Many Iowa State students volunteer their efforts to the community on their own time, but members of the Latter-Day Saint Student Association and Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity have decided to work together for their community service projects.

The groups have teamed up to sponsor the Merit Badge University program. The program is aimed at 12-18-year-old boys in the Boy Scouts of America in the Broken Arrow District of the Mid-Iowa Council. The Mid-Iowa Council represents Ames, Boone, Nevada and Webster City.

When the scouts visit Iowa State, they learn about things they don’t learn about in their regular scout meetings.

On April 26, the second and final scout gathering at ISU will take place. The first meeting was held April 5. This Saturday the scouts will bring back their homework that was assigned at the first gathering.

David Hanson, service director for Alpha Sigma Phi and the public affairs director for the Latter-Day Saint Student Association (LDSSA), said there are 13 badges offered. The scouts meet in various classrooms around campus that pertain to the vocational area they are interested in. The scouts are on campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It takes about two hours to earn each badge.

Scouts have the opportunity to earn badges in many areas including, public speaking, drafting and etching.

Hanson, a sophomore in forestry, said one of the most talked about activities is the chemistry presentation. It lasts all day long, but the scouts do not seem to mind because they are entertained by the color-changing experiments.

This year is the first Merit Badge program on Iowa State’s campus. The University of Iowa has held such programs in the past.

Hanson said there are usually a few leaders in each troop that have experience in a few areas, but they are not able to teach all the areas needed.

This program “helps the scouts earn and learn about things they normally wouldn’t learn at the university, so they are able to experience the university too,” Hanson said.

Stephan Cummings, a senior in mechanical engineering and president of the LDSSA, said, “We’re pleased we could do it. It’s a good opportunity for the boys to see what the careers entail, and it’s a good chance for us to serve.”

Hanson said, “It’s a really excellent community project. It brings the community together to do something positive for the youth.”

Hanson said the LDSSA and Alpha Sigma Phi “worked really well together,” and they would like to do it again next year with the whole council.