The University of California has a three-pronged mission of
research, teaching and service. The last is the most neglected.
Luckily, a group of dedicated souls carries it forward.
Whether they work in the Community Service Commission, do
philanthropy for a sorority or fraternity, fulfill a class
requirement, or partake in service purely under their own
initiative, individuals who do community service while at UCLA
deserve recognition.
After all, sitting in an ivory tower with all the knowledge in
the world or tinkering with new technologies in a lab does few
people much good.
Finding a way to apply scholarship and research to the outside
world, though, can make a world of difference.
The people who travel to the poorest parts of Los Angeles to
teach children to read, who educate teenagers about AIDS, who clean
up neighborhoods and take care of the homeless greatly help to make
UCLA the excellent university it is.
Their efforts may not be the focus of frequent television or
newspaper coverage, but their perseverance is continual, their
dedication admirable. They are the best UCLA has to offer.