Dallas had an influx of helping hands in the community Saturdaywhen SMU students helped kick off the 2003 Homecoming Week withCommunity Service Day.

More than 700 students from various campus organizations signedup to participate in the event, which was sponsored by the Officeof Leadership and Community Involvement, Students PromotingAwareness, Responsibility and Citizenship (formerly known asM.O.V.E), Student Foundation, the Residence Hall Association andStudent Senate.

Each organization filled out a form online and ranked which offive service projects it would be interested in doing. There were30 agencies available to choose from. The most popular choices werefor Keep Dallas Beautiful Murals. The children’s activities,such as an elementary school carnival and “Swinging on aStarfish” at the Dallas Aquarium, were also among the mostchosen.

“Anyone could sign up,” Community Service DayChairman Stephanie Shell said. “You could sign up by yourselfor with a group, and then preference five projects. They were thenassigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

The kickoff started at noon Saturday when Vice President ofStudent Affairs Jim Caswell spoke to encourage students to getinvolved in community service and to send them on their way for theprojects they were doing.

“It really is a nice enhancement to the university’srelationship with the larger community,” Caswell said.”I thought it was positive to have a variety of studentsinteract with each other and going to various sitestogether.”

When students finished their projects, they gathered back at theflagpole at 4 p.m. for a time of reflection and a barbeque dinner.Mary Beard, assistant director of student employment, spoke ofservice opportunities available to students in the community,including paid tutoring at local high schools.

Community Service Day started on campus in the ‘60s butdied off. It only recently started back up again. In fall of 2002there was a Community Service Day as well as in the spring of 2003.This is the first year the day is part of the homecoming weekactivities. It replaced last year’s canned food drive.Students participating in CSD earned points for their organizationthat will go towards their final score for homecoming week.

“This is the first year we’ve done it this way withhomecoming and having a kickoff and barbeque,” Shellsaid.

Shell also said having the event as a homecoming kickoff greatlyimproved attendance and awareness on campus.

“Over 700 people registered, which is a big improvementfrom last year, when only 150 registered,” Shell said.”We’re trying really hard to get community serviceestablished on campus and make it a bigger deal thanbefore.”

Caswell felt moving CSD to be a part of the homecomingactivities was a good idea.

“It got more students involved in community service thanin the past,” Caswell said. “The connection withhomecoming and getting points was definitely a positivemove.”

Anand Sitaram, a senior biochemistry major and the homecomingcandidate for Alpha Phi Omega, the co-ed service fraternity, saidthat this is a great way to show that the SMU community respectsvolunteering.

“I think it’s a test to SMU that we have such agreat turnout,” Sitaram said. “This is something thatthe SMU community can really be involved in.”

Sophomore business major Jackie Geweke was one of therepresentatives from Delta Delta Delta sorority and said that shethought this was a good way for students to give back to thecommunity, and it shows a good representation of SMU.

“I think that Community Service Day reflects a verypositive light on SMU,” Geweke said. “It shows atogetherness of the campus in Dallas and to prospectivestudents.”

Shell said that overall, all of the agencies had positive thingsto say and that there wasn’t any agency that didn’thave someone working on a project.

“Everyone had [participants] there, and every agency wasfilled,” Shell said.

Sitaram’s organization went to the Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals. He thought that overall the daywent really well and that it was a positive experience.

“[Alpha Phi Omega] went to the SPCA and walkeddogs,” Sitaram said. “They had so many dogs, and theyneed to walk all of them. Having a whole bunch of people come inand help them was definitely a huge load off their day. I think itreally helped them.”