In an effort to introduce students to community involvement, ASUU and the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center have drafted a proposal that would require students to complete some kind of community service prior to graduation.
The community engagement corequisite would take what students have learned in the classroom and apply it in the community, said Bennion Center Director Linda Dunn.
“For a campus of our size, we are behind the curve,” Dunn said. “This is very common across the nation.”
Through this corequisite, students would be introduced to community involvement on the most basic level, without any additional coursework, she said. Students would be able to fulfill the requirement through internships, service learning courses, LEAP and student teaching.
Associated Students of the University of Utah President Patrick Reimherr and Vice President Jon Hayes have been involved in the service learning scholars program and felt it contributed to their overall college experience, Reimherr said.
“We are not asking for departments to add courses, but to integrate this experience into the existing curriculum and promote the importance of experiential learning,” said Yevgeniya Kopeleva, ASUU’s chief of staff.
Kopeleva said she believes that completing the requirement will help students gain life and thinking skills, as well as make connections with potential employers.
Students will be able to discover their passion and potential career paths as well as gain a deeper understanding of today’s issues, Kopeleva said.
“I think this would kill two birds with one stone,” said Caitlin Shaw, a junior in education. “It gets you out into the community to help others, at the same time practicing what you have learned.”
A committee of 30 academics has been created to provide feedback and gauge the level of support the university has for this proposal. A survey is scheduled to be sent out to the student body this week that would present the corequisite to students and measure the level of acceptance.
Reimherr said a lot of students, including those in nursing, social and behavioral sciences and education, are already doing this type of work.
Scott Bothers, a senior history major, said while he thinks community involvement is important, he doesn’t know how students who work and go to school full time will be able to fit the corequisite into their schedules.
If ASUU passes the proposal, it would then have to be reviewed and passed by the U Academic Senate, the U Board of Trustees and finally the Utah State Board of Regents.
The corequisite would go into effect in the fall of 2009 and would be a requirement for every new student after that date.