The University campus, for better or worse, has a reputation as one of the most politically active in the nation.
And before coming to Eugene, freshman Robert Jones had some wild notions about what the campus political climate was like.
“I was expecting to walk into a picket line when I came here,” Jones said. “Molotov cocktails and ‘Kill Bush’ signs.”
The University Web site says, “political activism is alive at the UO” and celebrates that the University brought more students to the polls than any school its size during the 2000 election. It also cites Mother Jones magazine’s ranking of the University as one of the nation’s top-ten activist campuses, as well as its status as the fourth-largest producer of Peace Corps volunteers, as proof of a politically active campus.
Recently, the political cauldron on campus was further stirred up by the formation of a new student group, “Generation Dean” — an extension of former Vermont governor Howard Dean’s campaign to capture the democratic presidential nomination.
However, sophomore Ethan Firpo, the vice chairman of Generation Dean, doesn’t think the University lives up to its reputation.
“I think UO’s reputation as a politically active campus is a little bit hyped,” Firpo said. “I think we get a lot of run-off from the town of Eugene.”
College Republicans Chairman Jarrett White said the level of political activism on campus depends on the situation.
“It seems as though something really has to go down to get people in an uproar,” White said. “When there’s not much news going on, it’s pretty dead.”
While some think the University’s reputation as a politically active campus is overrated, the University boasts political groups such as the College Republicans, College Democrats, Campus Greens, Generation Dean and OSPIRG, which all keep a presence on campus.
Publications such as the Oregon Commentator and Student Insurgent provide another format for students’ opinions.
While many avenues stand ready for students’ political input, White says that “politically active” doesn’t necessarily mean accepting different viewpoints.
“We’re pretty much the only haven for conservative students on campus,” White said, adding that many students come to the College Republicans to fight what they see as left-wing bias in the classroom.
“Any kind of conservative viewpoint you put forth in the classroom just gets thrashed on by students,” White said.
White said he has seen conservative students treated unfairly by instructors. One time, after advocating for drilling in Alaska, “The teacher looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo,” White said.
But not all Republican students feel threatened at the University. Jones said he felt his views were welcome on campus.
“It’s healthy conversation,” Jones said. “I don’t feel like I’m attacked when I express my views.”
Regardless of political affiliation, it seems that students will continue to fight for their causes on campus.
“We’re trying to get people age 18 to 25 interested in politics again,” Firpo said.