When I opened the issues of The Daily Orange on Oct. 10 and 12, I was surprised to see one of the Student Association candidates’ main campaign ideas: a single-day, campus-wide community service program.

I was taken aback due to SU’s history in similar events. Two such programs already exist on this campus. Though one — Block Blitz through Home HeadQuarters — started this year in the fall, the other — the Big Event through OrangeSeeds — has been on campus for eight years. Although I understand about Block Blitz due to its infancy, I refuse to forgive SA presidential candidate Dylan Lustig about the Big Event.

OrangeSeeds, a first-year leadership and empowerment program sponsored by the Office of First-Year and Transfer Program, actively prepares 20 to 25 first-year students to plan and organize their own single-day, campus-wide community service event. Indeed, the Big Event is a culmination of everything the program instills in the ‘Seeds’ every year.

The event is open to all students, and SA is welcome to join and participate in the future in any capacity. We would love to have SA participate, as it would be mutually beneficial to both organizations.

It is annually the largest single-day community service event affiliated with SU. Last year, this event was held on the South Side of Syracuse; two years ago, the Big Event and its participants volunteered in various Near Westside locations.

I am sure that Lustig is a strong campus leader, but his lack of campus program knowledge should be a red flag to the student population. Lustig claims that there needs to be better communication between SA and its constituents, which is evident. Our SA president should actively support students and their programming, but how can he or she appropriately represent us if he or she doesn’t know these programs currently exist?

I agree that community service can always improve among the student body on campus. However, I believe that Lustig’s energy should be spent through other avenues to achieve our mutual goal. Instead of creating another Big Event, I would welcome and support SA’s assistance via participation and promotion for OrangeSeeds’ Big Event.

Forrest Ball

Co-director of OrangeSeeds

Published on October 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm