Presidential Day of Service kicks off inauguration week at Presbyterian College

April 23, 2024

Historic Inauguration of 20 Presbyterian College^e President Dr. Anita Gustafson began Sunday with a nod to the university’s long-standing emphasis on public service.

Although a number of outdoor events planned for Presidential Day of Service were canceled due to weather, Student Volunteer Services leaders rallied around the opportunities to fill goodie bags and write cards for residents of a local senior care center and solicit donations to sort and deliver to a local food bank. Members of the Blue Hose men’s basketball team also gathered at Templeton Center to play with local children after their game day was rained out.

Alex Melgar, a freshman from Lancaster, organized the event to fill bags and write cards for residents of Woodbridge, a retirement and assisted living facility in Clinton. He said the Day of Service was important not only to serve the community, but also to raise awareness of the university’s motto: “While we live, we serve.”

“I think it’s good to give back to the community and make sure everyone knows that PC students are here to make an impact,” he said. “It is also important as we celebrate a new chapter in PC history by inaugurating its first female president. We just want to show that we are doing our part to be part of that history.”

Kasey Battle, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., said she wanted the service to be part of her last hurray as a student at PC.

“PC culture is really focused on community service – ‘While We Live, We Serve,’” she said. “It’s my last year, so I wanted to be more involved in that.”

Like Melgar, Battle said she also wanted to show her support for PC’s new president.

“It’s pretty important,” she said. “I feel like every president puts their own unique spin on PC and it seems like Dr. Gustafson is really here to improve PC’s service culture and show that we want to be part of the community. I wanted to be part of that.”

Arthur Piotrowski, a freshman from Florence, NJ, happened to walk into Springs Campus Center while bags were being filled and decided on a whim to help. He also did this in support of President Gustafson.

‘I have Dr. Met Gustafson a few times and she was very nice,” he said. “She does a lot of good things for PC and I wanted to honor her by participating in today’s service event.”

Jaylen Peterson is a freshman from Lithonia, Georgia, and a member of the Blue Hose men’s basketball team. Even though he and his teammates were prevented from playing outside with local youth on Sunday, Peterson showed up in Templeton to meet young people invited to play on the team’s home field.

“I know some of them look up to us,” he said. “We see them in the stands at games, especially when we have primary school days. It is a perfect opportunity to commit myself and help these children.”

Peterson said he embraces the role of working with younger people in his own community.

“I love it,” he said. “I’ve always done it. Back home in Atlanta, my mom works at this summer camp, so I grew up playing basketball with kids and teaching them how to play.”