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There is an expectation for students to participate in community service. Service hours are treated as a commodity in courses, such as U101, and in organizations such as a sorority. Service hours can fulfill an obligation, promote an organization or individual, and lead to leadership opportunities. Students have become accustomed to short term service opportunities that fulfill a community service requirement, thus prioritizing personal convenience and gain over social reform. Often, the idea of charity is valued more than an effective resolution of social issues. Balancing service to self and service to community can be achieved by understanding the rationale behind choices made and their impact.

Some students do not commit to understanding the issues at hand, opting to provide short term aid that is unstainable or do little to impact outcomes. Two examples include Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and disaster relief. Nina Eliasoph (2013) of the Los Angeles Times describes these instances as “plug-in volunteering.” Elisasoph mentions a fallacy commonly associated with such short term thinking in community service circles: the ability to “change the world one X (pick one: plastic bag, diaper, can of tuna) at a time.”

This disconnect between students, a sense of understanding, and a meaningful connection are reinforced several times during Service Saturday. First, students are not always given a list of potential sites before the event. Volunteers, when uninformed, are prohibited from seeing which sites are available on the day of the event. Thus, uninformed students are compelled to choose a site based on the following working conditions: location, ability to socialize during tasks, climate, and task difficulty. Site leaders do little to nothing to inform students of the benefits of selecting their location. Often, students perform tasks at nonprofit organizations without understanding why they are performing that task. Post service reflections rely heavily on personal evaluations and fail to include factual evidence to support opinions made. For example, volunteers are told the value of aiding Salvation Army without learning how the Salvation Army serves the community.

Utilizing subjective standards when evaluating need and aid can produce unintended outcomes. For example, students in Rotaract initially planned to donate a ShelterBox after Hurricane Harvey based on emotions and social norms. Disaster relief is associated with a need for shelter, and a desire to provide immediate assistance made ShelterBox the favorite choice. However, unbeknownst to Rotaract members, ShelterBox will only service third world countries receiving inadequate aid. Therefore, a ShelterBox donation would not benefit Hurricane Harvey victims. Students should evaluate interventions based on ethical frameworks mentioned in my previous Key Insight. Consideration of ethics provides a rationale for a decision that can be applicable in many different contexts.

Despite well-meaning intentions, volunteer actions and behaviors demonstrate disinterest and a lack of mindfulness. Many students continue to address issues beyond their understanding, sometimes creating service organizations or opportunities that may do little to nothing for the community — for example, raising funds for cancer awareness, versus cancer research, despite the prominence and widespread recognition of the disease. Often, these fundraising activities are geared towards entertaining the participant instead of informing. Other potential problems associated with detachment include inappropriate student conduct and a lack of commitment which can cost nonprofits time and money. For example, some volunteers for Cocky’s Reading Express (CRE) needed micromanaging to complete simple tasks, such as passing out materials. As a result, a staff member had to shift focus from the children being served to student volunteers.

The solution to this problem is to create an understanding of issues students wish to address and to encourage more effective charitable contributions. Greater understanding can be achieved through research, discussion, and analysis. Volunteers can explore the context of their work, learn what is realistic in terms of change, and create meaningful impact based on this knowledge. Furthermore, reflection allows students to explore their motivations for serving and develop their values. Creating a connection between the student and the community that will be served can be done at several points: before volunteering, during the activity, and after serving through reflection.