University of Virginia Library

Students Scrutinize
UYA Project Plans

By ROBERT HUSBANDS

Seven University students in
the University Year for Action
(UYA) program met with
project advisers, faculty
members, and other observers
to discuss potential problems
they could encounter with the
new program which uses "the
community as a laboratory" in
those disciplines that involve
social work.

UYA is a federally funded
project and part of the overall
federal Action program. The
students will work "in health
related projects that
community agencies have
defined," said Program
Director William A. Elwood.
He added that "students and
faculty have helped to define
the projects."

The projects were "well
defined, otherwise one could
not receive academic credit,"
he said. The seven students at
the meeting will work full time
on their projects, although one
can work in the program on a
part time basis.

Health Services

Some of the projects are
improvement of health services
for a sparsely populated region,
development of a program to
deal with obesity in
low-income children, and
development of a Day Care
Mother and Head Start Parent
Education Program.

Other projects are a
comprehensive housing relief
program, working with
problem children at the
Community Attention Home,
and development of interest in
medicine-related fields at
selected junior and senior high
schools. All the projects will
take place within about a 50
mile radius of Charlottesville.

Right Approach

Mr. Elwood said that some of
the students felt "too
self-conscious" and that they
did not want "to be
manipulative." One of the
students at the meeting said
that "you've got to make the
people think they have done it
themselves. If they say thank
you, you haven't done your
job. You run interference for
them but you don't let them
know it."

"You don't want to raise
false hopes," said another
participant. "If you promise
something you have to deliver.
You have to show them that it
will lead to a job at the end of
the line."