Welcome Week comes to a close with the Day of Service Saturday morning.

“This is an opportunity for the freshman to get out in the community and do service work,” said Kim Armstrong, Outreach and Engagement administrative assistant. “While we know we have a lot of students who are local students, we also have a lot of students who come from far away. Then it also maybe (allows those students) to develop a friendship or a relationship where they can do volunteer work throughout the year.”

Returning students are also encouraged to come and participate.

“We would like … a faculty member and a current student to go with each group (of freshmen) so the freshmen students would have that chance to bond and know people who are familiar with the campus,” Armstrong said.

This year 13 sites are available for students to work, including the American Red Cross, Burdette Park, Habitat for Humanity, Howell Wetlands and Mesker Zoo. 

Graduate Assistant Jiri Jirik said the number of sites is a downgrade from last year, but he anticipates more students will participate in the event than last year.

“We promoted better this year, I think,” Jirik said.

All the inside activities are filled, but most of the outdoor activities have a lot of openings, he said.

Last year, the Day of Service had about 150 student volunteers, and Jirik said his goal is at least 200 for this year.

Service Learning Director Ann Statham said she started the program three years after Student Development mentioned it wanted a community project for freshmen.

On Monday, University of Evansville (UE) started similar service projects.

“Ideally, USI students will finish what UE started in earlier this week,” Statham said. “I hope this introduces students to the issues with the community and could be more than a one-time thing.”

Anyone who wants to get involved should call Kim Armstrong at 812/464-1829 or visit her in UC 2208 to sign up.