ACTIVISM ON CAMPUS: ARE STUDENT MOVEMENTS IMPACTFUL DR. DONNA J. MENKE

STUDENT PROTESTS THROUGH THE YEARS

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW GRIEVANCES WITH PEERS, FACULTY, ADMINISTRATORS IN LOCO PARENTIS & REMOVAL OF UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS ECONOMIC DEPRESSION, THREAT OF WAR CIVIL RIGHTS, FREE SPEECH, ANTI-WAR WOMEN’S RIGHTS SOCIAL JUSTICE ANTI-SWEATSHOPS/LABOR STUDENT DEBT, EQUALITY

Upton Sinclair, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Clarence Darrow and Walter Lippmann Intercollegiate Socialist Free Speech on campus, debate over rearmament &war 1916 voted to oppose military training on campus A third of the members were not socialists EARLY CAMPUS ACTIVISM

THE 1920'S STUDENT PROTESTS CRITICIZED THE UNIVERSITY FOR THE FIRST TIME DEVOTED SOME EFFORTS TO EDUCATIONAL ISSUES: ADULT CULTURE HYPOCRITICAL AND ANTI-INTELLECTUAL RADICAL STUDENTS EXPELLED, COLLEGE PAPERS CENSORED, IN LOCO PARENTIS WAS THE ORDER

1930’S GROWTH OF MASS STUDENT MOVEMENT NO GENERATION GAP ANTIWAR QUESTION MOST SIGNIFICANT CAMPUS ISSUE CRITIQUED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM (FREE SPEECH, ROTC, ACADEMIC FREEDOM) LABOR ORGANIZING

1940’S STUDENT MOVEMENT COLLAPSED WITH WORLD WAR II STUDENTS VOLUNTEERED OR WERE DRAFTED POST-WAR SAW MEAGER EFFORTS TO REVIVE THE STUDENT MOVEMENT MOST MOVEMENTS WERE ANTI-COMMUNISM

1950’S POLITICAL REPRESSION GENERAL SENSE OF APATHY ANTI-COMMUNISM EFFORTS CONTINUED LATE 1950’S: “BEATNIKS”, BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, ANTI NUCLEAR CONSCIOUSNESS

1960’S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT WOMEN’S MOVEMENT ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (SDS)

ARE PROTESTS SUCCESSFUL? DID EARLY PROTESTS ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS? WHY DID THEY DIE DOWN?

1970’S NO THREATENING FOREIGN POLICY ECONOMIC PROBLEMS DISILLUSIONMENT WITH PAST POLITICS SOME ATTENTION PAID TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT (AIM)

1980’S & 90’S NICARAGUA CAMPUS RACISM ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT “MEISM”: SELF-HELP GROUPS, LAWSUITS INCREASED, CONCERN WITH THE QUALITY OF CAMPUS LIFE

ACTIVISM ON THE RISE

CONSEQUENCES OF EARLIER ACTIVISM IMPORTANCE OF CREATING DIVERSE CAMPUSES STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS SAY INCREASED VALUE ON CAMPUS ARE STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS STILL VALUED?

LEGACY OF 60’S MOVEMENTS END OF IN LOCO PARENTIS SOCIAL MORES CHANGED (MORE ACCEPTANCE OF MARIJUANA USE) QUESTIONING OF GOVERNMENTAL DECISIONS ARE STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS STILL VALUED?

IS THIS STILL TRUE? “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS AND INSTITUTIONS OUGHT TO BE ONE THAT EMPOWERS STUDENTS AND TREATS THEM LIKE ADULTS, AND THIS DUTY TRANSCENDS CONCERNS ABOUT INSTITUTIONAL IMAGE AND POLITICS.” (WOLF-WENDEL, ET AL, 2004, P 370)

ACTIVISM AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FORMER ACTIVISTS STRONGER LEFTIST POLITICAL EFFICACY GREATER POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ALL WOMEN FROM 60’S GENERATION HIGH LEVELS OF FEMINISTS CONSCIOUSNESS

TODAY’S ACTIVISM IS ACTIVISM WRONG? SHOULD WE ENCOURAGE IT? SHOULD WE PREVENT IT? DOES IT HELP OR HINDER STUDENT DEVELOPMENT? WHAT IS OUR ROLE WHEN STUDENTS PROTESTS ON OUR CAMPUSES?

REFERENCES Altbach, P.G. & Peterson, P. (1971). Before Berkeley: Historical perspectives on American student activism. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 395, Braungardt, M.M., & Braungardt, R.G. (1991) The effects of the 1960’s political generation on former left- right – wing youth activists leaders Social Problems 38(3) Gitlin, T. (1987). The 1960’s: Years of hope, days of rage. New York, NY:Bantam. Rhoads, R.A. (1998). Student protest and multicultural reform: Making sense of campus unrest in the 1990's. Journal of Higher Education, 69(6)., Wolf-Wendel, L. E., Twombly, S.B., Nemeth Tuttle, K., Ward, K., Gaston-Gayles, J.L. (2004). Reflecting back, looking forward: Civil rights and students affairs. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators