The Story
A Brief Guide to Student Activism
We are approaching the 40th anniversary of 1968. Yes, that’s right, the anniversary not of an event, but of an entire year. It’s already started. From a Tom Brokaw special to the Julia Tamor movie “Across the Universe” to the class I just finished (1968!), celebrations and commemorations of the year are abounding. According to the narratives, 1968 was a worldwide revolution. Students from Madison, Wisconsin to Prague, Czechoslovakia made headlines as they fought against governments that tried to put them down. In honor of those students, I give you 10 hints for student activism.
10. Have a cause.
Wanting to change the world is great. Wanting to change specific parts of the world is more likely to get you progress. Wanting to tear down society and build it back as utopia is laudable, but it would be unlikely that you would find many supporters. If your cause is really big, form a big group, get together in the middle of nowhere and come up with a statement to define yourselves.
9. Have a plan.
Almost as important. Having concrete ideas on how you want to make your changes is likely to get you further supporters, and it may even get you into the ears of people with the power to make such changes.
8. Numbers count.
Having a 10 people at a rally is great. But having 100 people at a rally is much more likely to get people’s attention. Which leads into the next hint:
7. Get people’s attention.
In 1968, students took over buildings to get their point across. There are other ways, of course. Take out ads in newspapers, stage rallies or circulate petitions. There’s a poster with instructions on how to wheatpaste posters in between the Jamestown dorms and Rogers Hall. Use it.
6. Try not to anger the police.
One of the more unfortunate lessons of 1968. Student protests at Columbia, as well as the majority of the Chicago Democratic Convention, turned into what was later called a police riot. If the police come in, the chances of someone getting hurt goes way up.
5. Get the press on your side.
Press coverage does wonders for activism. On the other hand, if the press starts to see you as spoiled middle-class kids looking for attention, your cause is likely to get lost.
4. Find a good enemy.
A Soviet invasion does wonders for your cause, even if it does end up with your country being repressed for the next 20 years. Corporations that manufacture napalm are also good targets. Be aware that if your enemy is the government of your country, they will probably put your protest down.
3. Anything you can get is good.
So you’re trying to break down gender barriers. Maybe you can’t get gender-free housing, but you can at least get mixed-sex halls. That’s progress. Take it.
2. You don’t have to work within the system.
Working within the system might get you the results you want. But if it doesn’t, feel free to use whatever resources you have at your disposal. Go ahead, camp out in the Sunken Gardens. It’ll get you attention, if nothing else.
1. Never stop trying.
So you can’t get a meeting with the President. So your small protest turned into a riot and you all were arrested. It doesn’t matter. If your cause is important to you, don’t give up.
Forty years ago, students made the world sit up and take notice. Will you be able to do that again? Probably not. But that’s no reason not to try.
Jocelyn Krieger is a staff columnist for The DSJ. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the entire staff.