By the end of today, all students that applied for the Deans’ Service Scholars (DSS) program should receive their acceptances or denials. On Thursday, October 16th the program will have its first meeting, which includes all of the student participants. The program received 152 applications. These were then carefully considered before students were granted interviews, eventually leading to a final selection stage that resulted in 72 filed positions for 6 different service trips. The DSS program is comprised of three major components, all of which are represented in it’s simple motto: “Learn. Travel. Serve.” In the vein of learning, the DSS program is starting to shift towards a much more academically focused program than it was in the past. A stricter regimen of pre-, mid-, and post-trip writing reflections, in addition to a capstone project are some of the new highlights of the program’s commitment to ensuring that all the students who participate walk away having learned from the experience. Similar to last year’s Alternative Spring Breaks, each of this year’s six trips includes, at least in part, a component of travel--either throughout China or around Asia. Two of the Winter Break trips are for outside of the country and give students the opportunity to travel to Cambodia or India. Even the Shanghai Raising Community Center project, which is based in Shanghai, includes a trip to Beijing where students from both NYU Shanghai and other global sites will visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of Mutianyu. However, between the cost of transportation, food, and supplies for the trip , these experiences can come with a fairly hefty price tag . Fortunately, the price of each service project was drastically reduced thanks to the help of David Fitch, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Charlene Visconti, Dean of Students, whose contributions often cut the final trip cost for students below half of the original price. When asked why he contributed to the DSS program David Fitch stated that he believed the program contributes to the major goals of both a liberal arts and a science education: an academic component and “an understanding—or at least a deep appreciation—for others.” He continued on to say that “the Dean's Service Scholar (DSS) program is meant to support both of these goals through experiential learning. It provides students with the opportunity to experience first-hand a new culture and community, to share and reflect on that experience, and to engage in activities that give something back to people in need.” Keeping these goals in mind, the DSS program’s service component is also being expanded upon this year with days of community service for all 72 participants and pre-trip meetings to discuss the work that will be done during the breaks. The pre-trip day of service that will be held in Shanghai on November 8th will act as a general introduction for all of the DSS participants to the larger implications of their service to the community, the world, and the specific individuals that they will be working with. The beauty of the DSS program lies in the intersection of all three of these major components, specifically in the pre-trip workshops. On these days, students will meet with the other participants going on their trip and learn about the culture and history of the regions that they will be spending time in, as well as the social issues that they will be working towards resolving. Even within the excursions themselves, there is a wide range of problems for the students to be exposed to. For example, students participating in the Cambodia trip will be working with Project New Hope to help teach the local unemployed population valuable skills for getting back in the working world while simultaneously learning about the rich history of the country, including the lesser known “killing fields.” In this trip alone, students will gain experience working with impoverished and unemployed individuals, while also learning first hand about the effects war and genocide can have on a country. For sophomores, the DSS program can be viewed as a revitalization of last year’s Alternative Spring Break, although a name change isn’t the only difference between the two trips. “Unlike last year’s program, that was mostly focused on the spring semester, this year its a full year long program, which is quite different, and the academic focus is much stronger,” said Charlotte Evans, Senior Writing GAF and DSS Coordinator. Because of this critical change in structure, a few more student leader positions, beyond the initial six site specific leaders, were added to the DSS program to ensure its success throughout the entire year. These positions include Marketing Student Leaders, an Event Facilitation Student Leader, a Pre-Trip Day of Service Student Leader, and Academic Student Leaders. This article was written by Kadallah Burrowes. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch.