Teams of fraternity and sorority members, led by Public Service Center volunteers, offered their services and friendship at several sites in Ithaca Nov. 1, as part of Public Service Day. Clockwise from left, sophomores Matthew Eskander and Mark Perlman, junior Jessica Seabury and senior team leader Adina Saperstein visit with Lydia Smith, Helen E. Hurd and Alice Hilton for an afternoon social at Ithacare. Charles Harrington/University Photography
A Public Service Day on Nov. 1, organized by the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Panhellenic Council and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, has been termed a success by participating Greek houses and Cornell officials.
The day's activities consisted of a Collegetown cleanup, with student volunteers and neighborhood residents; a retreat and community outreach program for public service chairs of the fraternities and sororities; and a "turkey run" to benefit the Student Wishmakers of Cornell.
During the annual Collegetown Cleanup day Saturday, approximately 270 students and Ithaca residents enjoyed free food and music while collecting trash and cleaning the neighborhood's streets.
"It worked really well," said junior Josh E. Brill, chairperson of the cleanup effort for the IFC. "Even though it rained in the later part of the day, people were still coming out. And we covered an even more extensive area than last year."
The cleanup effort was co-sponsored by the Nines restaurant and other Collegetown businesses, the city's Department of Public Works and the Cornell offices of the Dean of Students and Community Relations.
The turkey run, sponsored by the Psi Upsilon fraternity, was a 5 kilometer walk/run in the Plantations, which attracted 15 to 20 participants, said Pete Coors, philanthropy chairperson for the fraternity.
The Public Service Day retreat, coordinated by the Public Service Center, involved 45 public service chairs from Greek houses meeting Saturday morning in Statler Hotel. The program offered a keynote speech by Cornell alumna and Pi Beta Phi sorority member Bobbie MacGuffie '46. MacGuffie, a surgeon who specializes in children's cancers and burn surgery, spoke about the importance of public service and volunteer work and, specifically, about humanitarian efforts she has established in Kenya.
"Participants seemed really impressed with Bobbie's story," said Randy S. Stevens, associate dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority affairs. "They were really moved by her."
The retreat continued with a community outreach effort in which fraternity and sorority participants went to various agencies in the Ithaca community to volunteer during the afternoon. The activities allowed for hands-on experience in public service, with the hope, said Kim McKenzie, director of chapter services in the dean of students office, that the officers would bring the experiences back to their individual chapters.
"We feel optimistic that the public service chairs will be able to use this event as an opportunity to change the way their chapters function," said Stevens, "particularly as they relate to service activities."
A team of eight students worked at the Ithaca Community Childcare Center from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thaisa Way, director of the center, said the staff was grateful for the students' volunteer help in improving the safety of the childrens' playground.
"It's really labor-intensive work," Way said. "We could never afford to pay anybody to do it, and yet it is a safety issue for our kids, so it had to be done.
"Also, I am able to talk to the college students about what we do here at the child-care center and educate them about the needs of a non-profit, human service organization in the community. I think this is crucially important; it could make or break the future of human service agencies, because these students are tomorrow's employers."
Overall, the retreat achieved the objectives of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said Stevens, and he was pleased with the participation and engagement of the students. The office is considering making Public Service Day an annual event.
"A lot of feedback from the student evaluations is very positive," said Stevens, "but they also talked about the need to continually do this. So we are going to explore the option of making this more of a regular educational opportunity."