CCE offers benefits outside of the classroom

For now, students aren't required to participate in community  service, but what if they were?

ISU already has an accomplished center for Community Engagement; it's placed in the top 15 percent of colleges in the nation for community service in the Washington Monthly.

In addition, the CCE holds plenty of fundraisers and offers a variety of services to the ISU student body.

One event in particular, Donaghy Day, is headed by the CCE and has a more hands-on approach to community service.  

Earlier in the semester, volunteers worked outdoors to "beautify the campus and surrounding community," according to Donaghy Day's link on ISU's website.

Other events and programs the CCE supports include the Special Olympics, volunteer fair, Human Rights Day and Alternative Spring Break, all of which encourage collaboration and learning experiences between students and faculty.

In the Statesman article "ISU gives back to the community," Nancy Rogers, director of the CCE, stated, "[the CCE's] goal is to get 100 percent of the students involved with community engagement."

And, really, that's how it should be.

Education should extend beyond the classroom setting. There is only so much students can gain from listening to lectures for hours each day and even then, they are primarily obtaining academic knowledge.

But if they are, say, outside, sprucing up campus or mingling with participants during the Special Olympics, they are acquiring skills that will last them a lifetime. Not to mention that their selfless efforts are benefiting the city and university.

Also, students can continue to learn through community service after they graduate through employers, churches and other organizations in their neighborhoods.

And they can do so for free.

It makes sense to add community service to ISU's curriculum.

What better way to get more from day, than by giving more from day one?