Since mid-September, three students from a women's studies course have devoted their time to an unusual homework assignment.

Emily D'Eramo (junior-public relations), Drew Funk (freshman-human development and family studies) and Andrea Bechtel (junior-premedicine) turned their project in yesterday as they watched about 300 people participate in the Steps to Safety 5K Walk/Run sponsored by the Centre County Women's Resource Center.

"It feels great to be here today," D'Eramo said. "There is more of a turnout than anyone expected, and it's better than it has ever been before."

D'Eramo, Funk and Bechtel are among the many students in a Women Studies 001 (Introduction to Women's Studies) course who are combining service work with typical classroom studies.

In September, each student in section 10 chose from a variety of organizations including the State College Area Food Bank, Planned Parenthood or The Second Mile, to fulfill the project's requirement of 20 hours of community service.

"It never lets students get comfortable," said instructor Natalie Jolly (graduate-women's studies and rural sociology), who introduced service learning into the women's studies department. "They are used to producing exactly what is expected of them. Students are rarely given the opportunity to show what they're made of."

Sarah deVries (sophomore-arts) chose to spend the required 20 hours of community service volunteering for Planned Parenthood.

"Our big goal is to get the word out," she said.

As part of the project, the students working for Planned Parenthood handed out condoms and information during the 2004 Homecoming Parade, redesigned the organization's pamphlet and plan on having a table at the HUB-Robeson Center next Monday to educate students.

Anne Ard, director of the Centre County Women's Resource Center, said the student volunteers have done a tremendous job reaching campus groups the center could never reach in the past.

"They are realizing and learning that community service requires time and commitment," she said.

The students said this new approach to learning has impacted their daily lives.

"Apart from what we study in the book, we look at issues outside the box--the bigger picture," Molly Williams (junior-labor and industrial relations) said. "This class teaches things you can't learn anywhere else."

Jodi Ballas (sophomore-management science and information systems) said the service component makes the class worthwhile.

"This is not a normal class," she said. "Service brings everyone together."

Teaching Assistant Julia Hynes (senior-women's studies and sociology) said while students seemed resistant to the idea at first, throughout the semester they became more interested in each other's experiences.

"Each student is taking a deeper look at one issue," she said. "This is a way for classroom learning to connect with the real world."

Lorraine Dowler, director of the women's studies department, said she hopes to expand the service learning program.

"We planned to see how it goes this semester, and it's going very well so far," she said. "Our long term goal is to try to work students into internships outside of State College."