Theresa Dunne
Features Editor
Book sales are a staple of the end of the school year. From first-semester textbooks still floating around to the hand-picked recommended reads from some English major, many students find that they do not want to lug these books home when packing up their dorm rooms for the summer. In addition to book sales this year, students will also have the opportunity to donate their books through a student-run project to the Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility (IRJCF), a prison facility that serves male youths in Massillon, Ohio, roughly half an hour away from the College.
Heading the book donation drive is Zoe Cunningham-Cook ’16, a sociology major who became interested in developing the project as her final assignment for Dr. Kammer’s class on Ethics in a Social Perspective after studying former inmates’ experiences reentering the local Wooster community following incarceration for her Independent Study.
“I wanted to pursue an alternative way of learning. I think by doing a service project I’ve been encouraged to think about what is important to me and how I can act in a way to better the world around me,” said Cunningham-Cook. “It’s important that youth have opportunities to keep themselves engaged. … Sociological research shows again and again that the more programs and activities there are in prison, the more prepared people are for reentry.”
To connect with IRJCF, Cunningham-Cook looked to Professor of sociology, Anne Nurse, who has been teaching at the facility for 10 years and offers a class taught at IRJCF, which is open to both C.O.W. students and Indian River residents. According to Nurse, books give youth at IRJCF the chance to explore a range of different topics that they may not be introduced to otherwise.
“I think that prisoners need access to a wide range of reading material so that they can get outside of the prison — even if just in their minds. They have a lot of time with few organized activities and reading provides an essential learning tool and escape,” said Nurse.
When donating, students should keep in mind the subject matter and content of the books as Indian River serves a youth demographic. Very violent or graphic texts should be avoided.
“It is essentially a middle school/high school library,” said Nurse, describing the types of books IRJCF looks for in their collection.
The book collection will take place through Sunday, May 8. Like the Cowabunga donation bins that pop up at the end of the semester, boxes for the book drive will be located in dorm lounges so that students can easily access donation spots while clearing out their rooms for move out.
For more information on the book drive, please contact Zoe Cunningham-Cook at ZCunningham-Cook16@wooster.edu.