GUEST COLUMNIST: Mandating community service

Jessica Darpino Jessica Darpino Last April, President Clinton convened the "President's Summit on America's Future." Colin Powell, former presidents of the United States Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and many other dignitaries, as well as involved American citizens, came together in Philadelphia, urging the nation to become more involved with volunteerism. Currently, there are many community service programs available on campus, with varying levels of student participation. These include programs for tutoring and mentoring, feeding the hungry and homeless, putting on theater productions for children and raising money for various charitable causes. While for undergraduates none of these are required activities, community service is mandatory in some parts of the University. For example, in order to graduate from the Law School, students must perform 35 hours of pro-bono work in both their second and third years. They have an opportunity to work with many different law-related organizations and programs, and they can select programs which fit their individual needs and personal or career interests. The goal of this requirement is to raise social consciousness and to encourage students to "give back" to society. One significant benefit of the program is that the exposure to different social problems encourages emotional involvement. Some law students later pursue public interest law or make a commitment to pro-bono work based on their experience. Unfortunately, there are many students on this campus who have never committed even an hour of their time to those who are less fortunate. The University aims to produce well-educated men and women who are prepared for the 21st century, but will it benefit society if these graduates have not been exposed to working for the public good? Penn Law should serve as a model for other schools within the university. At the very least, community service should be required among undergraduates. At one of the foremost universities in the country, it should be the responsibility of the administration to generate interest and force community involvement. Students here have a plethora of talents and special abilities that could benefit the community and society as a whole, while they become more well-rounded graduates. Although there is potential to enrich the lives of Penn students, the concept of mandatory public service may be unpopular. But if students were required to put in even a small amount of time doing volunteer work for an organization of their choice -- even as little as 10 hours a year -- the results would be astounding. The community would benefit, and there is a likelihood that students would be more socially responsible when they leave the University. As trite as it sounds, each person can make a difference. If more Penn students took an interest in West Philadelphia, maybe relations between students and area residents would improve. Students could do volunteer work for educational, health-related and other organizations that correspond to their interest and touch many lives.

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