Student volunteering should be required. How many times this semester have you or one of your friends done something for either someone in the community or someone in need?

It’s in TCU’s mission statement: “To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.” What better way to follow through with this campus mission than to implement a way students can help their community?

Not only is community volunteering good and the right thing to do, such activities are becoming increasingly important to college graduates looking for work. Time after time, interview upon interview, the applicant with the most volunteer time and activities has an advantage.

TCU created a center solely to help you do this.

The TCU Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, a branch of Student Developmental Services, is available to help those in the TCU community get involved with volunteer and service activities.

But such service ought to be more than a good idea. It should be a commitment required of every student at TCU.

Students should be required to share their time, knowledge and friendship with those in need. TCU sponsors events throughout the school year, yet student turnout is not always as high as hoped.

If it were mandatory for students to volunteer at least once during their college experience, it would not only benefit the students by opening up their minds, but it would also benefit the community students often neglect.

Some of the most important lessons young adults learn are not in the classroom. Students should look beyond University Drive to find others whose lives can be bettered by something students can do.

Erin Glatzel for the editorial board.