February 27, 2009
It’s
tax season again and seniors and graduate students from The
Peter J. Tobin College of Business are working as volunteer tax
preparers at St. John’s Bread
and Life, providing free tax assistance to the underserved in
the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. Already the students have secured
$2,000, $5,000, even $13,000 in income tax refunds for individuals
in the community for a total of $1.1 million as of February
24.
Spearheaded by Assistant Professor
Nina Dorata Ph.D, in the Department of Accounting and Taxation
at The Tobin College of Business, the Bread and Life program
enlists the St. John’s students to assist clients with their tax
returns during the January-April tax season. Dr. Dorata coordinates
the program along with the Office of Academic
Service-Learning. The program’s outreach began last year with
only three students and has catapulted to more than 60 students
assisting the Bread and Life community.
“Last year, our students were able to obtain a total of $40,000 in
refunds consisting of earned-income credit, child-care credits and
education credits,” says Dr. Dorata. “We see there is a need for
this type of service and it will be a reoccurring program at Bread
and Life.”
Partnership for Life
After witnessing the growth from last semester’s three students to
25-and-counting, Dr. Dorata knew she could no longer coordinate the
program nor fund the tax software for this vast number of
volunteers. Seeking additional support, she contacted a publishing
company to request software donations. The company linked her
with the Food Bank of New York
City, the largest food bank in the metropolitan area that also
runs the largest IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) Program in the tri-state area. Once connected with VITA, Dr.
Dorata obtained the resources needed to successfully continue the
program. Within four weeks, the initiative was underway and Bread
& Life is now in the position to become the next largest VITA
site in the metropolitan area.
“We hooked up with Food Bank within two weeks of my asking for
volunteers in November, and by December we had a VITA site
location,” Dr. Dorata explains. “It all came full-circle and seemed
to happen quite by accident.”
The Tobin College of Business/Bread and Life partnership with the
IRS and Food Bank of NYC is a win-win situation. Community members
unable to afford professional tax preparation services are
receiving them without cost and students have the opportunity to
apply classroom theories to the practical world. Students also
collect tax return data that will allow the College to pursue
future research grants, develop research projects, and offer
students and graduate assistants possible research
experience.
“Many of these individuals at Bread and Life not only lack the
financial resources but also the educational background to do the
tax returns themselves,” Dr. Dorata adds. “Through research and
data collection we will be able to better understand and serve
residents, especially in this community.” I believe this is a
perfect match between the students, Bread and Life and the
University’s mission.”
Dr. Dorata relies on the assistance of St. John’s Associate Tax
Professor Laura Lee Mannino LL.M, Rita Marie Trucios, Director of
Social Services at Bread and Life, and Food Exchange staff members
to manage a set of criteria for students, direct the rigorous
8-hour training session, and arrange the schedule for volunteers
admitted into the program.
“The tax project is still in its infancy stage this year,” Ms.
Trucios adds. “What’s wonderful is the way these students jumped in
to support our clients. As word circulated throughout the
community about this complimentary service, we started to average
about 20 people per day.”
The tax preparation program is open to residents within the
Bedford-Stuyvesant community, who are of low-to-moderate
income. Participants must pass an intake process and students
then prepare the tax returns, which are reviewed by selected Food
Bank staff for approval.
Students involved in this academic service-learning activity spend
an average of 3½--4 hours per week, totaling 40 hours during tax
season. Many students within the Tobin College of Business are
enrolled in 15-18 credits per semester and their volunteer efforts
require frequent teacher and classmate support. The students
mentor each other during the pre-test and training phase and
reflect on their volunteer experiences.
“I always believed that students learn quite a bit from each other
and mentor each other during group settings or research projects,”
Dr. Dorata adds. “Some of our international students also have
business-related background and provide accounting insight to their
classmates.”
The Psychic Income
Many students involved in this activity understand the relevance of
obtaining hands-on experience when applying for their first job in
the accounting field. The program allows them to obtain tax
preparation skills and build their resumes. After completion of the
service, each student receives a certificate of achievement from
the IRS. Dr. Dorata acknowledges that all these factors are
important, but are not what she coined “the psychic income.”
“Our students are pretty savvy and know it’s good for their career
but they feel good about doing something for people who really need
this service,” she adds. “It’s not about putting dollars in your
pockets; it’s about putting dollars in your mind. It’s the
fulfillment of the soul—knowing you are doing something good for
others”
Yiwen (Clarice) Mao, a graduate student in the Tobin College of
Business reports, “I am so proud to be at VITA. I have received
positive feedback from advisors that has helped to boost my
confidence and changed my professional outlook. On my first
service day, I helped a single mother with three dependents receive
a tax refund. I am so excited to help families that need it most,
while applying the lessons I have learned in class to the
real-world.”