At 15 acres, the Student Organic Farm has been perhaps the largest classroom on campus since 1999. The farm is a place for students to gain hands-on farming experience and insight into Community Supported Agriculture and the U.S. food system. Of course, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hands-on aspect of that learning becomes more restricted.  

Students in Dr. Fayyaz Hussain’s Integrated Social Science (ISS) courses are always encouraged to explore their role in society through community engaged learning experiences. Many students take advantage of the extra credit opportunities provided by Dr. Hussain and connect with the MSU Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) to find opportunities to engage with the community. 

The Spring 2021 section of ISS 215, Social Differentiation and Inequality, was no different. The course focused on the topic of Critical Analysis of Social Inequality in Modern Political Economies with a focus on the United States. Two students in the course, then freshmen and current sophomores Sarah Arvan and Diego Fernandez, connected with CCEL to find a community-engaged learning opportunity with the MSU Student Organic Farm. 

Arvan and Fernandez both worked on graphic design projects for the farm, communicating and collaborating with Farm Manager Sarah Geurkink completely online over Zoom. 

“I didn’t know what it was going to be like going into it and it was a great experience,”  Geurkink said of working with Arvan and Fernandez “they were both very professional and very enthusiastic about their projects.”

Fernandez, a marketing major, utilized his background in graphic design to create a map of the entire farm for both wayfinding and marketing purposes, alongside some other flyers as well. 

“It was really cool that the Center for Community Engaged Learning gave me an opportunity to grow and gain some experience my freshman year,” Fernandez said “It was a really fun experience to learn about the farm.”

Arvan was tasked with the design for the farm’s 2020 Annual Report (you can see Fernandez’s map on page 4). 

“They’re extremely useful projects that we’re going to be using for a long time,” Geurkink said. 

The Student Organic Farm is now open to tour groups again, with three tours open to the public scheduled for summer 2022. More information about volunteering with the farm is also available on their website.