During their presidential campaigns, John McCain and Barack Obama both discussed the importance of increasing national community service efforts. As the country prepares for Inauguration Day, a number of policy proposals aimed at encouraging greater participation in and providing more resources for national service initiatives are on the table.
In addition to broader national efforts - such as expanding AmeriCorps and encouraging individuals over the age of 55 to do volunteer work - some proposals that specifically target college students are outlined on the Obama transition team's Web site, Change.gov.
"What is particularly exciting right now is we have a president-elect and new first lady that understand (national service) at a grassroots level and a policy level," said Director of the Swearer Center and Associate Dean of the College Roger Nozaki MAT'89. "They come into this actually having direct, hands-on experience working with young people and doing community organizing."
Under the proposed American Opportunity Tax Credit, families could receive a $4,000 tax credit if a student performs 100 hours of service per year. Students would receive the credit regardless of their families' tax burden. If a family paid less than $4,000 in taxes, they would receive a payment for the difference. Another suggested policy would increase the number of service-oriented, work-study jobs to 25 percent of all campus jobs. Currently, seven percent of work-study positions at Brown are service-oriented, Nozaki said.
"Increasing (the number of service jobs) to 25 percent would clearly have broader campus impact," Nozaki said. "In terms of making funds available and engaging with the community, it could be a good thing," but existing programs could be affected if funding had to be reallocated to support new programs, he added.
The programs would likely be run through the Swearer Center and the Office of Financial Aid, which already have a "great partnership," Nozaki said. They currently are involved with the Scholarships for Service program, which provide students who serve a minimum of 300 hours of community service with a $1,000 scholarship, and Brown's extension of the National College Advising Corps, which sends 12 college guides to local public schools, according to the Swearer Center's Web site.
Regardless of what exact policies are implemented, raising the visibility of service programs will provide resources at national and community levels, Nozaki said.
"If pieces of this plan go forward there is a potentially great opportunity for Brown, the city and the state," Nozaki said.
Some students saw the proposals as an opportunity for students to become more involved in service projects. "For a lot of people there is a compromise between getting a job and making money and doing community service," said Eliza Adams '12.
But some students wondered if giving incentives for service work would "take away from the idea of service for service's sake," said Niwaeli Kimambo '12.
Nozaki emphasized the vague nature of the current proposals and the greater importance of increased focus on national service programs. "It's not a panacea or stand-alone initiative," Nozaki said. "It's part of a bigger picture to address social issues."
