Let’s make MacServe a student priority

By: Sunanna Bhasin

Last February, I partook in one of the best learning experiences of my life: MacServe Reading Week. MacServe is a service-learning program run by the Student Success Centre that coordinates opportunities for groups of students to volunteer in the city and abroad. It differs from community service by combining personal reflection, critical discussion, and working alongside community members as opposed to working for them. It encourages students to recognize their responsibility to engage in civic life.

While MacServe provides opportunities elsewhere, I chose Hamilton because I wanted to get to know the city beyond McMaster. The overwhelming emotion and connection I felt each day is indescribable. Service-learning was an integral part of my growth into a compassionate and well-rounded individual. Outside of personal growth, students should be encouraged to be active in their community outside the “McMaster bubble.” There is sometimes hesitation on the part of students about exploring downtown Hamilton, partially because of the uncomfortable reality of poverty in the city. This unfamiliarity should not translate to an unwillingness to learn about our surroundings, especially since it is our home for at least eight months of the year.

One issue is the social stigma associated with poverty, which we can perpetuate if we ignore the issue. There is prejudiced language I have noticed at McMaster, such as the term “Code Red” used to refer to the especially impoverished areas of the city, further segregating the Hamilton and student population. We miss the bigger picture when we buy into this rhetoric, and fail to see the strong, hard-working community in this city that’s fighting to end this stigma. This bigger picture is something that cannot be fully understood through detached research. I met the Hamiltonians behind the stereotypes by conversing with a woman asking for extra snacks at the food bank, or sitting at a shelter, not only serving food to the customers but also eating and conversing with them. Participating in service-learning is a fantastic way for McMaster students to break through the barrier separating them from misunderstood members of the community.

I urge McMaster’s administration to consider giving students the option to partake in service-learning for course credit. With overwhelmingly heavy course loads, many students find it difficult to balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities, but this could allow more students to get involved. If professors encouraged community engagement and increased interaction with Hamiltonians by providing academic incentive, more students may become interested.

This model already exists in the university: McMaster’s Nursing program has taken steps to make 32 hours of service-learning mandatory in first and second year. Nursing 1K02 and 2K02 make up two parts of a course called “Health and Well-Being of Diverse Populations” which includes service-learning. Giving students an extra push to partake in what may be the most memorable experience of their university career could be the answer to not only cultivating compassionate minds, but also building up the Hamilton community. It is the application of textbook knowledge that becomes an effective means for social change.

Photo Credit: Tiffany Mintah