From the desk of Dr. Stan Ward, Director of Campus Life & Ministry:

Interestingly, the day after our OASIS Day (when Others Are Served Instead of Self), Dr. Tim Elmore published a blog post on the inverse relationship between Narcissism (the belief that self is the most important thing in the world) and empathy (the ability to recognize and respond to the feelings and needs of others). You can read his full blog post here.

Among other actions to  help students develop empathy, he suggests:

• Helping students understand that while they play a role in history, they are  not the “star” of the story.
• Introducing students to people in real need to diminish a sense of self-entitlement.
• Getting students involved in projects that serve their local community.

Our goals for OASIS Day were simple, but on target according to Dr. Elmore’s research. With OASIS Day, we attempted to:

1. Give students the opportunity to think about something besides themselves for 3 hours.
2. Connect students with the opportunity to provide a service for the local community.
3. (Bonus Goal) Have fun while meeting goals one and two.

To judge how effective we were with these goals, you can watch our OASIS Day video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv8LzuwyICA?list=UUjwuyVxWXYSoPDI5mNJALyA&w=560&h=315]

BROOK HILL’S COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM

Brook Hill requires all of its students to participate in community service. MS students are required to participate in 10 hours a year, freshmen and sophomores participate in 15 hours a year, and juniors and seniors participate in 20 hours. Brook Hill also awards a “servant’s heart award” to an outstanding male and female student based on their community service. The award is named after our founder Steve Dement’s parents, Wayne and Ruth Dement.

All students who participated in OASIS Day will receive three hours of credit for community service.