August 16, 1999

Survey asks faculty, staff to assess community service activities

By Francine Tyler

Did you give blood, clean up beaches, coach a kids' baseball team, or participate in any other community service activities during this past year? If so--or if you'd like to know more about opportunities for community service--the Planning and Budget Office would like to hear from you.

Planning and Budget is conducting a research project to determine the extent of faculty and staff involvement in the local community. In late July, the office sent surveys to faculty and staff asking about their community service activities during the summer of 1998 and the past academic year.

The deadline to return the surveys was August 13, but the office is still accepting them for a short time.

All members of the UCSC community--whether they have or have not been involved in service activities--are encouraged to return their surveys promptly in order to give Planning and Budget an accurate picture of faculty and staff involvement.

"These surveys will assist the university in making a precise evaluation of our service within the community and help provide service connections to those faculty and staff who would like to be involved," wrote Chancellor Greenwood in a letter to the campus community.

Surveys returned as of mid-August indicate that many UCSC people are involved with the off-campus community through their children, said Carolyn Boyd, a student intern in Planning and Budget. They may coach youth athletic programs, volunteer as a class aide, or help with other child-centered projects.

Other popular activities include volunteering at First Night Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and the WomenCARE Bowlathon, Boyd said.

The survey also asks what kinds of activities faculty and staff may want to become involved in during the future. This information may be used to help UCSC organize campus-based volunteer activities.

As part of the project, Boyd is also collecting information on student volunteerism. To do so, the office is polling service organizations in the community and on campus and taking note of service carried out through campus course work and programs. Sometime this fall, students may also receive a survey similar to the one sent to faculty and staff.

A report based on the research project's findings may be issued as early as October, Boyd said.

For more information or for a copy of the survey, call Boyd at (831) 459-5500 or send e-mail to cboyd@cats.ucsc.edu. The survey is also available on Planning and Budget's Web page at http://planning.ucsc.edu/budget/

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