Annual Report – Programmatic Section

 

 

Implementation of Student Development: 

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The six Common Commitments provided the framework for this year’s Bonner programming. Each month, our two All-Bonner meetings and one class meeting focused on a different Common Commitment as a theme.  The first All-Bonner meeting of the month featured a guest speaker, while the second featured some sort of activity or service project based on that month’s Common Commitment.  Monthly class meetings provided an opportunity for small-group discussion and reflection.  Monthly journal topics also focused on the month’s featured Common Commitment.  Listed below are some highlights of our programming this year:

 

• International Perspective:  Former DPU Bonner Scholar Rajai Bimbo spoke about his experiences in the Peace Corps and his current position working with DPU’s international students.
• We viewed the film “Recycled Life” (http://www.recycledlifedoc.com) at an all-Bonner meeting and held small-group discussions about the film during the following week’s class meeting. 
• Diversity:  Prof. Raymonda Bergman presented a workshop on White Privilege.
• We celebrated the diversity of our group by holding a “Bonner Thanksgiving” potluck dinner prior to Thanksgiving break.  We invited the Civic Fellows, another campus group committed to community service, to join us for this event.  Students were encouraged to share their family and holiday traditions with each other in a reflection exercise during the meal.
• Community Building:  Bonner Community Partner and DPU grad Eric Wolfe spoke about his work with the Putnam County Community Foundation and some of the unique projects the Foundation is supporting in the community. 
• As part of Putnam County Make a Difference Week, we held a food drive at an all-Bonner meeting.  The class who brought in the most cans got a special treat at their next class meeting. Senior Bonner Sophia Bermeo organized this year’s Make a Difference Week. Sophia organized a county-wide food drive and led Bonner Scholars and Civic Fellows in a Trick or Treat for cans activity to support local food pantries. 
• Spiritual Exploration:  Brad Tharpe, DPU Director of Spiritual Life, led a workshop designed to help students determine their core values and what motivates them to serve others.
• Civic Engagement:  Sue Murray, a longtime Bonner Community Partner in her previous position at Putnam County Hospital, spoke on her past experiences working with Bonner Scholars and her vision for the city of Greencastle as its newly-elected Mayor. 

• Sophomore Bonners took a field trip to Hope Haven Horse Farm, one of our community partners, where they participated in a conflict resolution workshop using horses.  Hope Haven Horse Farm offers equine therapy to children with disabilities. The farm also uses horses to teach relationships and mentor at-risk teenagers.

• Social Justice:  Interns from the Compton Center for Peace and Justice spoke about their work, and Bonner Scholars Chloie Favinger and Bryn Gehring did a presentation they created about social justice issues.  Each Bonner class was assigned a topic and a list of discussion questions for the following week’s class meeting. At the following all-Bonner meeting, each class did a presentation on what they learned/discussed at their class meeting.

 

 

First-Year Service Trip 

 

For the fourth consecutive year, we went to Chicago to the The Brother David Darst Center for Justice and Peace, Spirituality and Education for our First-Year Service Trip.  http://www.brdaviddarstcenter.org/

 

This year’s trip was an element of a required January Winter Term course for first-year Bonner Scholars titled “Civic Education from Classroom to Community.”  Led by Sarah Ryan and Jessie Scott, this was the second year for the Bonner Winter Term course.  While much of the course built upon the foundation of last year’s syllabus, the class was much enhanced by the use of the “This I Believe” project. 

  

Every day, class began with listening to one or two “This I Believe” (TIB) essays.  After each essay, students engaged in small group discussions and/or independent writing activities.  We then brought the entire class together to reflect on the themes of the essay.  Each TIB essay was selected to relate to one of the six Bonner Common Commitments.  The course culminated with a final writing project with each student creating her/his own TIB essay, again tied to one of the common commitments, and reading it in front of the entire class.  The project was a great learning experience for the students.  It was enjoyable and inspiring as students shared parts of themselves, their families, their dreams, and their core beliefs.  Link to TIB essays.

 

The remainder of the course centered on the common commitments.  For each common commitment, we invited a guest speaker to class, assigned daily readings and writing exercises, and utilized Bonner training modules.  Class discussions were engaging and sometimes even heated.  All of the first-year Bonners participated, as did one sophomore who joined the program laterally.  Overall, it was very good preparation for the service trip to Chicago. 

 

Our Chicago service experience was directed primarily by the staff of The Darst Center, located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. This year’s service experiences included working at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, tutoring children at San Miguel Schools, visiting warming shelters at night, and going on a “Night Walk” to help students better understand what it is like to be homeless in Chicago.  The trip was a life-changing event for the students, and some have since chosen Bonner placements that focus on homelessness and housing issues because of this experience.  

 

Sophomore Service Exchange

We met the sophomore Bonner Scholars from Earlham College in Indianapolis at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store.  Our project was to divide into groups and pass out informational flyers promoting the Re-Store to surrounding neighborhoods.  After our service was completed, DPU Bonner President Kelly Garringer-Maccabe led the group in a reflection exercise, and students got to know each other better while sharing lunch.  We have a great relationship with the Bonner staff and students at Earlham and look forward to continuing this partnership for future Sophomore Exchanges.

Leadership Opportunities (Third Year and Beyond)

The leadership structure of our program provides many opportunities for leadership development, beginning in the first year.  We have four Bonner committees:  Executive Committee, Honor Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Community Fund Committee.  Every Bonner Scholar is required to serve at least two consecutive semesters on a committee. 

