Western Kentucky University
EN-13: Community Service

Faculty are required to demonstrate engagement in service as part of their annual evaluation. This service should equate to a minimum of 10-20% of their time. This service is not required during regular work hours, but there is no policy restricting volunteering during work. As such, employees are permitted to volunteer during regular work hours. The University is a supporter of United Way and Habitat for Humanity, both of which involve employee volunteer time. Furthermore, the University in an enhancement affiliate of the Kentucky Academy of Science and other like organizations. WKU employees often serve on boards of these organizations and work on tasks for them during regular work hours.

Data were provided by staff of WKU Student Organizations and individual faculty advisors for student-led organizations on campus. Staff of Resource Conservation and the WKU Office of Sustainability provided additional service hours data.

As example of service hours/students completed at WKU, over 2,500 Greek students completed community service hours in the 18/19 Academic year. Midnight on the Hill raised $46,000 through 2,000 donated service hours. Student United Way raised $1,800 through over 1,000 donated hours. Volunteer in Progress conducts monthly drives and 100 hours of service hours. Twenty students took alternative spring trips, so donating over 20 hours of service and other 5 hours of service per student. DLI Phase III resulted in 20 individual student community service projects, Coming Home King Day of Service had 20 student participants, each donating 4 hours of service. White Squirrel Weather student-led decision-support service for campus involves 35 students annually, each averaging a minimum of 7 hours of time per week. Water Professionals coordinated multiple sinkhole and cave cleanups, each full-day activities with at least 10 students. Students of the Center of Human GeoEnvironmental Studies maintain a real-time water quality network which requires a minimum of 4,000 student service hours for data processing and 6,000 student service hours for field-based data collection annually. Five students of the same Center also each volunteered a minimum of 6 hours at Streamside Field Day, an event engaging 700 elementary students in water education activities. The Office of Sustainability had 62 volunteers who served 502 volunteer hours last academic year to maintain the WKU Food Pantry and the community garden area. Food Recovery Network involves a minimum of one hour, daily for a minimum of two students per day. All student athletes are required to provide service hours each semester. Similarly, all Gatton Academy students (120) are required to donate a minimum of 5 hours, weekly. SGA's Earn-A-Computer Program spurs community service hours. Students living in the $100 Solution House (6) or participating in the $100 Solution course (12) are each required to complete semester-long service learning projects. The incoming class of 2023 M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan students each spend a a full-day completing volunteer programs as part of "Big Red Blitz". 2 to 4 members of the WKU Chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars each volunteer two hours of tutoring time weekly at area elementary schools.

In the 2018/2019 season, the Diddle/Smith Recycling Program had 643 volunteers who completed 1,986 hours of community service. Volunteers are responsible for recycling waste and cleaning the stadium after a sporting event in exchange for a $500-$1,000 donation. Many of these organizations invest the donation in philanthropic endeavors. Previous groups have used the funding to sponsor scholarships, fund mission trips, donate to St. Judes and donate to the Hope Heart institute. The donation money has been used to advance social justice by sponsoring name changes for transgender students, creating a transition closet and sponsoring a hearing/deaf ASL conference.