Civic Awareness and Student Success Essay Options

For this essay, you are being asked to be creative and offer your voice!

- You have two options to choose from: A traditional research paper or a service learning project
proposal.

Essay Option 1: According to a 2015 study, No Hungry Kid, around ¼ of children in California
experience food insecurity. The CSU Chancellor’s Office also recently issued a 2016 report,
“Serving Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU.” Survey results report that 9 percent
of students are homeless and 21 percent of students are food insecure and as high as 50
percent in some areas. Other recent survey reports upward of 50 percent of college students
nationwide and at the undergraduate level at UC campuses) experience food insecurity

A) What is food insecurity?

B) What are the links or effects of hunger and poor nutrition on education and academic
performance / achievement?
C) Based on your research on the causes and effects of food insecurity, how can we
implement solutions aimed at increasing academic performance?
D) Offer multiple possible solutions and cite evidence & cases (ie. schools) that have show
improvement in addressing these equity gaps. What is being done? Is it effective?

Essay Option 2: Your task is to design a service learning course project for future Norco
students. This means you need to identify and solve public problems in your local
communities.
A) Identify one or more problems in the local community (offer evidence that it is a problem)
B) Identify the specific needs of the local community
C) Which specific organizations can students partner with andcomplete meaningful community
serviceto address those needs? Be precise about the partnerships that would enrich Norco
students (ies. political knowledge / social capital/ political advocacy) and helping the
community to thrive.
D) What can we learn from other schools who are successful in building community relations,
civic responsibility, enriching learning and life experiences, and strengthening communities
through community-based service learning?
 What is service learning?

Experiential service learning has been shown to make your education more meaningful and
to promote the development of democratic civic attitudes, values, and engagement.

Service learning promotes civic engagement, or working to make a difference in the quality of life in your communities through using
your skills, knowledge, and motivation to make a difference, through both political and non-political means. This involves, but goes
beyond simple community service.

Service Learning
Service Learning is the process of integrating community service and the academic curriculum to improve critical
reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Service Learning initiatives involves students in course activities which
address real human, safety, educational, and environmental needs of the community in which they use course
materials such as texts, lectures, discussions, and reflection to inform their service. Ultimately, the
service experience is brought back to the classroom to inform the academic dialogue and the
quest for knowledge.

When compared to other forms of experiential learning like internships and cooperative
education, it is similar in that it is student-centered, hands-on and directly applicable to the
curriculum.
The critical difference and distinguishing characteristic of service learning is its reciprocal and
balanced emphasis on both students learning and addressing real needs in the
community. Course learning objectives are linked to meaningful human, safety, educational,
and environmental needs that are co-determined with community partners and service
recipients. Course materials such as lectures, readings, discussions, and reflection activi ties
supplement the student service. In turn, the service experience is brought back to the
classroom to enhance the academic dialogue and student comprehension. Students work on
real problems that make academic learning relevant while simultaneously enh ancing their
social skills, analytical ability, civic and ethical responsibility, self-efficacy, and career
development.

What are the Characteristics of Service Learning?

According to the National Commission on Service learning, service learning:

 Links to academic content and standards

 Involves students in helping to determine and meet real, defined community needs
 Is reciprocal in nature, benefiting both the community and the service providers by combining a service
experience with a learning experience
 Can be used in any subject area so long as it is appropriate to learning goal.

http://www.rccd.edu/community/serviceLearning/Pages/index.aspx

Service Learning project options may include activities such as the following:

 Volunteer program at the RCC Social Justice Institute

http://socialjustice.rccd.edu/Pages/Education.aspx
 Mentor / Tutor younger students in a subject you excel in
 Coach physically disabled students in a team sport
 Assist second-language speakers in enrolling their children in school
 Tutor non-English speaking students in English
 Participate in a local Habitat for Humanity home construction project
 Befriend a student struggling with mental illness
 Spend time with the elderly at a nursing home by visiting and listening to their stories
 Clean-up a local river, stream or lake
 Sing and play games with children suffering from HIV/AIDS
 Help to prepare and serve food in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter
 Plant a community garden with community members
 Organize a Read-a-Thon in your school or neighborhood
 Offer your clerical skills to a local Special Olympics office

For more examples, see: https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/service-learning

http://character.org/key-topics/service-learning/
 A Local Example of Service LearningProgram in Action: La Sierra University
As a student, when you are able to actively apply knowledge you gain, you have the opportunity to
both increase your understanding and retention of that knowledge. At La Sierra University, we
believe that students do not need to wait until after graduation to apply their knowledge, skills, and
abilities in the world around them. Applying this knowledge, skill, and ability through service to others
brings true purpose to your education.

When you take a Service-Learning Course at La Sierra University:

 You will learn more from what you learn through service.

 You will be meeting important needs in the community.

 You will be involved as a responsible citizen.

 You will be completing graduation requirements.

In addition to enhancing the goals of a course, Service-Learning provides an avenue for meeting the
University mission by providing significant service to the community and strengthening students’
understanding of and commitment to their community. Guided reflection supports critical thinking
and self-analyses of responsibility to our communities as citizens
Students are required to complete three Service-Learning courses to graduate from La Sierra
University and may choose from more than thirty available courses.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
La Sierra University has been nationally recognized for our commitment to service by the:

 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Presidential Awardee

 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll (2007-2013) “With Distinction” (2007-2008, 2010-2013)

 Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification in the area of Curricular Engagement (2008)

“Without a doubt Service-Learning was one of the most memorable educational moments
throughout my time at La Sierra University. I am proud to have graduated from La Sierra
and to have done Service-Learning. La Sierra University taught me to be a life long
learner and to continually seek opportunities to serve our community.”

