16 student life In late August, hundreds of new students arrived in Searcy a few days ahead of schedule to attend Student Impact. The week consisted of an array of activities designed to prepare new students for the school year and help them become oriented with the campus and its amenities. Beyond showing students where the library was located, where they could purchase their textbooks and how to use their DCB, Impact also included activities that correlated with Harding’s Christian mission, such as participating in service projects around the Searcy community. “Our service projects show incoming freshmen that service is important to Harding and a big part of what we do here,” junior Melissa Ritchie, the Impact service project director, said. Ritchie said that many Impact group leaders helped her prepare and supervise several service projects, which took place Sunday afternoon, the day before classes began. The service projects ranged in variety and included activities such as recycling, picking up trash, visiting residents at nursing homes, crushing cans and writing letters of encouragement to those in need. While Ritchie did not have an official count of how many freshmen participated in the seven different projects, she and her staff were extremely pleased with how many students were willing to help. “I think the service project shows that Harding students really care about the community,” Ritchie said. Second-year freshman John Muhlhauser, an Impact group leader, helped supervise a project to clean and crush a mound of cans so that the Sunshine School, a local program aiding individuals with special needs, could turn in the cans for money. “Not only did we get the chance to serve others, we had a great time doing it,” Muhlhauser said. “We also got a little creative by using a truck to crush some of the cans.” Freshman Emily Betts helped with the service project at the Sunshine School. While she felt that crushing cans could be gross at times, she was glad to help out. “Doing a service project for the first time at Harding within a Christian setting was a unique experience for me,” Betts said. “I’m looking forward to further opportunities.” Student Impact went beyond allowing students a smoother transition into the first week of classes. Not only did they learn their way around campus, but they saw first-hand that service was an integral part of the Harding community. Zach Welch service beginning the year with
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