Students who had pencilled DukeEngage into their summer schedules may need to flip back a few pages in their planners.
The summer service program will undergo several changes to the application process in its second year. Students interested in group service programs must apply to just one domestic site and one international site by Dec. 15, and the deadline for individual projects will be Jan. 23. All applicants will be interviewed.
Last year, students could apply on a rolling deadline to three group projects with no quota for domestic sites or limitations to international site applications. Interviews were conducted on a site-by-site basis.
The modifications to the application process are part of an ongoing effort to transform DukeEngage from more of a PeaceCorps to an AmeriCorps-type program after an inaugural year in which two international sites-Dublin, Ireland and Beijing, China-were the most sought-after, DukeEngage Assistant Director of Programs Sarah Trent explained.
"We are extraordinarily committed to domestic communities," she said. "We feel it's important to the organization and to the United States to have a sufficient number of students doing work in the U.S., in addition to programs abroad."
Eric Mlyn, director of DukeEngage and director of the Duke Center for Civic Engagement, noted that this year's fixed application deadline-several months earlier than last year's rolling cut-off-could also cause some students who apply for a wide range of summer opportunities to renege on their commitment to the service program in favor of another internship or job offer.
Addressing this possibility, DukeEngage administrators will keep a larger reserve of applicants on the waitlist this year, and students who back out extremely late in the process-after formally committing to their service sites-will be barred from participating in the program in the future, Mlyn said.
"I think it's possible that more students will back out," he said. "But we think that that possibility is outweighed by the increased amount of time students will have to prepare for their DukeEngage experience."
Sophomore Andrew Ognibene, who is enrolled in a DukeEngage-themed house course, said the earlier application deadline will weed out some of the more casual applicants, resulting in a more enthusiastic and committed crop of volunteers.
For students who do commit to applying, however, particularly those who had set their sights on a service site abroad, the new specifications may come as a disappointment.
"That sucks," sophomore Michael Warady said. "If I'm going to do DukeEngage, I definitely want to go out of the country.... Some people do [DukeEngage] instead of study abroad. If you limit people to where they can apply, I feel like that takes away some of the incentive."
Sophomore Henry Hwang said there is wisdom in the new application process, though he acknowledged that he had envisioned himself at a service site abroad.
"I will admit that the domestic sites hold a little bit less appeal because there is something intriguing about going abroad," he said. "But my thought on the matter is that I can recognize the value of what they're trying to achieve with this application process. It might seem unfair or limiting at first glance, but as long as there are enjoyable people to work with, I'm happy."
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