Student Union and Waltham Group team up to launch new community service initiative
by Ruth Orbach
Staff writer
News | 2/3/09
Posted online at 7:32 AM EST on 2/3/09
A new Student Union initiative called Clubs in Service will work with the Waltham Group to get student clubs involved with community service projects and events in the Waltham community and the greater Boston area, according to Jessica Gottsegen '09, a Clubs in Service and Waltham Group coordinator.
Clubs in Service is working to get every chartered and non chartered club involved in a variety of activities that will allow the student body to forge a relationship with the community and make a positive impact, according to Akash Vadalia, senator for the class of 2012 and representative for the project.
The idea for Clubs in Service was inspired by President Barack Obama's call throughout his campaign for members of the public to become involved in their communities and help people. Obama's message struck a chord with Student Union members, who then contacted the Waltham Group, Vadalia said.
The Waltham Group is responsible for organizing the community service efforts while the Student Union is advertising the initiative, Vadalia explained.
Clubs will be given the freedom to come up with their own ideas for projects, and the Waltham Group will also provide opportunities for one-time events such as food banks, volunteering with organizations such as Perkins School for the Blind and The Community Farms, the local farm in Waltham, Gottsegen said.
Clubs were recognized as the perfect mechanism to encourage the University student body to interact with the greater community in a positive way, according to Vadalia. The structure already in place within the club system would facilitate organizational ease, Vadalia said. This is a "campuswide thing. We want to get students involved in opportunities that are win-win," Vadalia said.
The initiative would also have a positive effect on the clubs themselves, according to Gottsegen. Community service is "a really great way to bring your club together,"she said. Clubs currently involved include Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, Student Global AIDS Campaign and South Asian Student Association. It is projected that up to 15 clubs will attend the information session and that a further 20 clubs will be involved by the end of the year, said Vadalia.
Clubs in Service is working to get every chartered and non chartered club involved in a variety of activities that will allow the student body to forge a relationship with the community and make a positive impact, according to Akash Vadalia, senator for the class of 2012 and representative for the project.
The idea for Clubs in Service was inspired by President Barack Obama's call throughout his campaign for members of the public to become involved in their communities and help people. Obama's message struck a chord with Student Union members, who then contacted the Waltham Group, Vadalia said.
The Waltham Group is responsible for organizing the community service efforts while the Student Union is advertising the initiative, Vadalia explained.
Clubs will be given the freedom to come up with their own ideas for projects, and the Waltham Group will also provide opportunities for one-time events such as food banks, volunteering with organizations such as Perkins School for the Blind and The Community Farms, the local farm in Waltham, Gottsegen said.
Clubs were recognized as the perfect mechanism to encourage the University student body to interact with the greater community in a positive way, according to Vadalia. The structure already in place within the club system would facilitate organizational ease, Vadalia said. This is a "campuswide thing. We want to get students involved in opportunities that are win-win," Vadalia said.
The initiative would also have a positive effect on the clubs themselves, according to Gottsegen. Community service is "a really great way to bring your club together,"she said. Clubs currently involved include Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, Student Global AIDS Campaign and South Asian Student Association. It is projected that up to 15 clubs will attend the information session and that a further 20 clubs will be involved by the end of the year, said Vadalia.
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