Consistent with national trends, UP women engage more in service than men do
By Lauren Seynhaeve
The Villa Maria Man Auction is the highest grossing fundraiser on campus. Yet it is a national trend that men are not active participants in university life, especially service.
Even at UP, a school known for community service, men on campus are on average less active in community service than females.
"Far more women are engaged in service than men," said Laura Goble, director of the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership. "In fact, our Assistant Director, Pat Ell, is looking into pulling together an advisory group to help generate ideas about how to engage men more intentionally."
Just after Christmas last year, staff members got together to discuss how to better get men involved in service. This led to a committee of Ell, Program Assistant for the Moreau Center Michelle Chang, Assistant Hall Director of Schoenfeldt Daniel Hannon, senior Taylor Bergmann, sophomore Villa Maria and Christie Halls Service and Justice Coordinator (SJC) Kyle Figura, and senior SJC Jon Hiser.
"We're thinking about it more, and it just doesn't seem right," Ell said. "We're not going to go out and lasso people, and most people want to be good and help serve, so we're trying to make that easier."
After discussions with marketing experts, the committee has found that men respond better to direct invitations, team language and men in advertisements, and they hope to use this information to get more male students involved in service on campus.
They also like how actively involved the Villa Maria men are with their annual auction.
"We should look at that and try to base our actions on it," Ell said. "It's a big deal, a lot of work and a lot of money and they give it away, but it's also a fundraiser as opposed to direct service."
Campus Ministry is also working to get men more involved on campus. In 2007, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was founded by Camp Ministry Assistant Director of Faith Josh Noem. One of the four main pillars of the League is justice, and once a semester the men complete a service project.
"All of our programs have a connection with service, it's not just faith," Noem said.
Noem said that in the 70s, the number of females in college started to take off, and by the 80s men and women were about equally represented. Since then, the number of women in college has continued to increase while the number of men has remained the same.
"Minority women and especially underrepresented ethnic groups have been increasing," he said. "The question is why men aren't doing the same."
But the men who are in college are still less active on campus than women.
"I don't fully understand it," Ell said. "For the men who are involved in service, it's as natural as waking up in the morning."
Another effort to help counter the lack of male involvement is the work that the SJCs are doing.
"I have really enjoyed planning exposures for students and holding 'educationals' in the dorms to raise awareness about certain issues," Figura said. "It gives students a great opportunity to get involved and serve their community."
Ell mentioned that if need be, the SJCs will go knocking door to door to get people involved.
"I certainly hope men get more involved in service," Ell said. "It strikes a chord at the heart of the university."
