Today we celebrate a man who devoted his life to the service of others.

Today we have an opportunity to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in the Day of Service.

Although we do not have the day off from classes, we can still make the best of the situation by giving the time that we do have in our schedules to help others and in the end, help ourselves.

With the recent hate letters and the increasing racial tensions on campus, it is important now more than ever to work toward unity instead of separation. Participating in the Day of Service means supporting the values of a man who believed strongly in a world where everyone — regardless of race, color or creed — could accept each other without question or suspicion. We still have a long way to go, but today is a chance for us to chip away at the barriers we all have constructed. Today is an opportunity for us to give back to carry out his dream.

In the words of Coretta Scott King, "It's not a day off, it's a day on." Go out there and serve the community.