Since its first iteration in 2017, the HC IMPACT Week of Service has provided a way for incoming Honors College freshmen to become acquainted with community-engaged learning before they even start their first classes at MSU. The program offers a chance for students to meet their peers, learn from other student mentors, and meet Honors College faculty and staff before the fall semester begins. Perhaps most importantly, it exposes students to a crucial component of the Spartan experience—service.

The HC IMPACT Week of Service introduces students to service opportunities in the Greater Lansing community and provides context for the issues facing communities just down the street from the university. “The focus is on exploring social inequity and inequality in the Greater Lansing area,” Erika Crews, M.A., Honors College advisor and coordinator for HC IMPACT, said. The week centers around the themes of youth and education, health and wellness, homelessness and poverty, nutrition, and the environment.

Though the program typically lasts a full week, complications stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic led the planning committee to make changes to IMPACT for summer 2020, including shortening the program to three days.

“For our committee to reconceptualize what this looked like was a challenge but also a really great opportunity,” Crews said.

Instead of traveling throughout the Greater Lansing area to meet with community partners, students were able to connect with partners in Zoom calls. More information was available through a D2L module. Eight student mentors, all past participants of the IMPACT program, facilitated discussions with their peers and shared stories of their past service experiences as well. During the three days, students were also able to participate in a Situated Spartan Workshop, led by CCEL, and an online poverty simulation through SPENT.

“The students still had a really positive experience. Our partners were still able to make connections with those students,” Crews said.

Despite the challenges faced in planning, the brevity of the program did not hinder its significance for the 40 student participants. Students were able to form connections with their peers and the community during a time when it was difficult to do so, and together they contextualized what it truly means to be a Spartan.

“This is a unique opportunity to start building your Spartan community,” Crews said. “This can set the stage for where you want to go within your time at MSU.”

To learn more about the HC IMPACT Week of Service, visit the MSU Honors College website.