Howard University’s Day of Service and What it Means to the Community

The motto of Howard University, “Truth and Service,” shines through during the Homecoming Day of Service. The Howard University Day of Service, or HUDOS, is a day dedicated to the betterment of the community through various acts of service divided into eight categories; education, environmental injustices, health, housing and food, violence and brutality, politics, and youth and elderly outreach. HUDOS provides great learning opportunities and the chance to help change the world for any student or faculty who would like to participate.

Bison Week is filled with various events to create bonding between the students and build a sense of community at Howard University, but it is also about helping to make the world a better place. HUDOS has been a beloved tradition since it was first introduced in 2013. It is mostly freshman participants since it is technically a Bison Week event, but students touched by its impact have been known to return year after year. 

Kamaria Lyles participated in HUDOS her freshman year, and still speaks highly of it and recommends it to anyone who asks. “At first I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said, “but it was so exciting, and I’m not from Washington D.C. so knowing that I was doing something to help my new community was great.” 

Rocmon Stallworth, another Howard University senior, participated not just in his freshman year but his sophomore year as well. In speaking on the upcoming HUDOS Stallworth said, “I’m excited to go back for my last year. It’s a great experience.”

HUDOS is coordinated and sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the Chapel and the Division of Student Affairs, and despite participant numbers dropping significantly over the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people have been engaged in the program since then. Since the pandemic, certain measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of those involved such as social distancing, wearing masks, and vaccinations.

To begin the semester, HUDOS took place on Aug. 19 and there were an estimated 1,400 student participants before the event began. The community-strengthening activities that took place included distributing supplies to local schools, building and designing farmer’s market kiosks, organizing donations to various nonprofit organizations for poverty alleviation, and so much more. 

Howard University has given its students the opportunity to learn and grow through community service work while directly giving back to surrounding communities, and will continue to do so for years to come. Anyone who wants to sign up is highly encouraged. Any questions and inquiries about HUDOS can be emailed to [email protected].