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2022–23 COVE at a Glance

• More than 800 student volunteers
• More than 25% of �Ա���Ƶ students (or one in every four) participated in COVE programs
• More than 80 community organization partnerships
• 22,300+ volunteer service hours, valued at $800,000 of economic impact

Feedback From Community Partners

Service and Program Highlights

Volunteer Teams

The COVE’s 37 volunteer teams, comprising 610 students, contributed in myriad ways this past year. Students tutored and mentored well over 100 schoolchildren in five different school districts (Hamilton, Madison, Morrisville-Eaton, Sherburne-Earlville, and Oneida); assisted over 100 high school students in our SAT Prep program; visited elderly residents at Madison Lane Apartments and Hamilton Manor; provided emergency ambulance and fire response services; and contributed to local historical societies and canal trail/recreation networks. Finally, this year we added one new volunteer team, �Ա���Ƶ Keynotes, which performs uplifting music and devotes time and care to children with serious illnesses.

High School Seminar

The 2022–23 academic year marked a return to full programmatic offerings, with two sessions per semester, or four for the entire year. High schools that had restricted their after-school activities due to public health concerns were ready to rejoin the program, and two new school systems came on board. This brought the total number of program partners up to 15.

Across all four sessions, 331 unique high school students (grades 9–12) and their chaperones participated in a variety of seminars with many students attending two or more sessions. For both fall and spring sessions, this amounts to 530 registered students.

Days of Service

This year the Days of Service program expanded to five offerings, with 144 unique participants. The COVE partnered with more than a dozen different community organizations for service day projects, beginning with September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance and continuing with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, �Ա���Ƶ’s Charter Day, partnering with the Office of Sustainability during its 13 Days of Green programming, and concluding with a Bone Marrow Donor Drive in April that netted over 400 registered donors.

Civic Engagement

This fall we are looking forward to receiving the results of the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement data from Tufts University about �Ա���Ƶ students’ voting rates in the 2022 midterm elections. Overall, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts estimates that 27% of youth aged 18–29 voted in the 2022 midterms, the second-highest youth turnout in the last 30 years. We hope to build upon the gains we showed in midterm election voter turnout from 2014 to 2018.

On Election Day last year, the �Ա���Ƶ Vote Project and Democracy Matters hosted a watch party in the O’Connor Campus Center, with over 75 students attending. Prior to Election Day, the two groups worked hard to encourage students to vote, meeting with Orientation Links, over 10 First Year Seminar classes, and participating in National Voter Registration Day.

Upstate Institute Partnership Spotlight: �Ա���Ƶ Reads Pilot Project

The Upstate Institute and the COVE have completed a pilot project to develop a literacy program at �Ա���Ƶ in partnership with Madison Elementary School. The project stems from data collected by the Upstate Institute and the Literacy Coalition for Madison County that points to a need for additional afterschool learning opportunities that help children attain grade-level reading by the end of third grade.

The pilot project paired 10 �Ա���Ƶ students who are trained in early literacy strategies with 10 second- and third-grade students who Madison teachers identified as in need of extra reading time outside the school day. The model for the program is the America Reads national literacy challenge program developed by President Clinton. In this year’s pilot program, the �Ա���Ƶ students who completed the paid mentorship positions gained valuable experiential education and an opportunity to engage with students from the local community, while the Madison students developed their reading skills and confidence by making a new friend. The program will continue for a second year in the 2023–2024 academic year, while the Upstate Institute and COVE collects data on the impact of the program on students from �Ա���Ƶ and Madison Elementary School.

Additional COVE and Upstate Institute partnerships this year included a continuation of the community-based work-study program, which provided paid internships to four federal work study–eligible students who may not have had the option to volunteer time at a nonprofit organization, and the Finding Money for Social Change Grant Writing Workshop.

Service Learning Course Development Grants

This year the COVE supported three service-learning course development grants: two locally in Upstate New York, and one that involved a long-distance trip to Puerto Rico.

Meika Loe: Sociology of the Life Course

Professor of Sociology and Media Studies Meika Loe taught this course before, and to date, her students have created of aging community members. As one of the course assignments, students spent 15 hours meeting with, learning from, and ultimately creating a digital story about a community member. Additional course objectives included exploring interdisciplinary theories focused on age, aging, and death and dying; understanding and applying feminist and sociological approaches to age, aging, and the life course; analyzing ethnographic case studies of age-based communities and recent empirical research on aging; and countering ageism in society.

