By Juli Reppert, Student Writer/Photographer
The Office of Student Activities at Pennsylvania College of Technology is introducing a new initiative to boost student participation in community service.
Each year, Counseling, Career and Disability Services at Penn College hosts a Volunteer Fair, which has inspired many students to become more involved in the community.
Now, the Office of Student Activities will build off of relationships it has established over the years to develop a database of area agencies and organizations that offer service opportunities.
In an effort to involve more of the student body in community service, Student Activities will communicate with the agencies to provide a list of projects and opportunities that are available to the College's 6,000-plus students.
Every registered student organization at Penn College must complete one service project and one community-service project each semester in order to be eligible for funding through the Student Government Association.
"The purpose of this listing is to provide a better service to the student organizations and to increase the civic-mindedness of the institution in general," explained Dex Tuttle, assistant director for programming with the Office of Student Activities. "We thought it only fair to offer a resource for them to turn to, in order to help them fulfill that requirement."
Each month, the Office of Student Activities will publish a newsletter, "The Penn College Civilian," which will be highlighted on the College's news and information Web site, "PCToday," and posted on the Student Activities Web site.
The newsletter also will be distributed to student organizations and to Student Government Association senators.
Each issue of the newsletter will highlight upcoming campus-wide service projects and feature articles from people at Penn College and the local community.
The hope is that more students will be eager to become involved at the College, in the Greater Williamsport community, and in their home communities by emphasizing the personal, professional and emotional benefits of volunteerism.
For more information about Student Activities at Penn College, call (570) 327-4763, send e-mailor visit the Student Activities Web site.