I think that Bonner is a very effective organization on campus; however, it would be more beneficial to get our name more integrated into the school. I would like to see every student at Stetson know about the Bonner program and the great work it does. Also, I would like every person in this community to know about the Bonner program; and not just the community partners. If our organization is more known in the community then it is better for us to get support and to learn about new opportunities.
Finally, I think that Bonner needs to expand CLAs to more than just one location. For instance, while I work with the Coalition to End Homelessness there is often times not enough need for a student to get 8 hours of service there a week. In this case, we need to expand CLAs to incorporate more areas that may also help the same initiative. I understand that the goal is to build a relationship between the student and the community and ultimately the school and the community partner but it is hard to get so many hours for a CLA when the organizations already have outside volunteers or limited availability.
Ultimately, Bonner is a pretty smooth running organization and I love it. However, there are things that can be improved. :)
I definitely agree with you on this Courtney!!
ReplyDeleteDuring our all calls I feel that the lead team members have little influence of control. I know it can be hectic at times, however I feel that people should not be yelling to gain the attention of others. I really liked the idea of community based research that was introduced to us as a form of service. I sometimes feel as you do, with our CLA's, that it is hard to make a significant impact on the community. Also it is sometimes difficult to acquire the hours needed for the Bonner Program. I think if we had more of the Stetson population supporting us, more could be done and we could be more influential in making community decisions. This could make a substantial change for needed areas in Deland.
Courtney! I am right with you :) I think that Bonner is an awesome organization that helps the students get involved on campus and within the community. As a freshman, it really gave me a jump start into getting involved at Stetson. However, there seems to be a lack of communication within the program. I feel that we could use a lot of work in getting into the school. It always seems to be the fraternity's and sorority's that you see out on campus. I would love to see Bonners around campus as well.
ReplyDeleteAso, as a member of Student Coalition to End Homelessness it does seem to be difficult to get all of my hours. I do think that there is a lack of consistency within the program and that we can work on making that less of a problem next year as we become more involved.I would love to start working on making these changes to the Bonner program next year. Good thing we have 3 years left here!