Leonard Center announces changes to service-learning requirements due to COVID-19
Photo by Riley Latham.
On March 31, Lee’s graduating seniors received an email from Director of the Leonard Center William Lamb announcing changes to service-learning requirements due to the campus-wide shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, students were limited to 20 service hours per academic year for any single organization or project. Due to the outbreak, this limit has been lifted for seniors set to graduate this spring.
Students have been asked to avoid using official Leonard Center service paper forms — instead, students should send service reflection essays directly to the Leonard Center via email at service@leeuniversity.edu.
Students should include their name, ID number, individual or organization served, dates served and the number of hours served in the body of their emails.
Despite these changes, Lamb’s email emphasized that “work for which the student receives pay,” “playing sports or exercising to raise money for a cause” and “brief, inconsequential posts on social media” will remain uncounted toward students’ service hour totals.
The Leonard Center has offered several examples of ways students can serve their community for credit while social distancing, such as donating blood, calling nursing home residents or recording themselves reciting poetry for isolated individuals.
The complete list of criteria for service reflection essays and changes to service this semester can be downloaded on the Service-Learning page on Portico.
In a Q&A livestream on March 30, President Dr. Paul Conn addressed concerns regarding the future of service requirements.
“We’ve decided to go ahead and waive ten hours of service requirements for seniors,” Conn said. “Then for that last ten hours, we’d like to work with you and try to find alternative ways — you might be able to do that service back home, you might be able to do it remotely in some way.”
Conn stated Lee is committed to helping students graduate during the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and seniors set to graduate this year can expect exceptions for certain graduation criteria.
“We’re going to work with you. Hey, here’s the rule guys — the whole world is turned upside down,” said Conn. “We understand that, and if you’ve gotten this close to graduation, you’re scheduled to graduate in this May or in August, we’re sure not going to let you fail to graduate because of something like a service hour requirement.”
The full 35-minute livestream with Conn can be viewed here.
Senior art major Katie Caroll is expecting to graduate this May and has felt some relief due to the changes to service requirements amid an increasingly stressful environment of upcoming final projects and the emotional toll of social distancing.
“If you live around older people, think about calling them up and asking them if you could get them groceries, that kind of thing,” Caroll said.
Caroll mentioned she had hoped her final semester at Lee would have unfolded under normal circumstances but has nonetheless searched for ways to fulfill her final portion of service hours.
“In Chattanooga and surrounding areas, there’s a lot of restaurants and programs that are doing stuff for people who don’t have easy access to food during this time,” Caroll said. “Also, every first day of the month, try to avoid going to grocery stores because that’s when people with food stamps try to do their shopping.”
Caroll encouraged fellow students to search for places they can serve, mentioning that service organizations could use help in simple ways like sorting resources.
For questions regarding service-learning, email the Leonard Center at service@leeuniversity.edu.
