Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Editorial

Over the last several decades, service-learning has grown tremendously throughout the United States. There are very popular programs that offer young Americans of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to serve this country as volunteers who share a mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement by staying connected to the political process on the local, national, and international levels. I've come to recognize that UDC can be just as effective for our own campus community.
We have students of all ages and backgrounds who come here looking for quality education. As a learning community we have excellent academic, social, and professional opportunities for students to improve their lives so they can GET CONNECTED! and STAY CONNECTED! The real challenge has been, how do we measure how solid those connections really are?
Years ago, I was a member of a program that measured the connection of its members pretty well and it was called City Volunteer Corps (CVC). I didn't have the support that I needed to succeed from home and I found myself making very poor life choices… I needed serious help. Surprisingly, that help came from a friend who many people in my neighborhood did not think would live beyond 20-years-old (he's 42 now). His advice and guidance led me to join CVC where I met some really amazing young people. Before, the CVC experience I had never talked with anyone about making the world a better place. I had no prior interest in serving my community because even though I saw the problems I never really felt like I belonged to a community.
However, the CVC experience did wonders for my self-esteem and every member promoted the positive leadership qualities of the group. As committed members we addressed any destructive behavior immediately (it was not accepted by the group). We were encouraged to use everybody's leadership potential to improve our individual lives and at the same time help to make our city a better place for everyone. To be a productive citizen is what it was all about and everybody had to get involved.
Yes, it's true! I'm not a big fan of arm chair leadership because real change comes from people standing up, testing new ideas, and collaborating with all the stakeholders and not just the ones you like. I take a lot of pride in the 4.0 lounge because the 4.0 impact continues to develop solid partnerships throughout the campus and to those people who frequent the 4.0 Lounge - I want you to know that you are greatly appreciated.
Recent efforts include promoting three general areas: academic engagement and achievement, civic attitudes and behavior, and social and personal skills.
We must try harder to meet the needs of the "Whole" student at UDC and we who work here must never act like we don't know what's really going on in the world outside our walls. Until we develop a serious plan to address those issues we're going to continue to have serious problems inside our walls to deal with. It's not going to be an easy task but it's going to be the 4.0 task. The time is now, and the place is UDC!

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