Students go above and beyond with community service

As New York State's second largest city, Buffalo is known as the "City of Good Neighbors." Many of UB's 27,000 students are perpetuating this spirit by volunteering their service to the community.

Cuthbert A. Onikute, executive director of the University at Buffalo's Community Action Corp, a student-run community service organization whose goal is to facilitate student involvement in the community, said though he wouldn't mind seeing more, there has been a lot of student participation in community volunteering.

Onikute, who has been the director for the past two years, is no stranger to community service. Originally from Queens, Onikute became involved in volunteering through his scouting troop and joined the community service organization with the intention of lending a helping hand in Buffalo.

Other students at UB share Onikute's commitment to volunteering their assistance.

Zahava Essig, a junior political science and environmental studies major, said she regularly volunteers with the Point Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service Department in Rochester.

As a volunteer at the fire department and EMS services since 2000, she was required to fulfill 15 percent of service calls, and participate in one three-hour long drill per month. Her department also sponsors various community events, such as holiday parties and an annual candy delivery at Halloween.

Essig is also an active sister of Kappa Phi Epsilon, an on-campus sorority to which she said she was attracted because of their notions of love, friendship and goodwill, in addition to active community service.

Essig said she volunteers her time to sorority sponsored events such as Habitat for Humanity, making and delivering Valentine's Day cards to retirement homes and cleaning up South Campus.

"It feels like I'm making a contribution to my community and it also looks good on a r?(c)sum?(c)," she said. "It helps if you have friends that help out and inspire you too. It makes the situation fun."

While a host of community service jobs can polish a r?(c)sum?(c), students like Kelli Dochstader said she does it for the sheer pleasure of making a difference.

"I don't like forced community service," said the junior communication and design major. "The point of contributing is that it's completely voluntary, otherwise it completely changes the experience for you and the community."

According to Onikute, while many CAC members list their vast community service accomplishments on their resumes, the focus is usually on the service itself and not the possible personal benefits.

Onikute said students from a wide array of departments and with many different interests partake in serving the community.

"All the clubs and organizations on campus provide a service in one way or another," Onikute said. "Student athletes serve as role models and ambassadors of the university, while the Law School's Mock Trial and the Engineering Department all reach out and help the community in various ways."

Thomas Lyon, president of Alpha Phi Omega, a community-service based organization, said he asks his chapter members for 30 hours of service per semester, which is equivalent to two hours of service for each of the 15 weeks of classes in the semester.

"This is of course a minimum. Many of our brothers far exceed the requirements," Lyon said.

According to Lyon, 30 hours of service might seem like a lot of devotion to many students but is not actually such a big sacrifice.

"Unfortunately I think too few students are willing to dedicate two hours on a Saturday morning or weekday afternoon to do service," she said.

According to Lyon, Alpha Phi Omega has participated in several events this year alone, including the Reindeer Run, Operation Christmas Child, The Buffalo Zoo's Nighttime Halloween Tours, and a pledge drive at public TV station WNED.

They have also contributed to clothing drives for battered women, helped out at the Linda Yalem Run, counted votes for Erie County during the November election, painted with the YMCA, cleaned the Ellicott Creek bike path, and organized supplies for the Food Bank of Western New York and The Buffalo City Mission.

Alpha Phi Omega isn't the only fraternity with an eye on community service.

Rodolfo Garcia, a junior biomedical pharmacology student, has been a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon and has served his fraternity as vice president and membership development chair.

According to Garcia, Sigma Phi Epsilon participates in community services like Buffalo Kids Day, a school sponsored event that enlists fraternities and sororities at UB for selling newspapers for the Children's Hospital in mid April.

They have also participated in various projects through the Gloria J. Parks Community Center, located on Main Street, such as serving Thanksgiving Dinner and cleaning up the Main Street area.

The brothers have also participated in some unconventional fund raising activities.

"We have certain annual events such as the Teddy Dance, which is a 24 hour dance marathon at St. John Fisher in Rochester," Garcia said. "We have participated in the Teddy Dance for the past two years, and have raised over $7,600 for children with childhood diseases."

While some have gone above and beyond the call to service in the community, some believe the greatest results would come from everyone doing their little part.

"I think if everyone at school spent just two hours a week doing service, we could make the Buffalo area a much better place to be," Lyon said.