Recordpub.com - Margaret's Notepad

Don't be surprised to see Kent State University students stepping up to volunteer should an emergency or crisis occur in Portage County. Ann Gosky, who oversees volunteer and community service for KSU students, was among those attending a Volunteer Agency Leadership Workshop recently coordinated by the Portage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) and the Portage County Health Department.

John Mason, assistant HSEMA director, addressed the need to have a coordinated and effective plan for utilizing volunteers. Kim Villers, Public Health Emergency Planning Coordinator for the health department, spoke about the proposed Volunteer Reception Center or VRC. Almost 80 representatives of 55 government, civic, service agencies, educational institutions, and emergency responders attended the workshop held at Family and Community Services.

Following a disaster, people want to help. But when hundreds of volunteers just show up, confusion and underutilized resources can be the result. Good intentions are not enough. A VRC provides an organized process to determine how best to utilize large numbers of volunteers, according to Mason.

HSEMA will activate the VRC during a large-scale disaster. Volunteers will serve as greeters, interviewers, runners, security personnel, phone bank and registration staff. RSVP through Family and Community Services will coordinate the VRC. For more information, visit the Ohio Citizen Corps Web site, www.serveohio.org, or call Mandy Zantow of RSVP at 330-298-2666.

Ann, an administrator in the office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, is responsible for university outreach to the community and matching students to a community-based learning experience. "We are always looking for ways to connect students to service in the community, and the VRC meeting was a great opportunity to learn about a wonderful breadth of resources here in Portage County," Ann said.

Ann sees KSU students as contributing in any number of tasks. "Our students have a wide range of skills -- skilled and unskilled. Whether conducting intake interviews, identifying resources or doing manual labor, we can help. For example, our students can teach other students skills such as drywalling, painting and carpentry -- the skills students learn on their summer jobs to earn money for tuition," Ann said. Almost any KSU major can apply specific talents. Nursing students can help with medical needs. Business majors can help in keeping businesses open when affected by a decreased workforce because of injury or illness. English, journalism, and communication students can help with intake interviews, written reports and releases.

If past behavior is an indication of future behavior, KSU students will be high among the ranks of the county's volunteers. They are still responding to needs in the Gulf Coast -- three years after Hurricane Katrina. "More than 100 students volunteered this past spring break for a need 1,000 miles away, and I expect we will get the same response for our local communities," Ann said.

It's not just the high profile, media-saturated events where students see a need for their services. On Super Service Saturday, which falls on every other Saturday, students are involved in some type of local community service project such as tutoring at the King-Kennedy Community Center in Ravenna.

The gender breakdown of volunteers for the past academic year is 62 percent female and 38 percent male, a match to the 62-38 split in the overall KSU student population. Of the volunteers, 11 percent are international students even though they make up only 2 percent of the general KSU student population, according to Ann.

In addition to wanting to help, volunteering provides international students a chance to learn about U.S. culture and to practice their English language skills. An added bonus for domestic students and community members is learning about another country and culture.

Not all students report their volunteer activities, so the numbers of students volunteering and their hours totaled are underreported. Ann estimates that her office coordinates one in five of all volunteers. Many more students line up volunteer opportunities on their own.

"We do know that KSU students contributed more than $400,000 in labor this past year -- and that's a very conservative estimate," Ann said.

Students also benefit in ways beyond adding an entry to their resume. They tend to have higher grade point averages. They learn about responsible citizenship and hone their intellectual skills on complex problem solving, analysis and critical thinking. As alumni, they tend to feel more connected to their faculty and the institution, and in turn tend to give back at a higher rate, Ann added.

Ann also assists faculty in developing a service learning component into their curriculum and pairing their students with community partners. One successful service learning class project was coordinated by English professor Bev Neiderman. Her students collected oral histories and videos at the King-Kennedy Community Center which are now housed in the center's archives.

"These students learned more about their course, career and life goals as well as the histories, dreams and goals of those at King-Kennedy," Ann said.

So, is the job worthwhile?

"It's not just a job; it's a passion. It's really about the impact of serving others," Ann said.

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Have a suggestion for a column item about Kent State University or local Kent organizations? Contact Margaret Garmon at 330-678-1450 or mgarmon@kent.edu.