CSSA Welcome New Students | John Carroll University

We look forward to welcoming you to campus and getting you connected to Cleveland in exciting and meaningful ways. The Center for Service-Learning and Social Action (CSSA) offers many different opportunities for service, social justice, and advocacy, ensuring that you will find one that fits with your interests. Service is a great way to meet people, get connected, and make a difference!

The Center for Service-Learning and Social Action’s “Meet CLE”

Living the mission is all about relationships - connecting hearts and minds, connecting purpose and passion - and we want to communicate this to new students as the heart of the mission, the purpose of the day and the culture of John Carroll.

First-year students spend a day getting to know each other, building community, and exploring all that Cleveland has to offer through our Meet CLE event as part of JCU’s Living the Mission Day. Students explored Cleveland by participating in one of 9 adventures which included delving into urban farming, supporting a community bike co-op in recycling bicycle parts, learning about the art of papermaking, digging in to the importance of composting, sorting and recycling computers to distribute to community members, learning from seniors at the Fatima Center and learning about the history of baseball in Cleveland and helping sort back to school supplies for children in need. They learned, biked, hiked, and paddled their way around Cleveland.

Get Involved through Weekly Service

Are you registered for a service-learning course and need to find a weekly service activity? Or, are you interested in committing to weekly service with a community partner simply to get involved? CSSA has an opportunity for you! Weekly activities are available for viewing during the first week of each semester, and registration for these activities takes place during the second week of each semester. To view or register for available activities during these first two weeks, students are encouraged to visit CSSA’s online registration system.

Looking for something a little less time-intensive? We have events focused on particular issues happening throughout the year to give you a ‘taste’ of service while volunteering alongside other students, faculty, and staff, and we also have smaller-scale service projects with community partners (called “one-time opportunities”) on weekends and evenings. To view or register for available activities, students are encouraged to visit CSSA’s online registration system.

We send a weekly newsletter to all students during the academic year, for the most up-to-date information on how to get involved! You can also stop by the CSSA office in AD-32 to meet with a staff member to learn more.