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College Students Join National Initiative

California State University Los Angeles – May 30, 2002 – On Friday, May 30, a dozen students met for a dialogue on student involvement in public life at the EPIC center on campus. This was the first of a series of similar dialogues that are being hosted on campuses across the country as part of a new civic engagement initiative sponsored by Campus Compact and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Cal State LA and the EPIC Center were selected for this field-testing because campus students have been involved in community service for more than 35 years.

Students who attended the dialogue were eager to learn how other students are engaged and to see their community service within the larger context of addressing social and economic problems through service and political action. One student summarized the feelings of many in the group when he stated, “Before I became involved in community service, all I wanted was to get my degree and go out and earn money. Now I plan to go back into my community after I graduate and work with other community members to solve some of the problems my community faces.”

This is the first in a series of dialogues designed to get students talking about their work in communities and to explore additional civic strategies. Students also began to assess the role of the university in supporting (or hindering) civic work by students.

More information about the national dialoguing initiative can be found at http://www.compact.org/students/scec.html. Information on EPIC can be found at http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/EPIC.

Interview Contact: Raphael Vargas
Telephone: 323-555-3380
rvargas@calstatela.edu