By: Gouthami Gadamsetty, Copy Editor

Volunteer hours served at the  Florida Hospitals in Altamonte Springs,  Orlando, and DeLand were no longer counted, as of August 7 2014.

Junior Allison Lloyd was very disappointed when she heard about this news. She says, “I had planned to get medical experience and volunteer hours at the same time.”

Though reasons for the removal have not been published, speculations have been going around.

Junior Naveen Krishnan says, “I heard they took Florida Hospitals off because there were many holes in the volunteer program. I’ve heard about students who used to just sign in and then leave or sit on the side and complete homework.”

Despite the the programs being removed, any hours from The Florida Hospitals submitted by seniors are still eligible.

Senior Taylor Nguyen says, “I’ve had a great time volunteering there and it’s really unfortunate the juniors can’t submit the hours anymore. I still recommend volunteering there; it’s a great experience.”

Another concern many students have about this new change to the Seminole County volunteer list is how it affect scholarship programs. For example, Bright Futures requires students to have completed  at least fifty volunteer hours to qualify for a scholarship. National Honor Society, NHS, is another organization that requires volunteer hours to join.

Krishnan goes on to say, “I’m less motivated to go out of my way for service hours that don’t count for my CAS hours or Bright Futures.”

CAS hours, which stands for creativity, action and service hours, is a requirement enforced by International Baccalaureate (IB). IB students  must complete 150 CAS hours in order to graduate.

The removal of The Florida Hospitals from the SCPS Volunteer list has discouraged many students from applying to volunteer there. Despite its removal, The Florida Hospitals have much to offer for students interested in specific fields, such as medicine or nursing.