Hands-On Trend

In a recent community survey conducted by the grass-roots organization Pacoima Beautiful, residents expressed concern about possible leaky septic tanks in the area--a problem unlikely to get quick attention from local politicians or city bureaucrats.

Last week, however, some Cal State Northridge microbiology students rolled up their sleeves and began a study of the situation. Friday, they scooped up a few bottles of runoff water, which they will analyze in campus labs to determine if the water has been contaminated by leakage from 53 septic tanks in the Pacoima area.

“Are [the septic tanks] OK or are they a problem?” asked Marlene Grossman, Pacoima Beautiful’s project director. “Wouldn’t this be a natural thing for students to find out?”

The students in assistant professor John Schillinger’s class are doing the work through CSUN’s new Center for Community Service-Learning. In service learning, students practice their book-learned knowledge in real-world environments.

“It makes classroom work more realistic,” said Ryan Kinsella, 25, one of a dozen students who scooped water from gutters and puddles left by the heavy rains.

The method of instruction, although commonly used for years around the country, has become trendy in California colleges and universities in the last three years.

Here, 50 private and public colleges and universities now use the concept.

State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles), who held a hearing Friday on the subject at CSUN, is preparing legislation to secure $25 million to help further develop service learning in the CSU and UC systems, as well as in community colleges and private universities.

The purpose of the legislation would be to “put California in the forefront of a national trend,” Hayden said.

Many educators regard the teaching tool as a progressive way to tackle some social concerns of the 1990s, such as environmental pollution and urban deterioration.

“Most of us pushing for service learning are ‘60s hippies who know the value of service,” said Maureen Rubin, a CSUN journalism professor and director of the center.

This year, the CSUN center received $7,000 in funding from two grants awarded by Campus Compact, a national association of universities that promotes the concept. One of the grants is renewable up to four years.

Service learning, particularly popular at private and religious schools around the country, had been practiced sporadically in California institutions. But it wasn’t until three years ago that the current trend began in the public university system here. It was imported by then-CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz, a member of Campus Compact’s national board.

The type of community work the students perform varies from campus to campus--ranging from environmental preservation at rural universities to tutoring in urban schools.

Hayden’s legislation would establish a Statewide Service Learning Center Program within the state Department of Education to coordinate programs at the individual campuses.

Many educators welcome the move.

“We have so many community needs” that could be tackled by the program, said Alexander Astin, a UCLA professor who has conducted two national studies on service learning.

At CSUN, the center formalizes the service-learning concept. “If I got some outside money, I thought it might make it credible on campus,” Rubin said.

Rubin heard about the concern of Pacoima residents through Mayor Richard Riordan’s office. In her grant applications, she used it as an example and included a letter from Grossman describing the community.

Pacoima’s possible leaking septic tanks provide a perfect opportunity for CSUN students to learn--the main focus of service learning, said Schillinger, who helped gather the water samples.

“[The microbiology class] ties in nicely with the community’s needs,” he said.

Senior Beatrise Karaoglanyan, 23, said, “It prepares us for future work.”

In campus labs the students will analyze the water to try to detect the presence of coliforms, salmonella and other bacteria found in animal and human feces.

If the water is found to be contaminated, Schillinger said the findings could be used by public or private agencies to address health concerns in Pacoima.

Another service-learning pilot program at CSUN involves computer science students who will mentor and help teach work-related skills to at-risk teenagers at New Directions for Youth, a Van Nuys social-service agency.

In a third project, some of Rubin’s journalism students are working with newspaper staffs at Monroe and Van Nuys high schools, giving seminars and helping edit publications.

“It really tests . . . what I know in a practical situation,” said Jennifer Terry, recently giving a seminar on attribution to Van Nuys Mirror editors.

Practical experience obtained in service learning affects students’ lives after college, according to experts.

The two national studies co-authored by Astin that, combined, analyzed service learning nationally since 1989 will be published this year. They reveal, among other things, that students who participate are well-prepared for the work force, value good citizenship and frequently remain involved in their communities, Astin said.

Meanwhile, CSUN’s administrators hope the center will become a growing part of the university, involving students in various majors and projects in Valley communities.

“The students win and the community wins,” Rubin said.