At Your Service

Baylor students are stepping off campus to get involved in the Waco community, and they're doing it for class credit.

The Civil Education and Community Service (CCS) Project was established around fifteen years ago and consists of several one-hour courses ranging from political internships with local legislators to volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity (pictured).

"The purpose is to involve students in educational programs that contribute to their understanding of civic responsibilities and volunteer opportunities," says Dr. Tom Myers, director of CCS. "It’s a great opportunity to integrate Baylor into the community and let Waco business leaders and office holders see the contributions that Baylor students can make."

Students in CCS 1100 courses meet in a classroom for one hour each week while, on average, a minimum of two hours of community service is required per week. Some of the courses are cross-listed with other departments like political science and sociology, and students may earn credit within those majors or as an elective.

Additionally, students can substitute a CCS course for a Human Performance class. Instead of taking tennis or golf, some students turn to CCS to earn their required HP credit while giving back to the community.

"It can replace an HP," says Myers. "But that's not the reason to take civil education courses. The civic education program is intended to take Baylor students outside ‘the bubble’ and get them involved in the real world. Educated people have a responsibility to make contributions to the nation, the community, and the state beyond their professional activities."

"The huge majority of the students know about the classes from other students and want to take them, especially the Poverty in Waco class," says Jimmy Dorrell '72, MS '93, the director of Mission Waco. One of the most popular CCS courses has been Dorrell’s class, which includes participating in Mission Waco's Poverty Simulation as well as the Friday Morning Breakfast, feeding Waco’s homeless and low-income households.

"The assigned journals that students turn in are always powerful," Dorrell says. "Many of them say, 'This is the best class I have had at Baylor.' The reason for that is the discussions, experiences, and impact."

The CCS program has grown steadily over the years, with the most recent addition being the Habitat for Humanity course, taught by Dr. Charles McDaniel, who is currently serving on Waco Habitat’s board of directors.

"It is a good way to make yourself do community service," says Craig Cunningham '08, who took the Habitat course. "It forces you to do it. Signing up for the class gives you an excuse to participate. It sets you up with times, so a lot of it is giving you an opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone."

Cunningham worked with other students to put the finishing touches on a few local homes. The students were able to meet the families that would be moving in, and sometimes the families would make lunch for the workers. All sorts of individuals worked alongside Baylor students to build these homes.

"One day I worked with inmates from the women's prison in Gatesville," Cunningham said. "They were pretty nice, though. We all worked together as their white bus sat out in the street."

The Habitat course has developed student interest in community involvement as well as in the CCS program. "Habitat for Humanity is a worthy organization," Myers says. "We felt it was a great opportunity to connect learning about the conditions in which people live to volunteer work."

Myers teaches his own CCS course called Political Participation in which students work for public officials in political environments. Baylor students have worked for U.S. Representative Chet Edwards as well as for state representatives like Doc Anderson and Jim Dunham.

In the largest group of CCS courses, freshman students learn about leadership. First-year students who participate in the Academy for Leadership Development and Civic Engagement must take one of nine courses titled Servant Leadership. After students explore their calling in life and how to lead, the course culminates in the Leadership Celebration, where participants present their portfolios for family, friends, and staff to review.

Other CCS programs include community service related to law, gender, literacy, mentoring, and community law enforcement, among others.