TO THE EDITOR:
In response to Mark Laichena’s Tuesday column, “Don’t just do service, think about it, too,” Buckley Public Service Scholars program participants would like to applaud Mark for bringing to the attention of the student body some of the many flaws and challenges of public service — the same challenges that we work, as a program, to help students face.
As a program of the Carolina Center for Public Service, one of the ways we encourage an understanding of the impact a student makes in their selective organizations is by having them create an in-depth senior reflection.
This often includes a look into the student’s plans for the future in order to remind them that service transcends any specific organization or time frame.
Similarly, we require students to participate in four skills trainings, which encourage critical thinking of how broad and complex the groups and issues we are trying to work with truly are.
We are always tweaking the program to accommodate these philosophies and challenges in the most effective way possible and always welcome new insight.
Any service can change lives, and as a program, we recognize that.
But we strive, as Mark mentioned, to challenge students to think critically and responsibly about what they are doing through all service they participate in.
We gladly welcome any ideas, questions or comments.
