Augustana offers many opportunities for students to become involved in and to help the campus community. However, when it comes to volunteer work and service in the surrounding community, Augustana should provide more options.

Volunteering is a great way for students to become involved in the community and give back. A non-profit group Augustana works with is Relay for Life, and it also offers student organizations like Alpha Pi Omega (APO), a service fraternity, and Camp Kesem. Being part of these groups helps students make new friends, looks good on a resume and broadens their worldview. 

While what Augustana offers is great, the Office of Student Life and the Student Bulletin should be used to spread more awareness of non-profit organizations and volunteer opportunities in the community surrounding the college campus.

Luckily, there are chances for students to participate in many volunteer opportunities outside of the college. Some that come to mind are helping at soup kitchens, gathering school supplies for nearby schools and helping out at hospitals. However, these options are not consistently advertised to students and may be disproportionately tailored to student groups.   

Despite the generally limited service opportunities the college provides, Augustana does have an Alpha Phi Omega (APO) chapter. APO is a co-educational service fraternity that builds friendship, leadership and service that helps within the community, chapter and college.

This service gives students the chance to gain new friends and be a part of something like a Greek group without the anxiety of pledging.  

It may seem like students can only have a role in volunteering by pledging to a fraternity or sorority, but that is not the case. Augustana needs to provide students with more awareness of individualized service opportunities. 

Individual students can get involved through non-profit organizations, like the Boys and Girls Club of America.

The Boys and Girls Club works to help youths in the community through volunteers showing them a variety of opportunities they can do with their life and offering help such as tutoring. 

Volunteering individually or in a service group or participating in an event in your local area is a great way to meet new people and possibly find something you’re passionate about. 

Getting involved in a volunteer activity or group helps students connect with the people around them and can inspire those they help. 

With this, Augustana should provide students with more opportunities and awareness to become more involved in volunteer services, not only within service groups on campus but also within the local community. 

By informing students of local volunteer opportunities it provides them with more information and shows that they are not limited to Augustana and can connect themselves to the surrounding community. 

Augustana should show students their different options regarding volunteer services at the Brew, a high-foot-traffic area, and at CORE. CORE is built to help students with their career readiness, so it makes sense to provide information about volunteer services students can participate in. 

Making more information about other volunteer opportunities in the area available rather than providing limited information on groups within the school campus can get students more involved and allow them to make lasting connections.