Posted Aug. 26, 2004.
With less than a week before classes begin, 545 AU freshmen have completed more than 14,000 hours of community service around the District by volunteering in landscaping, maintenance, and working with children and the elderly as part of AU's annual Freshman Service Experience (FSE), according to FSE leaders.
The program, which began Monday and ended Thursday, is in its 14th year of introducing students to AU through community service work in D.C.
This is the first year in 10 years that Community Service Center's Director Karyn Cassella had no input in the program, since she left her position and was replaced by Marcy Campos Aug. 9. Instead, six student coordinators planned and implemented different activities for this year's program.
"I think it's going well [even with the fact that this is the] first year without the guidance of program director Karyn Cassella," said Brie Defelice, senior and central program administrator of FSE. "It's hard to compare to last year or the years before, but with this year's six students, things are running just as smoothly."
According to Defelice, who has been involved with FSE since her freshman year, and who helped coordinate last year's program, the team of students was assembled in February. Those students include seniors Trevor Dane, Ed O'Keefe and Amy Southworth, and juniors Matt Bailly and Allie Underwood.
"The people this year are funny and they are really taking initiative," Defelice said. "They really care about students and volunteers."
The six students, with the aid of 80 upperclassmen leaders, volunteered their time for the program.
"We had students standing up and giving us testimonials about their day and it's been great," Defelice said. "They come up with these crazy stories about their experience."
Groups of freshmen went to about 50 sites, including Capital Area Food Bank, Hart Middle School, Ronald McDonald House, Dwelling Place Shelter, the National Park Service and the Friends of the National Zoo, according to the FSE Web site.
Among those places was Iona Senior Services, a nonprofit community organization five minutes away from the AU campus that provides the elderly with various services and activities.
A group full of bubbly freshmen girls and their group leader, sophomore Rachel Centariczki, talked about the number of friends they made at the home, saying that the experience was rewarding and fun.
The girls participated in activities that included clearing old files in the attic, discussing current events, demonstrating tai-chi, cleaning the kitchen, and arts and crafts activities, like making picture frames to hold photographs from a fashion show the center had, according to Centariczki.
The freshmen interviewed said they enjoyed working at the center.
"This is a great experience to anyone who would like to work with the elderly," said freshman Clare Bresnahan. Freshmen Sara Woods in Kogod and Ariella Bonnet in the College of Arts and Science added that it is a great experience if you miss your grandparents and that it's like having 30 more grandparents. They also said that the people at the center had gotten very attached to them and that they would regularly visit the center.
Volunteer Shirley Simon, a resident of the D.C. area who currently lives at a nearby retirement community said that she thinks it's wonderful that the freshmen volunteered there. She encourages students to volunteer their time with programs like these.
FSE coordinator and senior Amy Southworth noted the exuberance of this year's freshmen class.
"[They all] seem really motivated and ... really enthusiastic about the program," Southworth said. "They've even coined the term 'plant extraction' for weeding."
Freshmen also had the opportunity to attend evening programs to learn more about their schools and professions. Programs included a dinner and Dean's Reception opening night, as well as a panel of journalists who discussed the everyday struggles of being a reporter. Also, motivational speaker and AU alumnus Willie Jolley spoke to students about the next generation of service leaders in Kay Spiritual Life Center on Wednesday, Aug. 25.
At the opening ceremony on Monday, Aug. 23, speakers endorsed the University's message of a "private university with a public responsibility" and that the students involved were the future leaders of the world. AU alumnus Marshall Bailly was the featured speaker. The ceremony also highlighted FSE's Press Corps, which spends the time creating a presentation of the week's events and achievements to show during the closing ceremony on Thursday.
FSE started in 1991 with only 30 students from the School of International Service. To date, the program has grown bigger each year and has introduced more than 3,600 students to their AU careers.
"We hope [the experience] opens up freshman to service and [that they] continue service through their four years and for the rest of their lives," Southworth said.
Staff writer Dave Hodges contributed to this article.