The Bonner Executive Committee (aka “Bonner Exec”), is our student leadership team.  Bonner Exec consists of a President, two Vice Presidents, and Secretary, a class chair from each academic class, three committee chairs, senior intern and Congress Reps.  Elections for Exec positions are held in April, with a transition/training meeting held soon after with the outgoing and incoming Exec members.  The newly-elected Exec meets at a planning retreat prior to the end of the school year to discuss goals and meeting structure for the coming year.  Exec meets twice a month during the school year.  The Bonner President leads the Exec and All-Bonner meetings, and meets weekly with the Bonner Coordinator and Assistant Director.  Class chairs are responsible for planning and leading the monthly class meetings.  

Additional opportunities for leadership in service-related programs exist within the Hartman House for Civic Education.  These opportunities include Hartman House Community Outreach Interns, Compton Center for Peace and Justice Interns, DePauw Community Service Site Coordinators, America Reads Team Leaders, and Winter Term in Service Interns.  For more information about these programs, go to http://www.depauw.edu/univ/hartman/

Senior Capstone

Near the end of the school year we honor our graduating seniors by holding a Bonner Senior Dinner.  All Bonner Scholars are required to attend, and each senior may invite two additional non-Bonners of their choice, such as a friend, family member or Community Partner.  The buffet dinner is followed by the Bonner Senior Presentations of Learning.  The quality of the presentations is improving each year, and hearing the wisdom and experiences of the graduating seniors has proven to inspire many underclassmen to make the most of their Bonner experience. 

The senior year at DePauw is very demanding academically, as almost all seniors are required to take a Senior Seminar in their major which usually involves a Senior Thesis project.  Each year, even our most dedicated Bonners struggle to complete their Bonner hours during the semester of their seminar and thesis.  We continue to look for ways to keep our seniors engaged in their Bonner work while keeping up with the greater academic demands.  We plan to make a more concentrated effort this year to encourage students to connect their senior thesis to their Bonner work when possible, to create a true “senior capstone” project.

 

 

 

Implementation of Community Partnerships: 

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We have more than 40 established community partnerships in the Greencastle area.  We publish a Placement Directory each year which lists details about each agency and service opportunity.  The directory is divided into two sections, Entry Level and Advanced placements. New partner agencies are asked to complete an application form which is reviewed by Bonner staff prior to adding their information to the directory.  For the coming school year we are implementing a new application process for all Community Partners which encourages them to consider the Student Developmental Model when creating service opportunity descriptions.

 

We hold a Community Partner Luncheon each summer for partner agency representatives.  At the luncheon we go over the basics of the program, including the developmental model, recognize outstanding community partners (as nominated by the students they supervise), and provide an opportunity for questions.  We also distribute updates to our Community Partner Handbook at this luncheon.  This year’s luncheon featured an in-depth training on the Student Developmental Model which asked partners to brainstorm ways in which they could implement the model at their agency. 

  

As stated above, we utilized some of our community partners as guest speakers at all-Bonner meetings this year.  In the coming year, we plan to implement monthly meetings of issue-oriented teams, and hope to utilize more community partners as resources for our Bonner meetings.

We hold a Community Partner Luncheon each summer for partner agency representatives.  At the luncheon we go over the basics of the program including the student developmental model, recognize outstanding community partners (as nominated by the students they supervise), and provide an opportunity for questions.  We also distribute updates to our Community Partner Handbook.  This year’s luncheon featured an in-depth training on the Student Developmental Model which asked partners to brainstorm ways in which they could implement the model at their agency.

  

This year we were able to provide additional training opportunities for our partners throughout the year by sponsoring two sessions in the Putnam County Community Foundation’s Non-Profit Learning Series.  Each month, the Foundation organized a program of special interest to those working in the non-profit sector, with topics such as “Non-Profit Management,” “Strategic Planning,” “Accounting and Finance,” etc.  This series has been very well-attended and is appreciated by our community partners.

 

As stated above, we utilized some of our community partners as guest speakers at all-Bonner meetings this year.  In the coming year, we plan to implement monthly meetings of issue-oriented teams, and hope to utilize more community partners as resources for our Bonner meetings.

 

 

 

 

 

Campus-wide Culture and Infrastructure: 

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As in previous years, DePauw has a strong tradition of out of class civic engagement activities, but significantly lacks formal connections to the academic curriculum.  The offering of courses that involve service-learning or community-based research are limited to less than a dozen options annually.  That said, DePauw’s commitment to the liberal arts offers a wide variety of courses on topics relating to poverty, diversity, international perspective, ethics, and activism.  A sample of course titles includes The Ethics of Doing Good; Race, Power, and Privilege; Liberation Theology; Women’s Social and Political Movement; Diverse Classrooms; Literature on the Black Diaspora; and Political Advocacy.  A campus-wide initiative focusing on sustainability issues launched this year shows promise for future collaboration and increased faculty interest in service learning and public policy.  http://www.depauw.edu/univ/sustain/

 

The Winter Term in Service program (WTIS) continues to promote faculty involvement in civic engagement.  With consistency in staffing and commitment to justice-based work, relationships and trust continue to improve.  This promises to open avenues with other faculty for local and regional service linked to the academic curriculum.  Faculty and staff outside of the Hartman House are also recruited to serve as advisors for Alternative Break trips organized by Compton Center interns. 

 

In the coming year we hope to re-establish the Hartman House Steering Committee, bringing faculty, staff, students and community partners together to facilitate civic engagement and improve Hartman House programming.