Service wins honors

This year, Tech was named to the first President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll at the 20th anniversary of the Campus Compact.

The award recognizes post-secondary schools for setting an example to others by providing an outstanding level of service to America in the past year.

Approximately 500 schools, both public and private, two year and four year, professional and community colleges applied to be named to the President's Honor Roll this year.

Tech stands out as one of a mere 140 to be recognized for its exceptional dedication to community service.

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

The honor roll is presented with Campus Compact, which is a national coalition of college and university presidents.

Tech has certainly earned the title over the past 12 months.

Through 2006, this institution has done an incredible amount to help out areas that were struck by disaster when Hurricane Katrina rolled through the Gulf of Mexico.

The school not only provided aid to Tulane's students by acting as a temporary Red Cross shelter, but also by donating essentials like food and basic supplies to the students during their stay.

Tech has raised in excess of $75,000 in funds for relief, and has sent more than 350 student volunteers to Gulf communities affected by the hugely destructive storm.

It was for these combined efforts that Georgia Tech has been nationally recognized on the honor roll, and by all accounts Tech is keeping up the good work going into 2007.

"Community service has always been a valuable part of the Tech experience. This award officially and nationally recognizes that involvement. The amount of relief efforts that Tech contributed was astounding," said Sarah Brackmann, assistant director of student involvement for community service.

Brackmann works with students, faculty and staff as a liaison to coordinate community service involvement, and applied to the honor roll on behalf of Tech this year.

According to Brackmann, students are continuing to commit their time to traveling to the Gulf Coast to rebuild damaged homes.

Just this past fall break, a group of students and faculty traveled to New Orleans to lend a hand. Plans are coming together for another trip, this time to the Mississippi coast. The trip is being organized by student volunteers for the swiftly approaching winter break.

Programs such as Geaux to the Gulf have grown particularly popular amongst the students as a way to spend their breaks not only helping out, but also spending time bonding with their friends.

This impressive amount of volunteerism across campus has put Tech on the cusp of a whole new wave of college thought.

In recent years, many universities have significantly increased their number of volunteers.

The Corporation for National and Community Service recently released a study which shows college student volunteering to have dramatically increased: about 20 percent growth was observed between 2002 and 2005 alone.

According to the study, approximately 3.3 million college students serve their communities and nation through voluntary service annually.

The study's conductors are working with colleges, student-run organizations and other federal programs in hopes of increasing that number to five million by 2010.

Much of this explosion of compassion has been attributed to the increased level of awareness that national disasters have had on students, such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th.

Another factor is the marked increase in campus offices that connect students with volunteer opportunities which make helping out even easier.

Tech alone has 22 student organizations whose mission statements focus on community service, each ranging in time commitment and focus issues.

A sampling of these include such organizations as Alpha Phi Omega, Circle K, Habitat for Humanity, Unite for Sight, Amnesty International and Engineering Students Without Borders.

Even students with heavy course loads can volunteer. Students who are interested in finding out more about on-campus service organizations are encouraged to visit www.service.gatech.edu for more information.