DEMITRIO CAMARENA, 2010

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The University has a large number of partners including:
 Alvord Unified School District

 Alvord After School Programs (PRIME Time and HALF Time)

 Reading Programs at Rosemary Kennedy and Collett Elementary Schools

 Promenade Elementary

 Special Education Services

 La Sierra Academy

 LEARN Success

 Lovett’s Children

 Riverside Public Libraries

 Care Connexxus Adult Day Services

 Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services

 Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful

 Inland Valley Hospice

 Inland Aids Association

 Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates

 Fair Housing Council of Riverside County

 La Sierra University Church

 Loma Linda University Church

 Riverside Philharmonic

 Riverside Art Museum

 Janet Goeske Senior Center Community Action of Riverside County

 Inland Empire Adult Day Health Care Center

 Riverside Food Bank

 Adventist Health International

 Olive Grove Retirement Resort

 Operation Safehouse

 Mt. Rubidoux Manor

 Catholic Charities
  United Way of the Inland Valleys

 Corona Life Services

 Dr. Kenneth Browning & Chris Katke (DO practice)

 VITAS Innovative Hospice

 Linda Valley Villa

 Arlington Commons

 Path of Life Ministries

 Community Settlement Association

 Jefferson Transitional Programs

Service learning program options:

 Sign up for a standard course that offers Service-Learning where all students do service-
learning (SLR) or where students are given an option to do service-learning (SLO).

 Participate in a Service-Learning Intensive.

 If you have completed significant and extensive service in the past you may be able to have
one course waved through portfolio review. Contact the Service-Learning office for
information on this option.

ARE SERVICE-LEARNING COURSES MORE WORK?

In most cases Service-Learning courses are not more work. Instead the courses have been
designed to include service not to add it to the regular requirements. Painting students may paint a
community mural as one of their regular projects. Educational Psychology students work with pre-
school children while observing their physical, mental and emotional development. Students of an
environmental ethics course may plant trees, clean up local parks or assist the division of forestry
with trail maintenance.

ARE THERE OTHER SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES?

Are you interested in serving your local and global community in ways other than Service-Learning?
Bring true purpose to your education by finding ways to apply it in the world around you. Here are
just a few.

Enactus
Enactus (former SIFE) brings together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better,
more sustainable world through the positive power of business.
http://practiceenactus.com/

http://practiceenactus.com/ifs/cow-bank-project/

Volunteer Match
Find a place to volunteer.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

https://lasierra.edu/service-learning/

https://lasierra.edu/service-learning/frequently-asked-questions/

For more project ideas check the web to see what other colleges are doing!

Use these and others as sources!

Ies.

UC System: UC Links Service Learning Projects

http://uclinks.berkeley.edu/programs

Learning at the Edges: Challenges to the (UC) Sustainability of Service Learning in Higher Education

http://wac.colostate.edu/llad/v4n3/underwood.pdf

CSU: Service Learning Opportunities

http://www.calstate.edu/cce/

Sonoma State University

http://www.sonoma.edu/cce/faculty/sl_politicalscience.html

University of Denver

http://www.du.edu/ccesl/

Mesa Community College

http://ccncce.org/resources/past-projects/safe-project/

Fayetteville University

http://www.uncfsu.edu/civic-engagement/service-learning/service-learning-opportunities
 Resources:
For more information on the merits ofservice learning projects(and how they work) in practice, see

https://www.uc.edu/propractice/service-learning/resources.html

National Student Survey Points to UC’s Success in ‘High

Impact’ Learning
UC freshmen and seniors dedicate more study time than the national average and also pursue
more learning experiences beyond the classroom than students at peer institutions.

http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=18912

Local Political Involvement and Service Learning

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~redlawsk/papers/Local%20Political%20Involvement.pdf

From_the_Classroom_to_the_Community-Designing_a_Service-Learning_Course_in_Political_Science

https://keycenter.unca.edu/sites/default/files/From_the_Classroom_to_the_Community-Designing_a_Service-
Learning_Course_in_Political_Science.pdf

Using Service Learning and Civic Engagement to Educate Students

https://www.uc.edu/cdc/publications/research_papers/Using_Service-
learning_Civic_Engagement_Honadle_Kennealy.pdf
 Essay Instructions:

Your essay must be 7 pages total in length and include:

1) A 1 paragraph abstract page

Summarizing your research question, argument, and providing a road map (outlining
the logic / evidence to support your claims in your paper). (Look at journal articles on
google scholar for examples)

2) 5 pages of written analysis of an important public policy problem and how

service learning can help improve the community affected.
YOU MUST HAVE A THESIS STATEMENT - A CLEARLY STATED
ARGUMENT!
Provide a specific thesis and outline what types of evidence you will use to support
your claim(s).
Examples of good thesis statements (from the Political Science/JSIS/LSJ Writing
Center):
For more help writing a thesis statement,
see: http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/thesisstmt.html

3) Use of APA in-text citations (providing evidence of other scholar's work) to help
analyze the merits of issue(s) and support yourclaims.
- Example of paraphrasing Jones using in-text citation in APA format:
- APA can be difficult for new users who do not use a style manual for guidance
(Jones, 1998, p. 199).
For more help, see: APA style
manual: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

4) Works cited page: proper use of APA writing style in citing sources used in
analytical essay. You must use at least 5 academic references cited in your paper
(journals, books, policy papers, government websites, college websites etc).
Do NOT use wikipedia or blogs from non-reputable (or non-peer reviewed) sources!

Formatting and length: 12 point, normal margins, Times Roman Numeral font,
double spaced, pages numbered and stapled.

Upload your essay to BB and bring a hard copy to class!