By EMILY MCKENNA, JORDAN SCURRY AND MADDIE TAGALOA
Creighton Digital Storytellers

Mitchell Ballock stands among members of the Creighton men’s basketball team as they speak with 60 All Saint students. Players talk about the importance of your education and how to follow your dreams. They even have the opportunity to play HORSE with students.

Moments like these mean a lot to Ballock, a junior guard for the Creighton men’s basketball team. He particularly finds meaning in the conversations, experiences and feelings/emotions he participates in with such community-building exercises.

“All these things will stick with me for as long as I’m alive,” Ballock said.

Ballock does the majority of his volunteer work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization. “Every time I hang out with my little brother is an experience that will stick with me for a while,” he said.

Ballock, like many Creighton Students, sees a lot of impact in his volunteer work .Volunteer work is impactful not only for those being assisted but arguably more impactful for those doing the assisting.

More than 4,799 students participated in community service this year, according to Creighton University Community Involvement page. Students can engage in service via the classroom, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities.

A crucial element of all these opportunities is that volunteering can be a requirement for all these activities. Many activities require that students complete a certain amount of volunteer hours per academic year.

Whether it’s an intercollegiate athletic team having to complete 20 hours for the semester, the Freshman Leadership Program having to volunteer once a week or the Alpha Phi Omega  service fraternity, students enjoy participating in service and don’t see a problem with it being required.

Members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity join specifically to participate in service. According to the Alpha Phi Omega website, the chapter provides an opportunity to develop social awareness, friendship and leadership skills.

The fraternity establishes four fields of service: to Creighton, the community of Omaha, the nation and the fraternity.

“The reason I joined APO was to be able to do more service and since it is required, it keeps me accountable and always thinking about what service I can do for Creighton and for the community,” APO member Eden Sun said.

Service is also evident is in living-learning communities. Current living-learning communities on campus are the Freshman Leadership Program, the Cortina Community and the Honors program. Freshman Leadership Program participant, Jack Mumm said he enjoys that service is required.

“I absolutely love that service and volunteering are required for FLP students. It allows me to participate in something I am truly passionate about while interacting with my classmates as well. I don’t really think of it as a requirement since I enjoy it so much, but I am glad FLP focuses on this aspect of caring for others,” said Mumm.

Other students believe though there is some danger in having college students be required to complete a certain amount of service hours.

“When things are required for people that they don’t want to do, it puts a negative connotation on those things. So if you are required (forced) to do community service, then you immediately think that it is a bad thing. But when you do things you want to do, the overall experience is more impactful,” said Ballock.

For students like Ballock, having the opportunities to interact with the Omaha community is the most important impact we can make. For most Creighton students, required service hours are good. Organizations set students up with engaging opportunities that work with their schedules. Men and Women for and with Others isn’t just a value listed but a genuine interest to Creighton students.