In case you didn’t know class of May 2010, your community service hours are due at the end of February. I’m sure all of the graduating seniors have all 50 hours completed because they are on top of things, right?

The class of 2010 will be the first class that is required to complete community service hours before they obtain their degree from A&T. Fifty hours is not hard to accomplish and the office of Civic and Service Education gives students so many opportunities to complete them. The community service we have to do is not required to torture students or add more work onto our already full plates. The purpose of it is to kill two birds with one stone and that is to serve the community and gain knowledge as well.    

My hours were obtained during my sophomore year when I had an opportunity to travel with the Multicultural Student Center to Mississippi to build a home for a family who lost theirs’ during hurricane Katrina. During our time there we were able to help the citizens in the city of Biloxi, learn the ins and outs of building a house, and also attain the necessary hours needed for graduation.

It only took me one week of spring break; to complete my hours. During that week I literally learned things outside of the classroom that could be applied within the classroom, which is the purpose of the C.A.S.E. program in my eyes.  Most of our peers do not realize its purpose.

It pains me when I hear students who have completed all of their course work for graduation but fall short when it comes to community service hours. The pain worsens when these students claim they have no idea where to go on campus to inquire about information on getting hours. Some students claim they had no idea, some students blame it on the sports they play, some students have no clue about how to log their hours into the system, and others are lazy.

Here’s a tip classmates, visit Murphy Hall suite 104 and join the C.A.S.E. group on Facebook.

Try logging onto OrgSync every once in a while. These resources will keep you informed on all of the upcoming service activities students may use towards their hours.

The activities are not time consuming, costly or difficult. The activity could be as simple as donating seven canned food items, clothes or school supplies for a charity. If donating a few items is taking up too much time in your life than I have no clue what your issue is. C.A.S.E. literally dangles hours in student’s faces for them to take advantage of but most students decide to ignore those opportunities until the last minute. Shirley Chisholm said it best, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth,” so what is the issue and the holdup Aggies?

The wide range of opportunities available to students through C.A.S.E. allows students to tap into something they have a passion for while learning and gaining their community service hours.

The Martin Luther King Day of Service was the perfect day for students to get started on community service hours; school was out and there were many opportunities and shuttles available.

It annoys me when I sit in an upperclassman course and a graduating senior asks where they go to inquire about community service hours. My initial response is to that infamous question is, “where have you been in the past four years and what exactly were you doing to not know this common knowledge?” I am not trying to pick on my classmates but I am trying to bring awareness to them while encouraging the classes after us to start their community service hours ahead of time. If any type of service is rushed the ability to learn from it is in vain.

On Wednesday Feb. 3, 2010 at 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium, the program “Are you African American?” will  take place, this will give students the chance to learn about Malawi and gain C.A.S.E. approved hours at the same time. Seniors get those 50 hours out of the way.

I don’t want any of your degrees held hostage by the university because of your own ignorance.  

• T’Lisha Holmes