August 28, 2007
Freshmen fan out across D.C. contributing 12,000 service hours
Washington, D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty, at the closing ceremony with FSE student
planners, from left, Trevor Whitney, Hannah Hanson, Sara Wilson, Katie Olson (Photos by Jeff Watts)
Before she hit the books, freshman Claire Brooks hit the streets of Washington, trimming trees and picking up trash at a park in northeast D.C. For Brooks, one of the 475 first-year students who participated in the 17th annual Freshmen Service Experience (FSE), Aug. 20–24, it was a different sort of education.
“I never would have ventured into Anacostia otherwise, and to be able to see the condition of the park and the residences was eye opening,” said Brooks of Marvin Gaye Park, which was littered with beer bottles and used syringes. “We hear about the plight of third world countries, but sometimes we forget about our own backyards.”
For three days, the freshmen—along with 89 upperclassmen—fanned out across the city, working at 37 sites, from day care centers and retirement homes to food banks and nonprofits. According to FSE student coordinator Hannah Hanson, the students logged more than 12,000 community service hours.
“It’s so easy to forget what’s beyond campus. So before students even get comfortable here, we [send] them out to see a different side of the city,” said Hanson. “We really hope this experience keeps them involved with community issues throughout their time at AU.”
The FSE festivities kicked off Aug. 20 with music and pizza on the quad, and a motivational speech by WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi. Both AU President-Elect Neil Kerwin and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty turned out for the closing ceremonies on Aug. 24. Fenty thanked the students for their hard work and stressed that, despite its problems, Washington is a wonderful place to call home for four years.
It’s a lesson not lost on Brooks.
“What [I noticed] the most was the willingness of people around the park to make a difference,” she said. “I liked seeing the community band together to make their own neighborhood a better place.”
