The academic year has officially ended, but 35 Yale students have chosen to remain in New Haven throughout the summer to serve their host city as President's Public Service Fellows. This is the largest group of fellows chosen since the program began four years ago.
Established by President Richard C. Levin, the fellowships provide stipends to students who work on community-based projects for eight to ten weeks during the summer -- thereby freeing students from financial concerns so they can work in the public interest, and freeing community organizations from the financial burden of hiring summer help.
"In this fifth year of the President's Public Service Fellowship program, we continue to be proud of the commitment made by Yale students to the New Haven community," notes Nina Glickson, assistant to the president. "The fellows contribute to the strengthening of ties between Yale and its neighbors, and also welcome the opportunity to learn while they serve in the community."
This year 22 undergraduates and 13 graduate and professional students were chosen from more than 100 applicants to serve as President's Public Service Fellows. Each year, applicants far outnumber the available fellowships, and the number of students receiving stipends has grown steadily. "I think that's reflective of the fact that the program has been such a success," says Glickson.
A "wonderful" resource. "We happen to have two of the most outstanding young women," says Frances ("Bitsie") Clark, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Inc. "They are absolutely the most wonderful kind of resource the University can make available to an institution." The students, Erika Potter '00 and Kristin Rising '01, are "doing everything -- writing articles, doing bulk mailings, raising money and making artworks," says Clark. The undergraduates also served as site staff for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. "They are bright, able and magnificently educated kids," adds Clark.
While undergraduates generally are placed with an organization that has expressed a need for help, graduate students can submit their own project proposal. Fellows meet regularly to discuss their work, and each submits a report to the President at the end of the summer.
Melanie Mowinski, director of the fellowship program, organizes the weekly meetings. A student at the Divinity School with strong interests in art and community service, Mowinski says, "This is a fabulous program. It introduces Yale students to parts of New Haven that they didn't know existed and shows them how the city works. The students are a group of idealistic, motivated people who are willing to go out and make things happen. The program itself strengthens the bonds between Yale and New Haven, a relationship that keeps growing."
Help for financially struggling groups. Robert Kilpatrick, director of public relations, development and health education at the Hill Health Center, says he and other center administrators appreciate the opportunity the fellowship program gives them to "get some free help for the summer. That really is important," he notes, "especially when you're struggling financially."
This is the third year the Hill Health Center is welcoming a President's Public Service Fellow. Arlene Davis '99 works in the perinatal, pediatric and quality-assurance areas of the center. Her duties include creating informational displays for patients and shadowing pediatrician Dr. Robert Windom on his rounds. "We were very impressed by her qualifications -- that's why we assigned her to three different areas," says Kilpatrick. "The quality of students in the program is always high. They're also very nice people, and they're great to work with."
Lisette Carrithers '99 is spending her summer exploring the viability of a large-scale public market in New Haven. She is based at the Office of the Development Administrator for the City of New Haven. "What we're looking at is a farmers' market, but oriented more towards the city economy," Carrithers says.
Scott Javor '99 is based in the New Haven Department of Police Service, where he is using his computer skills to help the department better serve the city's senior citizens. One of his projects involves analyzing existing data on calls for police service to detect geographic and other patterns. "I'm developing a 'concept paper' for the elderly -- including things like identifying elderly abuse -- to get a better idea of how the senior population can be served," he says.
Graduate student Frederick Davis is working with East Rock Park rangers to document the role of the park as a biological preserve. He also is researching the families who contributed to this city landmark. East Rock is "a nice urban park," says Davis, "but it's also something more. Birds breed there, and there are neotropical migrants in fairly large numbers, suggesting that the park has a certain integrity" that should be protected, he says. To help increase awareness of the biological and ecological importance of the park, Davis will lead walks through the area.
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