Colin Kavanaugh | Turning rhetoric into responsiblity

Nearly 130 million people voted in November's election. Millions donated money, or forwent a day of work or school to talk to their neighbors about health care, crime on our streets, or the state of our public schools.

And on Jan. 20th, America got a new president because of that hard work, with 1.8 million people turning out to celebrate.

So, to quote Jed Bartlet: "What's next?"

Last July, Barack Obama asked a crowd of Colorado students to "answer a new call to service to meet the challenges of our new century."

Before the inauguration's idealism fades, let's remember that the most extant form of change occurs at an after-school program in a rough part of town, not in the corridors of Washington.

In the Colorado speech, Obama said public service would be a "central cause of my presidency." At his inauguration, he renewed his pledge, reminding us that "greatness is never a given. It must be earned."

Well, it's time to earn it. This is where the change we need begins.

Fortunately for Penn students, service opportunities abound.

College sophomore Marshall Bright is the events coordinator for the Community School Student Partnerships, which sends volunteers into West Philadelphia schools to tutor and mentor.

"I've learned more from what I've done there than what I've done in my classes," Bright said. "This is something that everyone should try."

Students can receive work-study credit for the work done with CSSP. While the program is large, there is always a need for more people.

But students can also combine their community service experience with their coursework. Each semester, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships organizes courses into a program called Academically Based Community Service.

Anne Schwieger, a spokeswoman for the Netter Center, said service courses were "structured around problem solving" at the local level, addressing critical issues by giving them a face and a name. She articulated the program as a chance at "mutual learning with long-term benefits."

These aren't even all of Penn's service opportunities. All we have to do is sign up.

Over the winter break, my family and I watched the movie It's a Wonderful Life - a holiday favorite since 1946. It features James Stewart as a small-town businessman who forgoes worldly dreams to help those most in need around him.

Dreams of grandeur are great things to have, and we shouldn't give them up. But let's make sure we look at what's right in front of us.

Millions of students across the country need better schools, newer books and safer playgrounds. But government money goes only so far if those students don't have a mentor to encourage them, or a tutor to help them.

Obama called for a "new era of responsibility" on Tuesday. But patience and responsibility are not two qualities I recognize in most Americans. Improving our country through service is a massive goal, and all I can do is hope most realize our collective role sooner rather than later.

Obama, off to a good start, called on Americans to dedicate themselves to a "National Day of Service" on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Let's send a message in the days and weeks ahead by dedicating ourselves to the service of others - to put "country first," as Sen. John McCain would say.

Hopefully, service will flourish under Obama. His higher-education plan begins with a service program - a $4,000 college credit to students who volunteer more than 100 hours. College sophomore Jordan Levine, president of Penn Democrats, expressed an interest in working at the grass-roots level on Obama's policy initiatives.

In the coming years, I hope the Penn Dems and other political groups will use their listservs to encourage students to implement the change for which they worked so hard.

We students could go into hibernation. We could spend our remaining time in West Philly buried in books or drowning in beer, satisfied that student action by some made a difference in this election, and those elected will do something. We could do that, but we shouldn't. We can't.

It is time to make service the logical next step for change. For those who went to D.C. to "witness history," don't get overexcited. History will judge us not by a single day, but by whether a new era was truly born in its aftermath.

Voting was the easy part, and the break's over.

Colin Kavanaugh is a College sophomore from Tulsa, Okla. The Sooner, The Better appears on alternating Mondays. His email address is kavanaugh@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.