The Honors College at Auburn University has worked to educate its members on poverty awareness, stemming from Auburn University’s mission to serve the unaddressed needs of at-risk populations.
According to data provided through Alabama Possible, Alabama is the seventh poorest state in the U.S. Over 747,000 citizens live below the poverty line. Additionally, 9 of Alabama’s 67 counties have poverty rates that exceed 25%.
“The Week of Service presents an incredible opportunity to expose students to the realities of poverty, its causes, effects and efforts to combat it during their first time away from home,” said Maggie McGuire, junior in biomedical sciences and pre-optometry pursuing a minor in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. “Consistently, students who participate in the Week of Service exit the week with a new, informed, and empathetic perspective on poverty.”
Last week, from Aug. 9-13, the Auburn University Honors College engaged with the surrounding community in its eighth annual Week of Service. Each service day took place in Auburn, Opelika and the surrounding Lee County Area, involving almost 100 incoming freshmen.
“I really fell in love with the program as a participant and simultaneously started seeing the wonderful vision and opportunities within the Honors College which encouraged me to get more involved,” McGuire said. “It is easy to want to dedicate time and efforts to an organization that truly seeks to help you become your best self and accomplish any goal you present.”
During the week, students had the opportunity to volunteer with agencies in the area, hear lectures from local leaders, participate in a poverty simulation activity and debrief through peer discussions.
“I’ve always been really competitive about my grades, so I was instantly curious," said Sarah Comer, freshman in biomedical sciences on a pre-med path. "I started digging into the requirements and application process, and I was actually lucky enough to come and visit ... my junior year before the pandemic hit.”
On Monday, Aug. 9, students set foot on Storybrook Farm to provide service work for four hours that morning, from 8 a.m. until noon. Caleb Kirk, junior in chemical engineering and a head counselor during the Week of Service, said it was "really awesome" to see freshman "giving it their all" despite the humid conditions.
Following their work at Storybrook, Honors College students were sent to a poverty simulation in Brown-Kopel at 2 p.m. where they experienced the struggles of living in poverty. During the simulation, Kirk said students learned that typically, people's choices do not land them in poverty, but rather, they are stuck in a vicious cycle.
Stephen Morris said the Week of Service was beneficial to him educationally and socially as he moved from out of state his freshman year. Morris also served as a head counselor last week and is currently entering his third year at Auburn as a political science major. Alongside Kirk, Morris credits the poverty simulator for his “radical worldview shift,” as Kirk said.
On Tuesday, Aug. 10, the Honors College split into three different sites. They served at the Food Bank of East Alabama, the Auburn Public Library and Habitat Restore.
“I got involved in the Honors College by searching for ways to apply myself at Auburn not only in academics but also with a humanitarian and community focus,” said Andrew Gardner, freshman planning on studying mechanical engineering. “The true Auburn is not just the University, but it includes the city — from normal, everyday people to impoverished communities … I truly believe that Auburn people have a heart of service and those people are active at Week of Service.”
On the following day, Aug. 11, students visited the Alabama Rural Ministry, where they once again served from 8 a.m. till noon. ARM is a Christian organization that seeks to transform rural communities through the construction of both stronger families and stronger homes.
“A special moment for me this week occurred while serving with [ARM],” McGuire said. “We were assisting with some lawn work and helping trim trees … Seeing the willingness of these freshmen to give up their last week of summer to aid a stranger — who was just so grateful — is what this all is about.”
While at ARM, the students split up into five different sites. The focus of the day was on home repairs. Each group fixed roofs, put on new shingles, painted houses and more.
On Thursday, the students worked from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Half of the students traveled to the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, while the other half went to Lanett.
Morris said his group at KPNC collected sticks and logs off the ground to clear pathways around the park. Other groups spread mulch around a playground where children often play.
“I thought [the Week of Service] would be a good way to meet people I might have classes with while helping people in the Auburn-Opelika area,” Comer said. “It really made us a close-knit group of people, awesome counselors included.”
At the close of each service day, Honors College students gathered to eat lunch, watch educational videos and debrief on what they had learned that day.
“The most impactful thing that happened to me this week was observing how people in poverty think,” Gardner said. “Additionally, I learned how valuable my education has been and continues to be. Education is a great opportunity to escape poverty and I hope that people utilize this to improve their lives.”
To conclude their week on Friday, the Honors College students gathered for closing lectures at 7:30 a.m. in the Sciences Center Auditorium for notes from several speakers to conclude their Week of Service.
“I'm really confident in the future of the program with [the freshmen] leading next year,” Morris said. “None of them really know each other … but have made really good friends with each other [this week].”
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