North Carolina Central University News December 7, 2011 Community Engagement Deepens Connections for Students North Carolina Central University journalism students who wrote stories for a community newspaper developed a greater sense of social responsibility and commitment to their sources, according to preliminary research by an NCCU professor. Students on the staff of the Northeast Central Durham Community Voice, a classroom-based newspaper that covers Durham's tough "Bull's Eye" district, felt more connected to residents there and wanted to advocate for them through journalism. "I think it tuned them into more sensitivity when talking to people," said Dr. Lisa Paulin, assistant professor in the Department of English and Mass Communication, who conducted the research. "They came away from it feeling that they wanted to give back." Paulin began her research earlier this year to measure the impact of community engagement on journalism students. Specifically, she wanted to explore the experiences of students working for the Voice as part of her advanced reporting class. Her study was funded by the Office of the Provost. In her grant proposal, Paulin wrote that her work would contribute to the scant research done on experiential learning in journalism education. It would also explore the perceptions of students at two very different types of public universities: UNC-Chapel Hill and NCCU. Jock Lauterer, a veteran journalist who teaches at UNC, launched the Voice, a collaboration between the schools, in 2009. Its primary mission is to fill the need for a local paper that focuses on positive stories from Durham's epicenter of violence and drug-related crime. But it also gives students real-life experience in reporting beyond the comfort of campus walls. Paulin and her student researchers - Zevandah Barnes, Crystal Cotton and April Simon - conducted focus groups and personal interviews, and analyzed reflective portfolios of more than 30 students. Their findings showed some surprising contrasts. While students from both schools said they felt accomplishment and pride in giving a voice to those often overlooked by mainstream media, NCCU students "tended to report more solidarity with the community rather than a charity sort of helping," according to the study. UNC students said they were "less scared" of the Bull's Eye area after their semester with the Voice. But NCCU students were less concerned with personal safety from the start and came away with an increased feeling of belonging. Simon also noted that UNC students seemed more focused on what the city of Durham was doing to address problems in the neighborhood, while Central students focused more on the residents. "There was a positivity that came out of the experience," said Simon, who is pursuing a double major in Spanish and family and consumer sciences. "And it will be interesting to see how these personal connections will direct the students' choices as journalists in the future." Paulin and the student researchers presented the preliminary findings at last month's National Communication Association conference in New Orleans. Paulin emphasized that the research is a work in progress. She is continuing to analyze the data and determine ways it can be used to enhance learning for journalism students. And questions remain about how race and socio-economic factors of the students themselves affect their perceptions. For Paulin, there is no question about the value of community engagement for all the students. "They get to see the impact that they can have in the community, and they see the principles of journalism come alive for them in a way they don't get in class," she said. "Now, my students are really inspired." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.