Volunteer hours burdensome requirement
by Matt Rinker, reporter

    A recent newspaper article about a proposed state bill harnessed my full attention.

    Bill H.B.791, being introduced into the Texas Legislature by Rep. Pete Gallego, is one that could affect every student at Tarrant County College. If you are planning to obtain a bachelor’s degree or are working toward a 60-hour certificate program, you might be as interested in this bill as I am.

    The bill states that “to receive a baccalaureate degree or a certificate for an undergraduate program requiring at least 60 semester credit hours from an institution of higher education, a student must perform at least 28 hours of unpaid public service during one semester while enrolled in an institution of higher education in this state.”

    I read the bill two, maybe even three, times to make sure of its content and even visited the Texas Legislature website to make sure my eyes were not deceiving my brain.

    This bill should not be passed for several reasons.

    When students attend school full time, the stress and pressure to succeed are high, and the workload almost reaches insanity. The estimated amount of time spent on schoolwork alone is 30 hours a week. The majority of students pile a 40-hour workweek on top of that, just to pay for school, not to mention a possible car payment or apartment bills.

    This load already makes the workweek 70 hours long, and there are only 168 hours available each week. Add in 56 hours for the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep per week and that totals 126.

    The remaining 42 hours leaves little time to run errands, eat three meals a day, exercise or just sit to take a deep breath after such a physically draining lifestyle. I have not even begun to account for time needed by students who attend medical or law school.

    A friend of mine raised a point that some students have already completed many hours of community service as part of their religious requirements or their own charitable beliefs. Should these students be forced to complete even more volunteer work?

    The only part of this bill that I can agree with is that it does allow students to choose the establishment in which they complete their required hours.

    It’s not that I’m inconsiderate or uncaring with no regard for my community. But volunteer work should be exactly that, voluntary. Students should not be forced to volunteer when the word means “one who offers himself for a service of his own free will.”

    I am not sure which part of the word volunteer Gallego does not understand.

    Quick action through letters to legislators objecting to such action may be the only method of ensuring that the bill does not pass.

    Ignorance is bliss? I don’t think so.