The study, "College Students Helping America," was commissioned by the Corporation for National and Community Service through the U.,”

An unexpected pastime has joined studying and partying on the long list of college students' activities — volunteering. Volunteerism among college students has risen 20 percent since 2001, according to a study released Oct. 16.

The study, "College Students Helping America," was commissioned by the Corporation for National and Community Service through the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. The survey is administered to 60,000 households annually.

The study found 3.3 million college students currently participate in some form of volunteering.

"This was the largest sampling of college students ever conducted," said CNCS spokesman Sandy Scott. "College students have always been an idealistic group interested in change and we wanted to find a baseline for how many volunteer."

Scott said the sharp increase in volunteering seems to be a result of the 9/11 attacks and the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

"The bright spot coming out of 9/11 is that volunteering among college students has shot up. 'Generation 9/11,' much like World War II, brought out the 'Greatest Generation,' " Scott said.

An increase in service learning is also a contributing factor. About one-third of schools in the United States offer service learning either as a class option or as a graduation requirement.

More than 50 courses at Marquette offer service learning to students and between 800 and 1,200 students participate in the program each semester.

"Students do community service directly related to the class they are taking. A student will typically do about 20 hours of service in a semester, while keeping a journal or writing a reflective paper at the end of the course," said Kim Jensen Bohat, assistant administrator for service learning. "They get exposure to diversity they might not encounter in their everyday life."

The study also asked what specific types of service were most common among students. Tutoring and mentoring were the most frequent responses.

"We think this reflects a concern about education and a desire to help other young people succeed in their education among college students," Scott said. "It is estimated that 15 million kids in the U.S. need mentors, and there is something very special about peer mentoring."

Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Mark McCarthy said Marquette has a long history of community service and a very high rate of involvement.

"Eighty-five percent of graduating seniors indicate being involved in service at least once a year during their undergraduate careers," McCarthy said.

Apart from the Service Learning Program, Marquette has 12 additional active service organizations. McCarthy said service trips to various parts of the United States and international destinations are becoming increasingly popular.

Scott said the CNCS has set a national goal of increasing the number of college student volunteers to 5 million by 2010.

"There is a lot of evidence that shows volunteering at a young age leads to lifelong volunteering," Scott said.

Overall, the results of the study are taking away from negative stereotypes of college students.

"It portrays college students in a different light. They are often seen as descending upon the neighborhoods that their school is in for a few months, and then leaving just as quickly as they came," Jensen Bohat said. "This shows that they are giving back to the neighborhoods that they reside in for at least part of the year."

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