Nearly 260 campuses have some kind of student volunteer program, and educators are taking some of the credit for the recent swell in student interest in community services, said Mike O’Keeffe of the College Press Service.

To improve higher education’s image—and to get students more involved in their communities—educators “had a responsibility to change the perception of the ‘me generation,'” O’Keeffe said.

But although campuses can take some credit for changing student attitudes, O’Keeffe said they also were responsible for creating the “me generation” in the first place.

“We’re the problem,” admitted Dean Lois Cronholm of Temple University. Because of decreasing enrollment and increasing costs, schools “tried so hard to sell students on education by emphasizing the financial rewards a college education can bring. The ‘me generation’ wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t sold so hard on it.”

Cronholm said during the 1970s and early ‘80s schools pushed and emphasized engineering, computer science and other technological departments, because, they thought, those areas would best help students get jobs.

To switch from the technical emphasis, schools are offering academic credits for volunteer work. However, Harry Kisker, dean of student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, said he opposes offering credit and financial aid to volunteers.

Kisker said students will begin to expect to be rewarded for community services. He said voluntarism without rewards will instill “the habit of being involved, of taking a leadership role, that will carry over to the rest of their lives.”

However, Cronholm, and most officials like her, disagree with such thinking. “What more can you expect of students,” Cronholm asked. Students already are burdened with classes and studies, and also might have to work part-time to fund their education, Cronholm said.

Susan Schwartz, of Campus Compact, a group which encourages student public service projects, said since students do not have the money or time for volunteering, voluntarism seems unfashionable. Campus Compact works with this problem, Schwartz said.

Compact is a coalition of more than 100 college presidents, Schwartz said. She said involving presidents makes the program more influential and a higher priority on campus to become involved in the surrounding community.

Schwartz said while presidents are offering academic credit and financial aid for social services, students are not involved for this reason only.

“Volunteering is not being used as an ulterior motive to get academic credit,” Schwartz said. But it is a nice way to compliment class work, she said.

O’Keeffe said he did not think students were using credits offered out of greed. He said there are many easier ways to get three credit hours and volunteering is psychologically draining. He said most students would not subject themselves to the “ugliness” of volunteer work unless they really cared about the community.

Paul Lipson, who organizes volunteer work in the South Bronx, offers a work-study program for his volunteers, and most of his volunteers take advantage of it, he said.

Lipson said volunteering is a broad committment which he is not sure is shallow or deep. He said it remains to be seen whether or not his volunteers are all sincere.

ewarding students—either with credits or money—allows middle and lower-income students to offer their time when it otherwise would be financially impossible, Lipson said.

Academic credits are offered for Peace Corps volunteers at a growing number of schools, NIU included, said area Peace Corps representative Stephen Rypkema.

ypkema said he does not think many people are involved in the corps for the credit only, although corps work does look good on resumes. He said some probably do it for themselves, but they will not be the successful ones in the volunteer work.

Susan Peterson, of DeKalb County Family Services, said a large proportion of her volunteers are from NIU. She said social service majors at NIU are offered credits for her program.

While volunteering, the students are working in their prospective field, Peterson said. She said the experience will help students in deciding if they are truly interested in the social service field.