Sam Rosenfeld: Political Polarization and American Democracy

Associate Professor of Political Science Sam Rosenfeld developed a new service-learning course to explore questions about democratic backsliding and political polarization straining the system. He noted the decline over time of local parties and engagement/knowledge in the citizenry. There have also been significant changes in subnational politics, which have become more nationalized over time — so much so that the famous adage from former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil that “all politics is local” is no longer true. Students, through partnerships with local political parties and advocacy organizations, sought to discern how local politics is or is not able to mitigate the toxic trends we see today.

Paul Humphrey: Imagining Queer Caribbean Futures

In May 2023, a group of 10 students traveled with associate professors of LGBTQ Studies Paul Humphrey and Danny Barreto to Puerto Rico to participate in a week-long service-learning trip focused on decoloniality, sustainability, and notions of sovereignty through farming and artwork. The students had previously taken a class focused on the themes of the service-learning trip, either LGBT 360 – Imagining Queer Caribbean Futures or LGBT/ALST 242 – Religions of Resistance: Gender, Sexuality and Performance in the Caribbean. The trip took place between May 13–20, with students spending the first two nights and final night in San Juan, and May 15–19 at Camp Tabonuco, a sustainable farm that focuses on agroecology, creative arts, and community education projects in Jayuya. In addition to the classes they had completed, students prepared for the trip by meeting on four occasions during the second half of the spring semester. These pre-departure meetings focused on the specifics of the status of Puerto Rico as a colony of the United States and the ramifications of this on hurricane relief, the effects of Puerto Rico’s tax code on promoting gentrification by people moving to Puerto Rico from outside the archipelago, and the ways in which the privatization of the national electric grid after Hurricane María has led to increased costs and poorer service for the consumer. Each of these topics built on the existing knowledge base all students had regarding decoloniality, sovereignty, and sustainability. One student participant noted, “Activities helped us explore our very diverse interests and personalities and learn so much more about ourselves, each other, and our ancestral roots in ways we could not have imagined.”

Service-Learning Partnerships

The COVE partnered with three additional faculty members this year to support service-learning projects. In spring 2023, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences Regina Conti, as part of her 300-level course, organized service opportunities for her students with the Community Wellness Center, Hamilton Center for the Arts, the Hamilton Food Cupboard, and the Hamilton Public Library. Professor Conti, who titled the project Bonding Across Boundaries, sought to collaborate with neurodivergent community members of all different abilities.

For the past three semesters, Professor of Religion Georgia Frank and Professor of English Michael Coyle’s “Millay Research Squad,” worked with the Millay Arts organization, in concert with their 50th anniversary. Overall, this project involved 67 student volunteers, who spent roughly 550 hours researching 2,400 artists and were fueled by over 70 gallons of chili.

Additional Signature Programs

Pre-Orientation Outreach Program

Each year we invite first-year students to be part of our pre-orientation community service program. For August of 2022, we had 19 students (14 first-year students and five upper-level leaders) work with more than 10 different community partners. Highlights included visiting Shako:wi Cultural Center to learn about the Oneida Indian Nation, clearing trails on the historic Chenango Canal, and assisting the Clear Path for Veterans organization in Chittenango, N.Y.

Common Good Professional Network

Joining with alumni affairs, Career Services, and institutional advancement, the Common Good Professional Network (CGPN) offers networking and development opportunities for students and alumni. This year, in partnership with the Upstate Institute, the CGPN offered the Finding Money for Social Change Grant Writing Workshop, with Corinne Ribble ’97. Next year the network seeks to expand programming.

Salvage Overhaul

In the spirit of community collaboration, the Salvage Program completed another successful year, providing a lifeline for local nonprofits with the redistribution of goods valued at more than $70,000. Sixty-one community organizations benefited from the program, fostering positive change throughout Madison County and central New York.

This year’s program experienced a significant boost in its workforce, thanks to a recruiting partnership between the COVE and the Office of Sustainability. Together, they increased the number of student workers by 158% — from 12 last year to 31 this year.

“Salvage working was fun and a great way to alleviate the large amount of garbage that universities make at the end of the year,” expressed Orlando Villagrana ’25. “My fellow salvage workers were clearly passionate about their work, and that made it more enjoyable.”

