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Surge in Community Service and Activism Within the SBC Community
By Blair Mullally ‘10
STAFF WRITER

As the holiday season grows closer, it seems easy to escape into the fantastical world of gifts and grandeur. In a season so filled with material wealth, many members of the Sweet Briar community have been taking a moment to ask what effect we as individuals are having on the world, through participation in acts of community service and activism.

According to Michaela Weiss ‘09, who participated during this year’s activities to support Oxfam, the business management class was very successful in fundraising for Oxfam. The Dining Hall Fast this year not only succeeded in raising community awareness, but was also monetarily successful, raising $2,29 2.29, the highest amount of money the activity has earned to date. Weiss added that “most students were willing to listen and were enthusiastic about participating in the Oxfam events”, which was evident in the 73% participation rate, a figure Weiss noted was “beyond our goal.”

As a result of the overwhelming amount of students who wished to participate in the Oxfam fast, there actually was not enough food to accommodate the amount of students who showed up. According to Weiss, “those who had to wait for food were more than patient, which was wonderful”. She says, “I think the Sweet Briar community was moved to participate in these events because of the awareness that so many people are suffering from hunger in the world today.”

In addition to the Oxfam hunger banquet and dining hall fast, SAAC, SBC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee sponsored a dodge ball tournament on November 8th in the gym. In order to register for the tournament, teams of five contributed $20, and spectators were asked to contribute $2, half of which was contributed to Oxfam. For spectators and participants alike, the tournament was a fun and active way to benefit a respectable charity. According to SAAC representative Megan Behrle ‘09, apart from the monetary gain of the tournament, “the most rewarding part of the evening was competing in the tournament…and watching all the fans.” Behrle also added that SAAC plans to have another tournament, either next semester or next year, and that she hopes “more teams come to compete (including teams of professors).”

Sweet Service, Sweet Briar’s recently re-named community service club, sponsors community service continually throughout the school year. So far this year, Sweet Service has invited senior citizens to a fall dance and collected clothing for those less fortunate. According to Brandon Agnew ‘07, Sweet Service’s president, both activities were very successful, with many students expressing interest in continuing the activities in the future. Although Sweet Service’s activities may resemble those of Circle K, Agnew was careful to note that the club is no longer affiliated with the organization, as membership dues were sapping money from funding for deserving projects. For those interested, Sweet Service meets every other week, and will meet the first Monday after students return to campus from the holiday recess. The club’s planned ideas for future projects include collecting items for troops overseas before the holiday break and a “senior prom” for the area’s senior citizens.

Jennifer Crispen, Sweet Briar’s head field hockey coach and an associate professor of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation at the College, says she has “always been a political activist”, and her political beliefs were recently put to the test. When “the proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendment defining marriage absolutely offended [her] sense of right and wrong”, the first step Crispen took towards expressing her beliefs was attending a meeting organizing the opposition to the proposed amendment within a local group, the Greater Lynchburg Coalition for Fairness. The Coalition made phone calls to voters, dropped leaflets at doors, worked events and made an appearance at the polls on Election Day.

The Coalition’s main event was a rally on November 5, which, according to Crispen, “was intended to publicize [the Coalition’s] talking points.” Although the Coalition had originally hoped for only fifty participants, four hundred showed up, including several individuals from the Sweet Briar community, and three major local television stations, as well as The News Advance, which interviewed the Coalition’s spokespersons. The News Advance continued the involvement in the movement by running the Coalition’s John Hancock advertisement featuing “over 900 signatures in support of defeating the amendment.”

Despite the fact that the amendment passed, Crispen made it clear she is still very happy with the local involvement, saying “Working to defeat the amendment defining marriage in Virginia was the most rewarding thing I have done in years. It is important for citizens to involve themselves in political decisions, regardless of their beliefs and affiliations, because the right to do so is the most precious right democracy gives us.”

Michelle Badger ‘06, the current Assistant Director of Annual Giving for Development, was also involved in the protest against the proposed amendment. Badger participated by making phone calls to citizens in different states with close races, not including Virginia. Additionally, Badger attended the Vote NO rally in Lynchburg, which she says featured “many inspirational people [who] told their stories and gave reasons why [people should] vote no.” Despite the election’s outcome, Badger is also interested in upcoming elections, saying “it has been interesting watching all the candidates throwing their hat in the ring. I cannot wait to see what happens next. I am really excited to see what happens in the next two years as well as to see what will happen with the presidential election.”

Community service and political awareness, unlike political campaigns, have no distinct beginning and ending, which is a huge advantage. By being aware of the ever-changing world around us and staying active in our communities, we take the advantage of the rights democracy has given us; rights that, if not taken advantage of, we might as well not have.