Service with a smile: Getting involved on campus
With myriad clubs or activities to join as a new school year starts, the Val R. Christensen Service Center, located on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center, offers more than 20 different programs meeting a variety of needs and time commitments for those who want to add service to their schedule.
“We have 22 different programs. We have something that will fit your interest. Come and ask and we can help you get started,” said Carlos Murillo, a junior majoring in global communications. Murillo is also a program director for the center.
This year Sheldon Browning stepped into the role of community service coordinator, who advises the center’s leaders. He participated in the Service Center when he was an undergraduate.
“The special thing about the Val R. Christensen Service Center is that there isn’t just one standout or signature program but that there are many programs all of which standout in their own way and that are unique in their own way to Utah State,” Browning said.
Maddie Busteed is a junior majoring in international business and marketing, and is serving this year as Service vice president for the ASUSU executive council. Busteed said one of the unique things about USU’s Service Center is, though there is an adviser for the program, the programs are entirely student run.
“Whatever a student’s dream is, we can make it happen,” Busteed said.
Busteed began working with the service center and various programs as a freshman, becoming involved with committees, until finally serving as a director and now Service vice president. She said this was a great way to get involved with leadership.
“I really treasure leadership, but I think a huge part of leadership is service. You can’t be a good leader without service,” Busteed said, “and realizing the needs of others by the chances I get serving.”
Jordan Hunt, a junior majoring in liberal arts emphasizing in business and organizational communication, started the Student Nutrition Access Center as a freshman. After being acquainted with other university food pantries, he worked with the Service Center to start SNAC.
Hunt said, “One thing that I think is imperative to know about the Service Center and USU leadership in general: USU more than any other school I have ever seen focuses on student leaders. We need students to change the face of this campus.”
The leadership opportunities are valuable, but Busteed and Murillo said the opportunities to serve have positively impacted her time at USU.
“Volunteering in the service center really transforms what would otherwise be an average college experience to an extraordinary and very meaningful college experience,” Browning said.
Hunt said his university experience has been greatly impacted by his service.
“Too often, I think people view college students as selfish leeches, almost. However, through my experiences I can say with confidence that myself and other students can make a lasting impression on the communities we belong to.”
Murillo, who spent the first part of his life in Mexico, said that the service here is different.
“In Mexico the only service you do is through the Catholic Church, if involved with that. You come here – all these people doing something to change the world. It is a really great way to get acquainted with the culture here.”
Murillo said that his first encounters with picking up trash were not positive.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to pick up trash for someone else’, but then I saw it differently. It’s your community, you have to take care of it. I pick up the trash, others see, and I’m leading by example.”
There are more than 20 ongoing programs under the purview of the Service Center. Each requires different levels of commitment and involvement.
Programs such as the Special Olympics or Best Buddies are among the most time consuming. However,Busteed said that participation in both of these programs are highlights of her year. For those who have less time or want to start out small there are plenty of opportunities.
Busteed said everyone is welcome to come to the third floor to ask questions or even just hang out. She said there is always a service project going on to be involved in. The first service project of the year is the annual Blood Battle the first week of school in the TSC.
For those wanting to ask questions, Busteed said the Service Center will have booths at Day-on-the-Quad Aug 31. There is also a Service Center Kickoff in the TSC Auditorium Sept 7 and 8.
“The Service Center has a lot of potential to grow and better serve students, we only need students who have a vision – something that resides in every Aggie,” Hunt said. “By putting that vision to work they can make a real impact to the future of this University.”
– genevieve.draper@aggiemail.usu.edu