Our opinion: Time to change, time to serve

In the weeks leading up to Martin Luther King Day on Monday, the King family made a point to emphasize the importance of giving back to local communities in the wake of the current economic crisis. Many give back by serving meals to the homeless, assisting the elderly, tutoring young children, cleaning the beach and stocking food banks. The list goes on.

Even the newly-inaugurated president got in on the act. “I ask the American people to turn today’s efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others in their communities, their cities, and their country,” President Barack Obama wrote on Monday before rolling up his sleeves and working throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Whether you voted for him or not, we should use this time of transition to start fresh, start something new. There are certainly people, not very far from here, that are much less fortunate than each and every one of us. We need to take the lessons we learn in these precious four years and help out. Give back.

Right here on campus, we have our very own Butler Center for Volunteer Service & Leadership Development (SLC). According to their website their mission is “to serve as a catalyst in developing students who cultivate positive social change within their communities as engaged citizens.” Basically, to round off the already well-rounded students in our university community. It’s surprising how few students have actually heard of the Butler Center, but the point is that it’s never too late to start helping out. The Butler Center is our stepping stool and we must rise up. They’re located in room 240 of the Whitten University Center or you can visit their website at www.miami.edu/learnandserve.

From all of us at The Miami Hurricane, happy new year and we hope you all have a great semester.