Religion professor takes concepts beyond classroom with volunteering
Devlin Hogans - STAFF WRITER
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: News
Throughout this semester, a religion class has become involved in various community service projects to supplement the students' learning experience.
Ken Jones, professor of philosophy and religion, started requiring his students to do service projects last semester.
"I wanted to move my students from just understanding intellectually to having an experience they can connect it to," he said.
Jones originally obtained the idea from a meeting last summer. The focus was on extending freshman activities into sophomore year to increase student retention rates. The grant never came through, but he decided to try the suggestion of the projects.
"Students can read passages in the Bible and see they're not only ideas, but how people actually work according to Christian faith," Jones said.
The projects vary from supporting the troops, to helping the Animal Rescue League, to volunteering at schools.
To support the troops, one group posted fliers and put boxes around campus gathering donations. Amber Long, accounting junior, said they collected more than expected from Grand View alone.
"Whatever we can do to lower the costs of the troops fighting for us is worth my time," she said.
They also went to businesses around the area to receive donations, such as money from an auto shop and videos from movie rental stores. Everything received will be given to a unit of troops still in Iowa so they can distribute it.
Another project visible on campus involves helping the ARL. This group set up boxes to gather as many newspapers as they could.
Jennifer Brown, biology junior, said it was hard transporting so much paper by car.
Another group volunteered for the Youth Emergency Services Shelter at 918 Southeast 11th St. They played games with kids and collected scare items.
Tanya Matejski, criminal justice junior, said, "It really pulled at my heartstrings to hear there isn't even enough baby food at times." YESS is a place anyone from birth to age 17 can come if they are in trouble and need support. Families who are in a crisis are also welcomed.
Jones said the projects have an impact because they make students encounter people they never would regularly. The most impact a project had on him was one that had preschoolers spend a dollar of their own money to buy canned goods.
Ken Jones, professor of philosophy and religion, started requiring his students to do service projects last semester.
"I wanted to move my students from just understanding intellectually to having an experience they can connect it to," he said.
Jones originally obtained the idea from a meeting last summer. The focus was on extending freshman activities into sophomore year to increase student retention rates. The grant never came through, but he decided to try the suggestion of the projects.
"Students can read passages in the Bible and see they're not only ideas, but how people actually work according to Christian faith," Jones said.
The projects vary from supporting the troops, to helping the Animal Rescue League, to volunteering at schools.
To support the troops, one group posted fliers and put boxes around campus gathering donations. Amber Long, accounting junior, said they collected more than expected from Grand View alone.
"Whatever we can do to lower the costs of the troops fighting for us is worth my time," she said.
They also went to businesses around the area to receive donations, such as money from an auto shop and videos from movie rental stores. Everything received will be given to a unit of troops still in Iowa so they can distribute it.
Another project visible on campus involves helping the ARL. This group set up boxes to gather as many newspapers as they could.
Jennifer Brown, biology junior, said it was hard transporting so much paper by car.
Another group volunteered for the Youth Emergency Services Shelter at 918 Southeast 11th St. They played games with kids and collected scare items.
Tanya Matejski, criminal justice junior, said, "It really pulled at my heartstrings to hear there isn't even enough baby food at times." YESS is a place anyone from birth to age 17 can come if they are in trouble and need support. Families who are in a crisis are also welcomed.
Jones said the projects have an impact because they make students encounter people they never would regularly. The most impact a project had on him was one that had preschoolers spend a dollar of their own money to buy canned goods.
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