College students are in a precarious position. Living away from home and free to make many of our own choices, we remain labeled as not yet living in the “real world.”

A group of college students in Mississippi are trying to bridge this gap. In response to recent bloodshed in China, they have formed a committee called Freedom Also For China Through Students. Their goal is to collect enough student members and financial support to erect a monument in China’s Tiananmen Square similar to our Statue of Liberty.

What good will a statue do, you might ask, when the damage has been done? The bodies have been carried away and counted, and the number is too high. This cannot be changed.

But the statue is important because it is a symbol not only of freedom, but of accomplishment. A statue is better than nothing.

The determination of a handful of American college students to make a change in China is commendable. Most of them have probably never been to China, but they want to help the country.

So many people all over the world watched newscasts and read articles about the events in China, and many shook their heads in disbelief as the bloody scene unfolded. Sympathy is a virtuous emotion, but action holds the most virtue.

So next time you see a cause you believe in, take action. If you don’t, nobody will. And if nobody does, nothing will change.