Alternative Breaks

Hunger & Homelessness Outreach, Washington D.C. (January 16–21)

Six students from across class years participated in a week-long alternative break experience in Washington, D.C., in which they explored the history, causes, and consequences of homelessness and food insecurity in the U.S. Their interactions with residents and community organizers provided thoughtful discussion and moments of reflection to examine personal and societal misconceptions around the limitations of emergency food and housing programs.

“I think that being able to go in, even for one day, helped many of the service organizations we visited because they run on volunteers. Whether it was through direct or indirect service, I played a small part in being able to help the organizations and the community members that rely on them. This trip was a powerful experience. My own values and beliefs were impacted as I learned more about homelessness and food insecurity and some simple yet effective things that I can do to better support my community.”

- Student Participant

Affordable Homeownership with Habitat for Humanity, Winston-Salem, N.C. (January 15–21)

Traveling 11 hours south, eight students visited the Ogburn Station community in northeast Winston-Salem, N.C., during the winter break. The group strengthened their sense of teamwork and community belonging as they worked alongside HFH staff, volunteers, and aspiring first-time homebuyers to build safe, affordable homes.

Leading with Empathy at Pathfinder Village, Edmeston, N.Y. (March 13–17) 

A small group of four dedicated students joined the community at Pathfinder Village in order to learn from and build shared empathy with residents living with Down syndrome and developmental disabilities. �Ա���Ƶ students paired up with Pathfinder’s Otsego Academy students to volunteer together on activities such as Down Syndrome Awareness Day and independent lifestyle courses. 

Environmental Stewardship with American Hiking Society, Natural Bridge State Park, Va. (March 12–18) 

Heading out to one of Virginia’s newest designated state parks, participants worked alongside seasoned park rangers at the landmark Natural Bridge. Through hands-on service on the park land, these eight students examined natural resource stewardship and the community impact of equitable access to those resources. The group installed a community-organized disc golf course, heard from experts on the efforts to balance human and bear populations in the area, and discovered a whole new landscape under the Dark Sky certified stargazing trail. 

“I believe that the work we did will greatly impact the community by allowing the course to be completely finished in time for them to officially open everything at the end of May. Personally, the work we did on this trip was important because it allowed me to help a larger community than Hamilton and feel as if I was a part of something that would last for many years.” - Student Participant 

Affordable Homeownership with Habitat for Humanity, Bel-Air, Md. (March 13–18)

Susquehanna Habitat for Humanity hosted seven �Ա���Ƶ students led by Interim Catholic Minister Pat Gillick during the spring break week to further the engine of collaboration and reciprocity present in the area. Students volunteered to help build affordable homes for first-time buyers and refurbished the community’s ReStore, where reusable household items are rescued from landfills to serve residents in a sustainable manner. 

Levine-Weinberg Fellowships

The COVE selects students annually for the Levine/Weinberg Endowed Summer Fellowship, in partnership with the office of Career Services. This year, this fellowship provided two highly qualified students interested in pursuing a career in community and/or public work with summer internship funding in the field of direct community service.

Mairena Vera Romero ’24 - Consultorio Medico Hispano, Houston, Texas

Translator and office assistant at a free clinic primarily serving immigrant and low-income populations.

David Stephens ’26 - Transcaucasian Trail

David is working on a project that aims to develop a world-class, long-distance trail network across the Caucasus region between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, linking roughly two dozen existing and proposed national parks. David focused on GIS mapping, trail building, and publicity.

Recognizing Outstanding Contributions

The Max A. Shacknai COVE exists through the efforts of individuals. During the course of the year, we have had a number of opportunities to recognize the work of others.

2023 Dean’s Community Service Award

Nicole Van Niekerk ’23

The Dean’s Community Service Award is given to an individual, residential unit, or group at �Ա���Ƶ that, during the past academic year, has partnered in a significant way, through service, engagement, or social justice work, with the local community. This work demonstrates that we understand ourselves and our institution as part of a larger community and society, and that volunteerism and civic participation remain integral to our responsibility to each other as educated and engaged citizens.

Projects for Peace

Margo Williams ’23

What are the Limitations of Free Speech? Identifying and Mitigating Emerging Conflict - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Projects for Peace (PfP) is an initiative for undergraduate projects designed to find solutions to conflicts. Projects are conducted during the summer and can focus on an issue anywhere in the world, including the U.S. The Projects for Peace grant is available to students in 90 colleges and universities affiliated with the Middlebury College and the Davis United World College Program, an organization that provides scholarships to its partnered institutions. This year, �Ա���Ƶ was awarded one PfP project.

