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Putting words into action and action into words
Rose-Hulman senior Eric Baer didn’t appreciate the blessings in his life —
until he worked with inner-city teenagers as a volunteer at the Ryves Hall Youth Center in
Terre Haute.
After all, the Wabash, Ind., native is studying at one of the nation’s top private
engineering colleges; he has accepted employment with a Fortune 500 corporation; and his
parents are still married, with his father being an insurance salesman.
And, he isn’t alone.
“Many times students at Rose-Hulman, including myself, don’t realize how good we
have it,” said Baer, a mechanical engineering major. “We will have college
educations and opportunities that some of the kids at Ryves Hall will never
experience.”
Hoping to make a difference, Baer joined 44 other Rose-Hulman students in writing 300- to
350-word essays about their experiences while volunteering at 10 Terre Haute service
agencies this past fall.
Those essays were published in November in a special eight-page supplement of The Terre
Haute Tribune-Star.
The service learning project, initiated by Rose-Hulman Literature Professor Caroline
Carvill and Carrie McKillip of the Vigo County Homeless Coalition, informed community
residents about the agencies’ missions and their current needs — volunteers,
supplies and financial donations.
Besides Ryves Hall, other agencies featured included the Light House Mission, an agency
that assists hundreds of homeless and needy people; the Council on Domestic Abuse, an
advocacy group for victims of domestic abuse; the American Red Cross; and the Mental
Health Association.
The service learning approach was also adapted in Literature Professor Patricia
Carlson’s freshman composition class, with students writing proposals for improving
student life on the Rose-Hulman campus; and sophomore electrical engineering and computer
engineering majors designing web pages on the Internet for the Terre Haute district
offices of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
The object of the writing exercise was to give the students authentic writing experiences.
“I noticed all students demonstrating a new sense of ownership for their writing. It
also improves students’ awareness of the power and efficacy of the written
word,” stated Carlson, whose students’ ideas ranged from developing an
after-school mentoring program for middle school students to planting an on-campus garden
of native Indiana plants and wildflowers.
However, the professors’ motives went much deeper. Carvill and Carlson wanted their
students to develop an interest in helping their community.
“Hopefully, they will become better community and campus stewards,” says
Carvill, former president of the Council on Domestic Abuse’s board of directors and a
member of the United Way of the Wabash Valley’s allocation panel.
“The students gain a greater understanding of how an educational or community service
organization functions; and they place themselves within this environment as a stakeholder
and a contributor to the overall good of the organization,” Carlson stated.
“They came to see language as a vehicle for accomplishing change.”
Baer achieved and appreciated the second goal. He continues to volunteer weekly in Ryves
Hall’s intramural basketball program.
“It makes me feel good to see the kids’ faces light up when I walk into the gym
to play basketball with them,” he says. “This is something everyone should
experience.”
Freshman mechanical engineering major Aaron Horn, who helped finish a roofing project on a
home being constructed by Habitat for Humanity, agreed, stating “I hadn’t had
that much fun in a long time . . . It was nice to help others.”
Seeing his team’s essay published in a newspaper also brought satisfaction for the
San Diego, Calif., native. “The essay looked so nice sitting on the page,” he
said. “It showed me that I can write a college-level paper.”
Carvill and Carlson intend to continue using the service learning project for future
English composition classes. Students may help agencies develop informational or
fund-raising brochures; publish newsletters; or expand community awareness through public
service advertisements or agency web pages on the Internet.
— by Dale Long
 
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