Not for the money

As a current Advocate for Community Engagement, I am disappointed with the inaccuracy of the March 18 article titled “Volunteering for Cash: IU program pays students to volunteer at nonprofit organizations.” First, it is important to note that a volunteer offers services without financial remuneration. As was pointed out in the article, ACEs receive a stipend for 10 hours a week of service-learning coordination over the course of a year. As a result, we are not considered to be volunteers, but instead are liaisons between the University and non-profit organization we are assigned to. “Volunteering for Cash” is simply an inaccurate representation that does not reflect the actual responsibilities and duties of an ACE as reported in the content of the article. The concept of an outside source providing a student with a stipend to work in a semi-professional position, much like an internship, is not unheard of. Grants from the Hutton Honors College, for example, provide students with a stipend to gain professional experience at a private business or non-profit organization. In much the same way, the ACE program was established to allow students with a passion for service to gain professional skills and learn about issues of social justice through the experience of working with a local agency. The role of an ACE is to serve as a leader who assists in bridging the gap between the IU campus and the Bloomington community. We strive to engage our peers to actively consider their preconceptions on the greater social issues observed in Bloomington and the nation at large; and ideally, we hope to inspire the next generation of students to realize and maximize their potential for service and leadership within their own communities.