Celebration of Service Awards

Direct Service Award - SOMAC, Southern Madison County Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Given to the team that displays outstanding achievement in the area of direct service. Winning teams sustain a committed base of volunteers and provide consistent and reliable direct service to the community.

Community Partner Award

The Community Partner Award is given to a community partner that has shown committed, sustained, and exemplary partnership with a COVE team.

Chuck Fox - Community Bikes

Founded in 2008, Community Bikes collects and reconditions donated bicycles and places them with children and adults who would not otherwise have access. Community Bikes has placed more than 3,500 bikes with low-income families and individuals.

Diane VanSlyke - Madison Historical Society & Chenango Canal Association

VanSlyke has partnered with the COVE for several years, and is always willing to host our students on the trail or at the Historical Society.

Volunteer Award - Sarah Hiranandani ’23

This award is given to a student who demonstrates genuine partnership within the greater Hamilton community and exceeds the expectations of their team.

Community Engagement & Advocacy Award - �Ա���Ƶ Caretakers

This award recognizes a student organization for excellence in community engagement. Their community-engaged work emphasizes partnership with a specific community and demonstrates a reflection on both student learning and community impact.

Rising Star - Michelle Ovchinsky ’26

The Rising Star Award is given to a student who shows exceptional promise in an organization or club at �Ա���Ƶ. This student may not necessarily hold a leadership position yet, but their participation and presence in the organization’s activities prove them to be a valuable leader in the group.

Dean of Students Award - Jasper Lim-Goyette ’23

The Dean of Students Award: The Dean’s Cup is awarded to up to two students who have demonstrated a strong sense of commitment to the 13 goals of a �Ա���Ƶ education outside of the classroom through their actions. Honorees must be currently enrolled, have at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average, and demonstrate a significant contribution to campus life and/or the local community.

Faculty/Staff Engagement Award

The COVE recognizes individuals who have made a sustained or significant contribution to publicly engaged scholarship, learning, or community engagement, whether as part of a course or on their own outside of the classroom.

Pat Gillick – Alternative Break Leader

This March, Gillick led seven students on an alternative spring break trip to Bel Air, Md., as part of a Habitat for Humanity build, where they contributed over 300 hours of service, working on painting and general construction projects.

Georgia Frank – Millay Arts Project

For the past three semesters, Professor of Religion Georgia Frank’s “Millay Research Squad” worked with the Millay Arts organization, in concert with their 50th anniversary. Overall, this project involved 67 student volunteers, who spent roughly 550 hours researching 2,400 artists, were fueled by over 70 gallons of chili, and entertained by one therapy dog!

Sam Rosenfeld – Political Polarization and American Democracy Course

This semester, Professor of Political Science Sam Rosenfeld taught a new service-learning course on political polarization and American democracy. His students worked with numerous local organizations such as Indivisible Mohawk Valley, the Partnership for Community Development, and CNY Regional Development Planning Board.

Max A. Shacknai Award

The Max A. Shacknai Award is given to an outstanding senior who has exemplified and embodied the mission of the COVE through their four years of direct service and collaboration with community partners.

Piper Schneider ’23

Schneider has been an EMT volunteering with the Southern Madison County Ambulance Corps (SOMAC) for the past four years, contributing approximately 1,000 hours of service to the organization and community as a whole. She has been adaptable, dependable, and a great co-educator. She is a two-time Manzi Fellowship recipient.

Rachella Carlino ’23

Carlino has been very involved in the COVE for the last four years. She has been a part of MadTutors, PHI, SAT Prep, and Hamilton Tutors. She was able to completely transform the way that MadTutors does service during the pandemic and continued this hard work moving forward. She truly exemplifies what it takes to be a team leader at the COVE.

Staff Departures

After more than four and a half years of dedicated service to the COVE and Upstate Institute, our Administrative Department Coordinator Karli Caputo is taking a leave of absence to pursue a new opportunity teaching in the Sherburne Earlville School District for the remainder of this academic year. In addition to her administrative duties, Caputo has supported volunteer groups as an adviser and assisted with special events and programming such as Day of Service and the preorientation outreach program. We wish her the very best.