Ivy A. Helman, a graduate student in women’s studies, laments students’ reactions to a course she taught titled ”Raise a Fist, Lend a Hand: Activism and Volunteerism at the Dawn of the 21st Century,” and which included a community-service requirement:

… I expected that students who chose the class would be eager to get involved with social issues.
But what I thought would be the most rewarding and educational aspect of the course proved instead to be challenging and deeply frustrating. I spent most of the semester trying to convince my students of the importance of activism, and trying to motivate them to overcome their apathy, lack of interest, and attempts to stay in their comfort zones. (Chronicle)

Hellman’s frustration is likely a healthy sign, showing that students have the sense to know that the purpose of going to college is to be meaningfully educated and to acquire usable skills. Perhaps Hellman’s students also decided they preferred to choose and execute good works on their own initiative, instead of submitting to an exercise in mandated compassion and community service.

In an Obama presidency, lengthy community service would be required of all students. Every campus in the land would be forced to force-feed activism.