Social Service by University Students in Mexico - DOST Sci

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Review. Vol. 13. m. 145-170.1991
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Social Service by University Students in
Mexico: Thoughts for the United States
Margaret Sherrard Sherraden
University of Missouri, St. Louis
Michael Sherraden
Washington University
In this study, two U.S. researchers report findings and conclusions from a
study of Servicio Social, a Mexican program of social service by university
students. Servicio Social has made important contributions to the welfare
of the Mexican people, particularly in health care. The researchers look at
the program to try to understand its purposes in Mexico, to assess some of
the program’s strengths and weaknesses, and to suggest possible considerations for national service policy in the United States.
Servicio Social in Mexico is a unique example of a university-based
national service program. The term national service refers, in this usage,
to non-military service in natural resource conservation, health care, social
disaster relief, public works, rural development,
literacy
services,
education, or other areas. The idea of non-military national service was
articulated long ago by William James (1910) in his famous essay, “The
Moral Equivalent of War.” In recent years, a number of major studies
have recommended large-scale voluntary national service for the United
Margaret Sherraden’ssupport for research in Mexico during 1986 and 1987 was provided
through a grant from the Inter-American
Foundation, a Fulbright Fellowship,
and an
affiliation with the Center for Sociological Studies at the Colegio de Mexico in Mexico
City. Michael Sherraden’s support for research in Mexico was provided by a paid leave of
absence for the fall term of 1987 by the George Warren ‘Brown School of Social Work,
Washington University, and a Visiting Professorship in the Economics Department at the
National University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. The authors are indebted to
hundreds of cooperative
and helpful people in Mexico, but especially
to Professor
Clemente Ruiz Duran, Director of the Program in Political Econonmy, Post-Graduate
Division at UNAM, and to Lourdes Martinez Medellin, Director of Servicio Social during
the time of the studv.
Requests for reprin& should be sent to Margaret Sherrard Sherraden, Department of Social
Work and Center for International Studies, 589 Lucas Hall, University of Missouri at St.
Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63121
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