Serving Others

How do first-year Simpson students learn about the College’s tradition of serving others? By packaging food items for Meals from the Heartland.

On Monday, Aug. 27, Simpson’s first-year students packaged 40,000 meals in collaboration with their SC 101 faculty members, SC 101 leaders and Writing Fellows.

This is the fourth year that new students have helped package meals. In addition, they hear from a Simpson alum and attend a community fair to learn about volunteering opportunities.

“Service is an important part of the culture at Simpson College, connected to the long tradition of partnering with organizations to strengthen our communities,” said Anna Peña, director of First-Year Experience and Community Engagement. “Through hands-on community engagement, students’ learning is enhanced during their time as a student and beyond.”

What is SC 101?

It’s Simpson’s creative way to help first-year students transition into college life.

As they arrive on campus, first-year students are directed into an SC 101 class. Subjects this fall include:

The American Musical and Diversity

Conformity and Rebellion in a Free Society

Cultural “Truths” in Song

Discovering Identity through Artistic Practice

Finding Camelot

The Galactic Senate

H 2 Uh-Oh

The Healing Power of Theatre

In Deep Water

Justice League

Love as Strong as Death: Images of Love and Death in Christian Context

Money – It’s a Gas

The Path

The Semester From Hell

The World of Rural Iowa

Your Toaster is Watching You: Exploring a ‘Smarter’ Society through Internet of Things

The ‘60s @50

The professor for the SC 101 class serves as the students’ academic advisor for most of their first year of college. Students also benefit from an SC Leader (a peer mentor) and a Writing Fellow (essentially a writer tutor) to help them.

The students within an SC 101 are a small community within a community, helping each other adjust to living in the residence halls and the rigors of academic life at Simpson.