Volunteer 101 a necessary elective
Endorsed bill would make students complete 28 hours of service

The Texas House’s Higher Education Committee has endorsed a bill by Democratic Rep. Pete Gallego that would require all students who enroll in Texas public colleges and universities after Sept. 1 to perform 28 hours of community service within one semester to graduate from their respective school.

Under the bill, each university would set up an office to keep a list of approved service projects and monitor the program.

This bill continues the trend in American society to endorse volunteerism. From the Boy Scouts of America to high school service clubs, volunteerism is at an all-time high. The bill would simply be an extension of the philanthropic philosophy that has always been a part of American culture, but it has gained extraordinary momentum since the 1960s.

Opponents of the bill argue that although community service should be nurtured, it is not the responsibility of state governments to enforce it in its universities.

Lawmakers accepting this line of reasoning fail to see the benefits of being well-rounded individuals.

Too often, students entering college feel the pressures to choose a career and take the fast track to their first professional job.

Instead of exploring options and figuring out what to do with their lives, students are steamrolled into classes that will lead to careers that seem to fit what they want to do with their lives.

All of the other experiences of college become overlooked: independence, relationships, self-sacrifice and discipline. These are the things that people will look back on as they age and reminisce about their experiences at college, not what score they receive on their accounting midterm.

Community service has the advantage of becoming one of those memorable, life-shaping events that take place in a collegian’s life.

Horizons will be expanded, perspectives enhanced and perhaps, opinions formed.

All too often, college students find themselves detached from the real world while furthering their education. They forget about the people out there who aren’t able to attend college or choose different roads.

Requiring community service, 28 hours of unpaid labor, is perhaps that brightest idea any lawmaker has ever had and can help bridge the gap between education levels.

Those students who are fortunate to become college-educated Americans have a responsibility to the rest of the nation to better society.

Students who involve themselves in community service will soon find that community service is not about requirements, but instead about opening eyes and lending a helping hand to those in need.

When John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, he issued a call to service to Americans with the words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Kennedy manifested his vision for Americans serving others by creating the Peace Corps.

Kennedy’s famous words prove to be a little misleading however, because when people begin doing for others through volunteering, it is often their lives that change too.

Through community service, individuals grow to new heights and become more well-rounded than any college classroom can make them.
Texas and the rest of the nation need to look at what kind of students they want graduating from their schools before they dismiss this bill.
It will be a far greater accomplishment to graduate smart, compassionate students, rather than simply the smartest.

Opinion Editor James Zwilling is a sophomore news-editorial journalism major from Phoenix.
He can be reached at (j.g.zwilling@student.tcu.edu).

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