In addition to building houses with Habitat for Humanity or tutoring elementary school children through groups like the Leonard Carmichael Society, many students must engage in a less conventional form of community service. In Massachusetts, those who inhabit the state for at least six months out of the year -- including students who attend college in Massachusetts but reside in other states -- may be asked to serve jury duty.
According to the Massachusetts jury system, the Office of Jury Commissioner (OJC) randomly selects possible jurors from a list of Massachusetts residents and inhabitants. Once individuals are summoned, they must report on the date they've been assigned.
Individuals are allowed to postpone service for up to one year after the summons is received and transfer the location of courthouse to another within the same judicial district. Some are exempt from serving, such as those who serve as primary caretakers to disabled relatives or people who are self-employed and cannot leave their businesses.
Many students, unaware of the law's inclusive nature, are often confused upon receiving letters of summons.
"I was really stressed, because they called me in [to serve in] Woburn, which is a two- to three-hour T ride from here," sophomore Susan Golbe said. "I assumed that I could get out of it, but then I read the Massachusetts law that says if you go to school here, you have to serve."
Not only was the location inconvenient, but Golbe was summoned for a date that is during winter break. Despite these difficulties, she noted that dealing with the jury system was simple.
"It was really easy to change the date and location," she said. "Two days ago they sent me a letter saying that my time and place had changed and that they would contact me ten days before the trial with information on how to get there and all of the logistics."
Junior Alyssa Irizarry was summoned for an even less timely date. "I opened the letter and laughed because the date is the day I'm leaving to go abroad in Mexico," she said. Like Golbe, Irizarry chose to postpone her service.
In order to ensure the broadest array of citizen participation in the judicial process, students are as eligible as the rest of the public to serve on juries. In 1980, courts established the policy of requiring 18- to 34-year-old citizens, previously left out of the system, to serve as jurors.
"The theory that was used when it was first enacted was it was part of a judicial reform effort to ensure that the broadest array of people serve on jury duty," Professor of Political Science Kent Portney said. "But the real reason why the change was made was that they needed more people to serve ... They [were] accomplishing two goals at the same time and they [didn't] have to admit to both of them."
Although the rule seems to make the judicial process fairer, it elicits mixed responses among members of the Tufts community. Irizarry said she does not think it is fair for busy college students to have the added stress of serving as a trial juror.
"If you are a full-time student where you have classes every day of the week, you won't have time to skip classes," Irizarry said.
Although students have the opportunity to postpone service, it is hard to postpone it to a convenient time if they are only in Massachusetts during the hectic school year, she said.
"At least in your home state you can postpone it to the summer or some time when you are free," Irizarry said.
But Golbe has no problem with the law, though she wishes college students received the same kind of benefits that other Massachusetts residents receive. "I think students should have to serve, because we are citizens just the same," she said. "[Yet] I was mad because I read that if you work you get paid to [serve on jury duty], but I don't get paid if I miss work, and I don't get paid for the class I'm missing. We are obviously doing a service to the community, but we're not getting compensated like everyone else."
Tisch College Senior Fellow Daniel Winslow, who formerly served as a trial court judge, believes that serving on a jury is a privilege.
"Jury duty is a great experience in civic engagement because, unlike most forms of public service, it is direct democracy where all of the power of the state is placed in the hands of citizens," he said. "I think it's a good idea that students are subject to jury duty because they are subject to the justice system of Massachusetts."
"It's amazing to participate in the justice system from a front row seat, literally," Winslow added. "It's like watching the best of reality TV, because it is real. Good trials are good drama."
Winslow also said that most people who serve on juries find their experience very rewarding.
"When they do jury service questionnaires, many people are reluctant at first about serving. But after going through it, the vast majority say it was a good experience and it was worthwhile," he said. "Several of my students had served and they found the experience to be a positive one, which is consistent with all of the survey data."
