NEW ORLEANS (March 4, 2018) – Nearly half of Dillard students participated in community service in the fall, and the Office of Community Service is seeking ways to increase involvement, according to the Rev. Earnest Salsberry, university chaplain.
Salsberry said “a good bit” of seniors still seem to end up scrambling at the last minute to get in the 90 hours beyond the 30 received during the First-Year Experience, and he is encouraging all students to get in their paperwork by the deadlines, which are firm.
The spring deadline for seniors and all other classifications to turn in community service paperwork is 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 30, the same day that graduating seniors’ grades are due. Each student should have the appropriate community registration form filled out and signed for submission of hours.
The chaplain said more than 60 hours of community service were offered last fall, including
The Run for Sickle Cell Anemia and the Fried Chicken Festival. The UNCF Walk-a-thon was the biggest opportunity last semester, with more than 160 students participating. A similar number participated this semester in the Martin Luther King Day of Service, he said.
To facilitate the process, the office has a list of 15 pre-approved non-profit organizations throughout the community for students to earn service hours on their own time, including the Arthur Ashe Charter School, Hope Community Resource Center, Animal Rescue New Orleans the Crescent City Farmers Market.
Overall, more than 560 students submitted community service hours last semester, which is about half of the student body, Salsberry said.
Community service is a requirement for graduation because it a part of the Dillard University mission statement, the chaplain said. The mission statement “pushes us to be community activists and also help the human condition, and it is a part of Dillard University legacy,” he added.
In addition to the pre-approved sites, Salsberry encouraged students seek out opportunities related to their major or field of study.
Salsberry said he regularly notifies students about community service via email, but he is in the process of opening up another line of communication with students.
Pre-approved sites for community service:
Arthur Ashe Charter School
Big Class
First Line Schools (Clark Prep, Arthur Ashe, Samuel Green, Langston Hughes, Phillis Wheatley)
Hope Community Resource Center
Israelite Baptist Church
Mirabeau Family Learning Center.
Pink House
American Cancer Society
Animal Rescue Society
Boys Hope Girls Hope
Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) New Orleans
The Creativity Collective
Crescent City Farmers Market
Dress for Success New Orleans
Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation