Aaron Grimm, the campus chemical storeroom coordinator at South Dakota
Mines, pours liquid into a flask. During the pandemic Grimm and other
volunteers made hand sanitizer for Monument Health to make up for a shortfall.
South Dakota
Mines faculty, staff and students spent 1,845 hours of community service in
the 2020-2021 school year. Members of the campus community spent this time volunteering
at local charities, churches and serving on non-profit organization boards.
COVID-19 limited the amount of time the campus
community could spend in normal volunteer activities, but Mines students and
employees stepped up during the COVID crisis and spent many hours producing
face mask prototypes, hand sanitizer and other pandemic needs.
Mines scholar athletes donated a bulk of the time,
with nearly 1,120 hours of community service logged during the 2020-2021 school
year. However, COVID restrictions limited the ways in which they could volunteer.
In a normal year, Mines athletes typically complete 3,000 hours of local
community service. Mines sororities and fraternities also contribute about
4,000 hours of community service in a typical year, that number was reduced in
2020-2021, and is expected to bounce back in future years.
“Service is a vital part of our campus culture at
Mines. We’re proud that our students, faculty, and staff exemplify the value of
giving back to one’s community,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.
Mines students are encouraged to give back to the
community throughout the year by participating in established programs such as Engineering/Science
Projects in Community Service (EPICS), which involves engineering and science
students using their expertise to aid community service projects. Student
organizations, fraternities and sororities also undertake volunteer work
throughout the year, from canned food drives to fundraisers for local
charities.