In 1990, service-hungry undergraduates created a.p.p.l.e.s. The program, which is supported by student fees, remains student-led, but oversight has since moved to the provost's office. In spring 1998, for example, sociology students participating in a course on immigration volunteered with Bosnian refugees and migrant farm workers in Chatham, Orange and Wake counties. Students in a business course collected marketing data for Orange County nonprofit agencies. The goal is to place students in schools, non-profit agencies and government offices to understand larger issues behind citizens' needs and concerns.
Students gain academic credit and discuss how their experiences relate to coursework.
This year, up to 22 courses will tap a.p.p.l.e.s. The courses will send hundreds of students into the field for community service. Quarles was among a dozen students selected from a large applicant pool for a.p.p.l.e.s. Shante' Ellison, who worked at the Children's Law Center, said she could not have hoped for a more enriching summer. I filed motions, met with clients, attended hearings, prepared memos for attorneys, took notes for the custody advocates, participated in mental health interviews and prepared subpoenas.