Quinnipiac University students from The Grove Residence Hall presented their year-long community service projects for the inaugural year of the Community Experiential Learning Projects, April 24 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
First-year Grove residents were required to complete Community Experiential Learning Projects, a community service project done over the course of the academic year.
“Every student learned A LOT,” Nicholas Nicholson, professor of nursing, faculty director for the residential experience and first year seminar program director, wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “I think the takeaway lesson was that if you put in quality time and hard work in an area of passion, not only will you take away the benefit of learning, but others will as well.”
Before moving, students were offered four different themes for their project: Environmental Sustainability, Community Engagement, Health and Education and Inclusive Excellence. Based on their preferences, students were grouped together and focused on a subtopic for their project, within one of the four themes.
Each group size varied, creating 34 projects across the four themes.
Having now completed their projects, students said they felt fulfilled and accomplished. However, with it being the program’s first year, several also saw a lack of organization.
“I think since it was the first year that they’re doing it, it was a little disorganized,” first-year radiological sciences major, Skyla Nicholas, said. “Toward the end they started to get it together.Since I’m a part of it again next year, it’ll be so good.”
Working on the projects with other students also gave them a new community.
“It was kind of difficult, because we were like the guinea pigs,” first-year occupational therapy major Molly Rumaker said. “But I really enjoyed the community and meeting people.”
Nicholas and Rumaker worked in a group under the Health and Education theme, focusing on the accessibility of therapy animals.
“You hear about people having emotional animals like therapy animals and stuff … but you never really hear about the process that they have to go through for it, and it’s kind of difficult at times,” Rumaker said.
Under the Health and Education theme as well, first-year nursing major Michaela Darko and her group created a mental health initiative.
“We focused on the negative impact of burnout on mental health for college students,” Darko said.
Darko and her group proposed common hours, where no classes would take place, allowing for students to unwind, spend time with friends and have a mental break.
The group also took a look at how to better advertise mental health resources on campus.
“How can we better advertise to students so that they’re aware of these resources on campus and they can utilize that,” Darko said. “So that’s something for future research.”
After a challenging but rewarding first year, students look forward to the growth of the CELP projects.
“I enjoyed seeing the growth of faculty affiliates, student mentors, and especially the residents,” Nicholson wrote. “Everyone began the year in a new building, with a new project and many struggled with this new concept for experiential learning. However, within a short amount of time everyone involved began learning and building as a team.”
