GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University students showcased their embrace of community service and hard work as they participated in a beloved annual tradition.
Tusculum student Cheyenne Hewitt helps clean the sanctuary at Tusculum Baptist Church.
Students removed labels from used medication bottles and then sorted them by size to be recycled, with proceeds going to the First Presbyterian Church’s youth group.
Tusculum faculty, staff and students engaged in the annual Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day Friday morning, Sept. 27. This event, which has roots of more than 100 years, focuses these days on students heading into the community and around campus to complete service work. Faculty and staff members join them to provide guidance and complete some of the tasks.
More than 300 students, faculty and staff members participated this year, and one of the leaders in the large-scale event said it was successful.
“We’re already getting messages from our community partners praising the students,” Dr. Shelby Ward, coordinator of Tusculum’s Center for Civic Advancement and an assistant professor of political science, said shortly after the event concluded. “Group leaders said their projects went really well and that the outreach was a great connection with the community. Some of the community members fed them, and the students accomplished some really good work. It was a really worthwhile experience.”
Work completed
Among the 13 places off campus where students served the community were churches, long-term care facilities, as well as CARE thrift store and the Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center. Projects undertaken at these facilities included cleaning, painting and sweeping. For one of the projects at First Presbyterian Church, Tusculum’s mother church, students removed labels from used medication bottles and then sorted them by size to be recycled, with proceeds going to the church’s youth group.
One of the businesses students visited was Durham-Hensley Heath and Rehabilitation in Chuckey, where those Pioneers painted pumpkins. While they were present, students had the pleasure to speak with several veterans who reside there and shared stories about their military experiences.
“That kind of a project is a reminder that community service is not always just labor but also connecting with people,” Dr. Ward said. “Taking time to go out into the community and spend time with people who live there and might not otherwise cross your path is meaningful as well. That was a really nice project.”
Dr. Shelby Ward, coordinator of Tusculum’s Center for Civic Advancement, speaks to the students.
Tusculum students paint at Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center.
Weather conditions prevented some community partners from being able to participate, so students who were originally scheduled to go to those locations were redirected to locations on campus. Some students were already assigned to complete their service work at the university, but the additional hands enabled some other projects to be completed at Tusculum. Projects completed on campus included reorganizing storage spaces and clearing out recycling bins.
Two Tusculum programs that particularly benefited were the Center for the Arts and Arts Outreach. Many students helped repaint the stage in Behan Arena Theatre, and their work will be noticeable to audience members during the 10-show run of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which will be held in November in that facility. Students also created space for four dressing rooms and installed platforms for the set to be used in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Other items that were addressed were decorating the main lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center, creating a welcome station outside the faculty and staff offices in the building and clearing out a room for additional, more organized storage.
“Having students available to assist with these projects on campus was of great benefit to the departments and offices that were served,” Dr. Ward said. “Many of these projects will ultimately have a community benefit because of the large number of guests who come to campus, particularly to visit Annie Hogan Byrd. Students will be able to see how their work will contribute to the enjoyment of events that take place regularly on campus.”
Students’ viewpoints
Students were grateful to participate in Nettie Day. Isabella Clawson, a freshman pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, with a concentration in software engineering, assisted at Annie Hogan Byrd. Tres Silvers, a senior in the business administration program seeking a major in management, was part of the group at Tusculum Baptist Church. Dorian Craven, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Business Administration, assisted at the Roby Center.
Tusculum students and staff clean chairs at Tusculum Baptist Church.
Students paint the stage in Behan Arena Theatre.
“I enjoy helping out others and making everyone’s lives easier and ensuring that everyone is taken care of,” Clawson said. “It makes me feel good, and I hope it makes the recipient feel good knowing that there are people out there to help. I want them to know they are not alone and that there always people out there who can help.”
Craven has participated three times in Nettie Day.
“I feel like service work is giving back to the community,” Craven said. “It makes me feel good because I’m helping other people.”
Silvers had similar feelings.
“I like helping the community,” Silvers said. “It makes me feel good as well. I always feel like I could do more for the community. I like helping churches especially. I think they can use all of the help they can get.”
In addition to participating in Nettie Day, Silvers is taking a business service learning class at Tusculum, and part of that is completing service work in the community. He is performing four hours a week of community service work at his church, Embreeville Cove Missionary Baptist Church. The class teaches him about using teamwork, communicating better, listening and following instructions with help from a supervisor. He then puts the principles in action at the church.
Tusculum president’s thoughts
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, reinforced with the students who participated in Nettie Day how their service work aligned with Tusculum’s mission.
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, standing, observes service work students performed at First Presbyterian Church.
“This event is part of who we are,” he said. “This is part of what it means to be a Tusculum Pioneer. I’m very proud to see all of you here. This is an opportunity for us to be able to contribute back to our community that has given so much to us. We do it whether it is convenient or not and whether everything goes according to plan or not.”
One element of Tusculum’s mission is providing a caring Christian environment, which he said includes a way to support people that Tusculum family members have not yet met. He said the event also inspires civic engagement – not only to participate in service work but to become an even better citizen. Serving others will also enrich students’ lives and the lives of those they are helping through these projects, he told them. In addition, he noted that community service is a component of being a professional and provides everyone valuable lessons about hard work, diligence, flexibility and adaptability.
Nettie Day honors Nettie Fowler McCormick, one of Tusculum’s earliest benefactors. The event has evolved over the years, and people can learn more about it at https://web.tusculum.edu/academics/nettie-fowler-mccormick-service-day/.
Additional information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.