Daniel Williams/Collegian
Sophomore Ben Perry (l) and junior Brad Anderson volunteer on “Super Spa Sunday.”
Two out of three college freshmen say it is essential or very important to help others who are going through difficult times or are in need of help.
This is the highest percentage of volunteerism reported in 25 years, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The study also reported that 26.3 percent of freshmen said there was a very good chance they would volunteer while attending college, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous year.
Hillsdale students, however, certainly exceed these numbers.
“Even as incoming freshmen Hillsdale College students have a contagious desire to be involved in the community and to benefit those around them,” senior Allison Platter said.
Platter is the student volunteer coordinator for the GOAL office, overseeing the volunteer programs offered through the college.
John H. Pryor, director of the UCLA survey, speculated that recent natural disasters might have contributed to the increase in student involvement.
“Because of the nature of [the students’] experience with Hurricane Katrina, which occurred right as many of them began college, they have seen a great need to serve in their community,” Pryor said in his explanation of the survey results.
“Hillsdale College has disproportionately high numbers of volunteers,” said Father Duane Beauchamp, college chaplain and director of student services.
Last year, the GOAL office recorded 926 students with documented volunteer hours totalling 17,198 hours.
Beauchamp said the GOAL office has seen higher numbers in the past; as many as 22,000 service hours recorded in one year. Unlike Pryor, though, he said he does not see evidence of a spike in volunteerism due to concern regarding recent national disasters.
“Volunteerism is a part of life here,” Beauchamp said. “It’s a life; it’s a way of living.”
Last year, 45 percent of Hillsdale students volunteered, however, that figure does not include the students who volunteer without reporting it to the college.
Beauchamp said there is not a significant correlation between Hillsdale’s high volunteer rates and scholarships that require volunteer hours—such as the Hillsdale Tradition Award and GOAL programs—because over 50 percent of the students involved do not have scholarship requirements.
Even after they graduate, many alumni continue to volunteer their time writing letters, calling and speaking to potential students for the Hillsdale College Admissions Assistance Program (HCAAP). The composition of HCAAP is 70 percent alumni, 33 percent of whom graduated in the last six years.
“Hillsdale students understand that volunteering and helping people doesn’t stop when you walk across the stage when you graduate,” Platter said.
Senior Benjamin Korom is one such student.
“I have no shred of doubt that volunteerism will continue to be an integral part of who I am to my very last days,” Korom said.
Korom is head of the Relay for Life program on Hillsdale’s campus and volunteers hundreds of hours of service per year for the American Cancer Society,
“Some of my very best memories of Hillsdale are those that involve volunteering,” he said. “There is a fellowship that is shared in making a difference that is indescribable, and yet addictive.”