How many of us have committed to the fact that we will have student loans at the completion of our college career? How many of us are excited about that?
Student loans have become just as integral to curriculum as any prerequisite literature or math class. Sadly, change to this standard doesn’t seem to appear to be on the horizon and this as tuition costs continue to rise faster than home values in Portland, Oregon. We accept the cost at face value and pay into this system. Millenials are collecting roommates like baseball cards to afford to save for a house. Why not exchange cost for civic engagement? Humor me here for a minute. 
My fellow students will attest to the number of hours spent working to pay for their classes and the toll this takes on the body. When you add in factors like family and other outside commitments, you can’t possible expect graduates to be the healthiest bunch. Why isn’t civic engagement a requisite for all colleges or means to pay for your education? You can combine all the Master’s and PhD degrees you like but it doesn’t equate to a civic-minded, contributing individual at the end of the day. A straight A student automatically translate to someone that has the skills to engage with the homeless population, anyone in a mental health crisis, or support their local legislators. I’m talking involvement at an even more granular level.
A nursing or medical student could volunteer at a clinic in an underserved community or visit a veteran’s hospital. I get that medical students already need practice hours but I’m talking about engaging with others both within and outside of your community. Colleges require a second language but don’t require you to engage with those native to it. Why is this? When I was a freshman in highschool, my first year Spanish instructor had us teach English to those new to our country. It was enlightening. I may not have been strong in the language just yet but there was dialog there and a mutual effort to listen and understand one another.
What I’m proposing is an exchange of hours learned for hours and ideas to give back. Perhaps this is not dollar for dollar but when you have a community supported by a foundation of contributing individuals, suddenly you have conversation, immersion outside of your comfort zone, and perhaps even empathy. What do you gain from decades of student loan repayment? Nothing beyond what a credit card can teach you. You don’t hear stories from people in other cultures or socioeconomic situations. You might not understand how to build your communities from within, instead relying on what builders and retailers think it should look and feel like.
When you have students pouring their hard-earned dollars back into housing, cars, experiences, and raising families, you’re supporting the construction crews, manual labor, and in turn, infrastructure. As tumultuous as our country is right now, I hear people getting angry and feeling passionate about important causes yet they don’t know what to do about it and how to get actively involved beyond signing an online petition.
We need an active dialog. We need connection with those around us on a more intimate level than Facebook comments and sharing opinions with like-minded friends. We NEED engagement.