Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Bush pushes community service for work-study students BY LIZ SIDOTI ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS, Ohio Colleges and volunteer advocates are trou bled by a Bush administration pro posal that would require work-study . students to perform more commu nity-service jobs instead of, say, washing dishes or shelving books on campus. “It sets a lofty goal, but doesn’t necessarily give schools the means,” said Liz Hollander, executive direc tor of National Campus Compact, which has community-service ad vocacy chapters at more than 750 schools nationwide. Bush talked about volunteerism in a commencement address Friday at Ohio State University. He is en couraging students to meet a goal he laid out in January - that Americans devote the equivalent of two years of their lives to serving their communities. Part of his proposal is a require ment that 50 percent of schools’ fed eral work-study dollars go to stu dents who serve in community pro grams, such as tutoring or mentor ing children. Currently, only 7 per cent of the money must be set aside for that purpose. College officials and service ad vocates worry that schools will not have enough money to cover the costs of more community service. They say some universities will need more staff and others, such as schools in rural areas, will need transportation to get students to and from their jobs. “Many schools, as they are now, aren’t going to be able to meet that goal,” said Ariane Hoy, executive di rector of the Boston-based Campus Outreach Opportunity League, which pushes for community ser vice and social change at colleges. Leslie Lenkowsky, chief executive of the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, said the Bush administration plans to address some of the colleges’ concerns. The Federal Work-Study Program enables needy students to earn mon ey to help pay for their education. The program encourages communi ty service and work related to stu dents’ courses of study. However, many jobs are on campus, such as serving food in cafeterias, cleaning dorms or working in libraries. Under Bush’s plan, 250,000 to 300,000 college students would spend about 10 hours a week at nonprofit organizations nationwide. Rodney Coatney, an Ohio State se nior, spends 20 hours a week at the university’s recreation building. He sets up events for the community, such as the state competition for the Special Olympics Summer Games and the Ohio Wheelchair Games. “For me, even though I work on campus, I still have an impact in the community and that’s important to me,” said Coatney, 23, a psychology major from Dayton. “Not only is this my job, but there’s the feel good por tion of it where I’m helping others.” About 732,904 students at 3,224 colleges were in work-study in 2000, receiving a total of $917 million, three-quarters of that federal mon ey. Students earned an average of $1,252 a year in 2000, the most recent U.S. Education Department statis tics available. Thirteen percent - or 100,523 stu dents - had community-service jobs, with 28,901 employed as reading tu tors and 2,770 as math tutors. Alison Ream, a policy analyst with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said many schools do not believe a fi nancial-aid program is the place to promote the administration’s com munity-service goals. “College students are engaged in service in a variety of capacities and we feel that putting the onus of community service on the backs of those in the federal work-study pro gram is unfair,” she said. • Large one and two bedroom floor plans • Located close to campus • Great roommate floor plan •Walk in closets • Swimming pool and two tennis courts • Car wash area, laundry facility and wei gbt room Ask about our student summer 1/2 OFF special! ! Call us @772-9409 or Stop by -100 Bryton Trace (across from Pulliam Wray by the flashing yellow light) BY STEVEN K. PAULSON ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER - A U.S. Forest Service technician accused of starting the wildfire that has blackened nearly 103,000 acres (41,200 hectares) and destroyed 22 homes appeared in court in handcuffs Monday and was ordered held without bail. Prosecutors said Terry Barton, 38, started the fire June 8 while burning a letter from her estranged husband, then lied to investigators about it. If convicted of all charges she could be sentenced to a total of up to 20 years in prison and be fined $250,000. u.a. Auorney dunn oumere asseu Watanabe to keep Barton held with out bail, saying she might try to flee. Barton was charged with setting fire to timber in a national forest, damaging federal property and making false statements to investi gators, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Leone. At the time the fire broke out, Barton was assigned to patrol the Pike National Forest in central Colorado to enforce a fire ban. The 18-year Forest Service em ployee said she burned the letter within a designated campfire ring, where fires normally would be al lowed, but then the blaze grew, Leone said. Wind drove the fire to within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Denver’s far southwestern suburbs last week, or 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the city limits. The fire was about 50 percent surrounded Sunday, but about 5,400 people remained out of their homes. Barton initially told authorities she smelled smoke, discovered an illegal campfire and tried to put it out by throwing dirt on it. Investigators later determined she could not have smelled smoke from the position she reported. Another blaze flared m south west Colorado and had forced the evacuation of about than 860 homes by Sunday night. It had burned more than 26,000 acres (10,400 hectares) in the San Juan National Forest, destroying a cabin. In California’s Sierra Nevada, a 6,500-acre (2,600-hectare) fire de stroyed two homes, forced 400 peo ple to flee and shut down a highway south of Reno, Nevada. The fire was expected to be fully contained Thursday, officials said. A 3,500-acre (1,400-hectare) fire near Lake Isabella, 120 miles (193 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, destroyed five homes and briefly forced about 200 people to flee during the weekend. Officials said it was nearly half surrounded by Monday morning. A fast-moving southern California fire burned 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) of forest and tem porarily closed an interstate in San Bernardino. It was only 10 percent contained by early Monday, author ities said. New Mexico’s largest blaze, which has charred 92,500 acres (37,000 hectares) on the Philmont Scout Ranch, was 75 percent con tained. uu uie Hiasi v,oasi, a ioresi lire near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was contained Monday after burn ing about 1,500 acres (600 hectares) and forcing 400 people to leave a golf resort. No injuries or damage to homes were reported.