In Gardner’s class, there are six groups of four students, and each are engaged with a different community partner. The community partner defines what is needed for his or her organization or project, and the students work to fit those needs.

“It allows the students to experience negotiating, what they can and cannot do, and to meet with people who have a great deal of skill because they’ve been working in the outside world,” Gardner said.

Gardner noted CSLCE is more than just a community service project — it’s an extended research project.

“Something that we teach early on is that this isn’t volunteering,” she said. “This is an assignment, and it’s not just a PowerPoint that you can produce the night before. There’s a whole process … getting feedback and discussing with your community partner.”

Two of the community leaders, activists Ann Watson and Susan Schmidt, are working with a group of students to promote a showing of the documentary “Miss Representation,” scheduled to show at 7 p.m. on April 13 at MacDonald Middle School.

The two women worked to have the film shown at the middle school last year, and wanted MSU’s involvement so a larger showing could take place this year.

“I saw the film at the Sundance Film Festival, and it was powerful,” Watson said. “I thought it was something that educators and parents need to be aware of.”

Watson recommends parents who plan on taking their kids to the film to view the trailer first at missrepresentation.org.

The students in their group have done a variety of projects to promote the film, such as writing press releases, creating fliers and talking to different groups.

“It’s great fun to work with young people with their energy and the different perspective that they have,” Schmidt said. “It’s always refreshing to see a perspective through the eyes of someone else.”

Kinesiology freshman and WRA 135 student Nathan Baratta and his group are working with The Listening Ear Crisis Center, an intervention center that confidentially assists clients in crisis.
His community leader, advertising junior Alicia Vignoe, is a volunteer with the organization.

“We go to her when we give ideas, and she comes to us when she needs something,” Barrata said.

His group’s main project is to publicize a 5K fundraising event — finding sponsors and budgeting the money. As a freshman, Barrata said the experience has helped him as a student.

“It’s good, especially for a writing class, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people in the community,” Barrata said. “It helps think of creative ways to do stuff. It feels good, too.”

Gardner said the CSLCE helps the community leaders learn as well.

“What the community partners gain is they get a perspective of a target audience from young people,” she said. “If you’re marketing to young people, have consultants who are young people. And that’s what they are, but they’re also producing.”