First Women's Studies Service Learning At Newcomb & Tulane / National Service Award For Tulane

In 1994, I performed the first work-study for credit with the Women's Studies Department at Newcomb & Tulane. After researching and writing 30 page papers in Spanish, learning in graduate level courses with native Spanish speakers, working & traveling in non-English speaking countries for a year, and with a strong desire to synthesize my Women's Studies/Spanish degrees in the final year of University study, I felt certain I needed a fresh focus to stay out of a 'Senior Slump'. (Having hit my 'Senior Slump' of boredom and desire to be

out-and-about in the real world as a Junior in High School, I was knew it was time to get creative!) One strongly, influential force that led me to Dr. Beth Willinger's office at the start of Spring Semester 1994 for a discussion on how I could learn outside of the classroom or library research setting was a paper I co-wrote with classmate and dear friend from the start of our Junior Year Abroad in Spain, Dr. Monica Fitzgerald. This paper, on the status of the Spanish Woman & Access To Reproductive Healthcare, which included surveys and interviews we conducted ourselves, was suggested for publication by our Profesor de Historia, Dr. Angel Bahamonde.

I shared this experience and my drive for the 'new and now' with Dr. Willinger, who heard my call for a Senior Year academic adventure and responded with great enthusiasm. What I most valued about Dr. Willinger's mentorship, in addition to her extensive education, experience, and leadership with women, was her delegation of autonomy to me. In placing the power of decision-making in my hands with regard to where, when, and how I would work, I was able to carve out a path that entirely, suited me. I also, felt that she trusted my judgement both academically and experientially, which personally, meant alot to me and professionally, prepared me with added confidence to leave the academic nest.

Once a week I volunteered at the YWCA Battered Women's Program, translating material between English & Spanish, providing a welcoming and nurturing office environment for clients, and discussing the state of Domestic Violence Against Women in Latina communities with the Social Worker from Honduras to whom I was assigned. I felt pleased to continue practicing my hard-earned Spanish skills, reach out to women in need, and act as a trustworthy force building bridges between Latina and non-Latina communities in New Orleans and the USA.

Within 2 years, the always-cutting edge Dr. Beth Willinger, then Director of the Women's Studies Department and founder of Newcomb College Center For Research On Women, who also, served as my mentor throughout the project, determined that Internship Studies would be a requirement to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies from Newcomb College and Tulane University.

After a 2 1/2 year hiatus from New Orleans, during which time I maintained many of my academic relationships, including with Dr. Willinger, I returned to Tulane and among other endeavors, actively, began campaigning on campus to influence Tulane in a much-needed and perfectly, viable direction of community progress--through creating a mandatory Service Learning requirement. Throughout my Undergraduate Tulane years, friends (nearly, all of whom were Psychology majors--the only, Liberal Arts Department that required a Service Learning component) and I shared many, a conversation on why and how a mandatory Service Learning component would benefit Tulane students, campus environment, and the city of New Orleans. Thus, it was upon my return to Tulane for Post-Bac and Grad School that I gingerly, began approaching administration to make mandatory a Service Learning component. Why, so, precautionary? I well knew that many, Tulane students did not work nor wish to work throughout their Higher Education academic years. I also, well knew that creating change within the larger Tulane system was slow and often, circuitous. In fact, I was told by various Tulane professors and staff that Tulane could not create a mandatory Service Learning requirement because 'Tulane is a private University and parents did not want their children to have to work or be locked into certain credits before they even arrived at school. It will never happen.'

For nearly, ten years I spoke my voice on campus. My email exchange below, dated 9 weeks Post-Katrina provides one example.

While I cannot take credit for inventing the idea of work-study, nor was my expertise utilized to implement Service Learning at Tulane (it was created as an entire department within the University), what I can take credit for is the cutting edge work in the Women's Studies Department nearly, 10 years prior, as well as my continued activism on campus strongly, influenced ideas and actions of students, staff, and administration throughout the years.

When I read that Tulane has repeatedly, won National Service Awards, I feel proud of my choices, intentional investments, and historical role at Tulane for twenty years. I feel that I have lived up to the legacy that Josephine Louise Newcomb left for all of her Newcomb children: that we should be educated in both the literary and practical aspects of life such that we should be well-developed, confident, whole women.

-----Original Message-----
From: jsachs@tulane.edu
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 9:23 AM
To: scowen@tulane.edu
Subject: mandatory community service

11/04/05

Dear President Cowen,

I have often thought that creating mandatory community service for Tulane students to graduate would create an immense number of hands-on workers to help rebuild, and now, restore, New Orleans. This idea could be implemented on the Undergraduate, as well as the Graduate level (believe it or not, one does not have to work in the city at all to obtain a Public Health degree from Tulane! This is nearly unheard of in Public Health schools!)

I instituted the first Internship Studies class in the Women's Studies Department at Tulane and now, many, many students participate! (It may even be mandatory to do some sort of work-project to obtain a degree in that department, I can't remember)! 

(**My Post-Katrina brain somehow forgot that an Internship Studies requirement was mandatory to graduate with a Women's Studies degree since 1996--two years after I created the program!!)

I still think this is a fantastic idea and that all of New Orleans and all of Tulane would benefit...as they say, saving one life is equivalent to saving the whole world! I would love to help institute the program if you are interested!! Please, let me know...I am eager to get started on the next phase of helping and plan to return to New Orleans with the incoming green tide in January!

Hope you are finding some time for yourself :)

Thanks,
*Jen Sachs*

President Cowen's Response:
From: scowen@tulane.edu
To: jsachs@tulane.edu
Subject: RE: mandatory community service
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 15:41:14 -0600

A very interesting idea, which we are seriously considering.

National Service Award for Tulane

March 9, 2010

New Wave staff
newwave@tulane.edu

Tulane University is the sole New Orleans-area university, and one of only 115 schools nationwide, to be named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The honor is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Community service projects in New Orleans public schools are involving Tulane students in tutoring and other activities. (Photo by Sally Asher)

The Corporation for National and Community Service administers the annual award on behalf of President Barack Obama.

Tulane is one of only a handful of universities that have made the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since the program started in 2006. That year Tulane received the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for Hurricane Relief Service.

"Congratulations to Tulane and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities," said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "Our nation's students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service."

http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/030910_award.cfm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TulaneNewWave+%28Tulane+New+Wave%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail