Franciscan’s Coast Guard auxiliary members clean Steubenville marina
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STEUBENVILLE -- Members of Franciscan University of Steubenville's Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program detachment undertook their latest service project, cleaning and painting the Steubenville Marina's wall Saturday.
With 21 total members, Franciscan's AUP allows students to participate in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, gaining certifications, engaging in internships and conducting community service. The program offers an educational pathway into the Coast Guard, if participants choose.
Armed with landscaping implements, program participants spent the better half of Saturday removing dirt and debris from the southernmost part of the marina's wall and painting it. Eight AUP participants were present, along with two members of Franciscan's Criminal Justice Association and two university faculty members.
Charles Nemeth, director of Franciscan's criminal justice program and AUP liaison, noted this is the detachment's third time cleaning and painting the marina. Hopes are to beautify the entire marina wall, he said, projecting that efforts will likely extend into next year.
Since the Coast Guard operates on inland waterways like the Ohio River, Nemeth said, it seems right that the detachment should tend to Steubenville's own river access point as part of its community service requirements.
Chartered on Nov. 28, Franciscan's detachment is connected with the active-duty Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Pittsburgh and auxiliary Flotilla 082-07-02, located in Sewickley, Pa. Franciscan is one of only 23 universities in the nation to offer the AUP for its students.
Many active-duty personnel see the AUP as a pathway into officer candidate school, said Nemeth, who previously started a detachment at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He noted a directive from the Coast Guard's commandant, calling for the AUP's expansion with the hope that it will produce 500 officers for the branch within the next several years.
"Nobody (in the AUP) has to go into active service. That's what makes it different," Nemeth said, adding, "The majority of our students are not looking in that direction. They're looking at skill development, all kinds of certifications, internship experiences. They want to be involved in things that make their résumés grow, and this does. This is one of the most meaningful activities our students have."
Once participants reach "senior status," they may apply for internships through the Coast Guard. Individuals have previously engaged in internships with rescue helicopter marine safety units. Five participants applied and were accepted this year, Nemeth said. Most of them will be on the water in some fashion, and one will even be involved with the Coast Guard Judge Advocate General.
Additionally, partnerships allow for the AUP to offer certificate training courses in various areas, including emergency management, marine safety, vessel inspection, leadership, weather and navigation.
"They all look good on your resume. They really do," Nemeth said.
Being part of the AUP "elevates our reputation" as a university, being alongside a number of major maritime schools that also offer the program, Nemeth said. Franciscan's own mission is wonderful, he added, and the AUP is a way to get students involved and push that mission into the world, in Steubenville and abroad.
"You can't put your faith in action exclusively in Steubenville. It has to be through the whole world," Nemeth said. "And I think this is healthy for the university, in that sense. It's all part of a reaffirmation of how our values align with things like the Coast Guard."
Nemeth added that he's working to expand students' opportunities, such as by proposing to the university an Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps and aerospace studies minor, offered jointly through the University of Pittsburgh.
Upon being chartered, Franciscan's detachment had 14 participants, and since then, the number has been rising, Nemeth said.
"We just started recruiting for this year. Incoming freshmen's families are very interested in this," Nemeth said. "It's a great activity for anything extracurricular."
Doing some of that recruitment is senior criminal justice major Joshua Ginter. He's the detachment's unit leader, meaning he's responsible for organizing volunteer efforts, ensuring other participants are up to date on plans and keeping up the detachment members' morale.
Taking a break from scraping compressed dirt off the marina wall, Ginter said, "I'm also the one mainly in charge of recruitment, for convincing people the AUP is a good program to be in. It's a rewarding one."
Ginter said he's observed "a lot of personal growth" in the detachment, which he joined to help meet a membership minimum before the charter in November. Remaining involved with the AUP, Ginter soon grew to enjoy the program's offerings.
"Whenever Nemeth approached me about being the unit leader, I gave it 24 hours of sleep, thought and some prayer," Ginter recalled. "Then I said, 'Yes,' because I wanted to see people who were joining have a fantastic time in the AUP and go really far with it."
Although not aiming for a career in the Coast Guard, Ginter is leveraging the AUP as a "résumé-builder." With the ultimate goal of entering a local police force, Ginter has obtained a beginner's level certification in radio telecommunications and has taken multiple courses for the Incident Command System, regarding natural disaster and other emergency response.
Ginter directed an appeal for membership: "If you're a Franciscan student, and you're reading this, come check us out."