have been the computer science department representative to GPSC for two years. My primary responsibility was to represent my department in the GPSC meetings and raise issues that might concern my constituents. It was a great experience for me because I learned a lot about universitywide issues and how the university administration is set up to handle these issues. Currently I am the graduate student liaison in the computer science department. It has been a wonderful experience for me to observe the faculty meetings and watch discussions on proposals for new classes, certificate programs, etc., that are to be introduced by the department. I am sure that this will help me later in my career when I will be preparing similar proposals.

Joy Taylor, Molecular Biophysics
I work with the children’s ministries at Hope Community Church; I lead a group of third to fifth graders. In the past, I was a big sister with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and I have also been involved in a number of honors service organizations where we did organized service activities. The most beneficial thing that I think I have personally found is that it enables me to put the focus onto someone or something completely different from my everyday life: someone besides myself, something outside of the ordinary grind, something not achievement- or goal-related, something that ties me in with the greater picture: the world which I am a part of but am not central in. I think that the biggest eye opener that I have ever had was the realization that my life is not completely about me; it may not even be about me at all. Graduate school can be extremely self-focused and in that way it is alienating. How can you notice or respond to the needs of others if all of your focus is on yourself?