Being active on campus is something that’s been thrown around at me a lot recently. “Don’t tolerate overpriced textbooks! You have a voice and it’s time to use it!” and “Interested in being active on your campus? Take this leaflet and join this group.”
It’s all bogus.
We’ve all had that moment when the day started just a little too early; class starts in three minutes and you’re still only just passing the EMU. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a cute girl or guy looking too damn cheery moving toward you, proffering a brightly colored piece of paper. Rather than taking it and adding it to the stacks of similar pamphlets laying on the ground or in the trash, you crank up the music on your MP3 player or whip out your mobile communication device to check for messages as you put your head down and truck on by, oblivious to the entreaties to stop and save a polar bear.
Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t make you a terrible person or even a “disconnected college student.” It does, however, address a fundamental social perception among college
students: You need to be involved in some sort of club, extracurricular activity, or social change group to get the most out of the college experience.
People have suggested that I become involved in student government or develop a pet issue that I can make T-shirts for. Would I be interested in protesting against Phil “Sugar Daddy” Knight and Nike for their admittedly criminal negligence in the Asian work market? Can I sign this petition for legalizing marijuana? No thanks, I have to get to class. Sorry, I’m late for work. My life is, as a matter of fact, of some importance to me and I have a list of chores and homework longer than my arm. I apologize, it’ll have to be another time.
I’m not saying participating in something on campus other than academics and drinking is a bad thing, or personally advocating for polar bear extermination.
After all, it’s not like I don’t have my share of other activities. I write for the Emerald, try to participate in an intramural sport each term, work at Carson Dining, and have tried (unsuccessfully) club rugby. But at the same time, I have chosen to fill my precious free time with things I feel connected to and/or are part of my own progression through college. I know plenty of people who split time between class, work and their significant other and are perfectly functioning human beings. “Activism” just doesn’t fit into our schedules.
But what about the high ideals of activism? Tuesday’s Emerald reported the historic decision made by the University of Wisconsin to sever the credit line extended to it by Nike, because the company hasn’t been exactly professional or humane in its handling of outsourced labor. The students and faculty deserve respect and congratulations for this, as it wasn’t an easy decision and certainly will impact the financial state of the university. It’s undoubtedly something that is unlikely to ever happen here at the University, so it is important to remember that students do have a lot of power when it comes to instigating changes like this. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were an astonishing display at a time when the Chinese domination and manipulation of public opinion was at its highest. Students were instrumental in the sit-ins during Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for civil rights for African-Americans. The infamous Kent State shooting, which occurred when National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of students protesting the continued escalation of the Vietnam War, sparked a student strike four million strong. But today’s attempt at student activism doesn’t build on our predecessors’ proud heritage, it weakens it.
Essentially, today’s college student doesn’t feel like they’ve left high school behind until they pick something to stand behind. Something that they think completes them, transforms them from that bored 12th grader with the easy class load and no responsibility into a concerned, community-minded individual who donates to charities and demands more funding for diversity scholarships in the space of a few months. Look at me, I’m building my resume and saving the environment at the same time!
I question the motives and hidden agendas behind these people and their neon signs as I run to class, music pounding in my ears. Are they actually
committed to solving world problems, or are they investing energy into these clubs and programs for the wrong reasons? Are they actually trying to recruit me for the betterment of mankind, or are they more interested in building their membership?  
Activism and change comes from the heart — not because it’s trendy or a socially-accepted developmental step, but because it’s right.
[email protected]