College students as catalysts for social change: a case study



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Lessons Learned


Throughout the history of the 20th century, students have reacted to the situations that they disagreed with. Whether it was the ideology of the movement or being caught up in the sheer group mentality, students have engaged in social movements such as civil rights, free speech or anti-war. This history has provided a rich template for student groups to learn from each other as well as adopt tactics that worked in prior movements to accomplish their goals. For example the first sit-in proved effective and within two months sit-ins had spread to 54 cities in nine states (Brash & Britten, 1998). Additionally the support of college faculty via teach-ins, protests and the Free Speech vote also seems to be strongly woven throughout these early movements. The founders of SLP also had the support (albeit sometimes indirectly) of faculty in the formation of their organization.

Many of these groups later translated social movement into the creation of national leadership such as the SNCC or SDS (Dougan & Lipsman, 1984). These groups were designed to deal with the widespread national interest from students and address the need for organization to effectively support this growth. SLP has also had to create a national office to deal with the growth that has been inherent in its program.

Another factor for students in joining movements or organizations during college is they have, perhaps, fewer responsibilities and demands. With more freedom they can devote time to bring about changes in policies and procedures as was seen in the 20th century. Out of these changes also came demands for programs to support their specific needs and desires. These programs and support systems now exist for the current generation of students that are involved on college campuses. Many of these contemporary students are completely unaware of the struggles that others before them were involved with. This may exemplify the idea of standing on the shoulders of giants. The student movements that occurred in the past have created a platform in the 21st century for students such as the Student Leadership Program (SLP) to continue to create change. This has occurred due to free speech and changes in other policies empowering students. For example students involved in pressuring institutions to divest from investment portfolios that supported apartheid saw the success of putting pressure on systems to change. The hard fought battles for open access to colleges and universities for women and students of color has allowed these voices to be present on our campuses today.

However, some striking differences exist between these earlier student movements and those of today. The rage and anguish of the civil rights and the anti-war movement during the 1960s are not prevalent with today’s student groups. Students are not laying down their lives for their convictions as evidenced in some of the examples shared earlier. So even though there are increased levels of activism, it is not set against the dramatic social upheaval of the 1960’s. However, this new generation of students is passionate about their convictions. Another change is the increased awareness this generation has to confront national or global matters. Earlier activists reacted to situations that confronted our country such as segregation and the war in Vietnam whereas students are more aware of global issues such as genocide in Rwanda or the drought in Sudan, things that don’t directly impact them. This is a result of the networked era the current generation has grown up with. As Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt (1999) state, this is “a new generation of leaders who can bring about positive change in local, national and international affairs” (p. i).


Change Makers


SLP is not alone in being started by college students; there are many other student-initiated groups founded in recent years. These include groups such as National Student Partnership started by students at Yale, Teach For America started by a student at Princeton and Invisible Children started by students at two California universities. These groups were founded by college students who stayed on to work for the groups after graduation, and all became national organizations spreading beyond the founding campus or school.

The sheer number of students in this age group is a factor in creating momentum for student movements. As of 2004, 26% of the U.S. population is under the age of eighteen (Halpin, 2004). College enrollment hit a record level of 17.6 million in fall 2006. Enrollment is expected to increase by an additional 13% between 2006 and 2015 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2006). Moller (1968) offers a demographic explanation when he discusses the increased size of youth cohorts and the effect that this might have on society. “In any community the presence of a large number of adolescents and young adults influences the temper of life; and the greater the proportion of young people the greater the likelihood of cultural and political change” (p. 241). This age cohort seems to be attracted to making a difference in big and small ways.

Sierra Student Coalition, as one illustration, is an environmental nationwide group at 250 schools, both high schools and colleges, with over 14,000 members (Sierra Student Coalition, 2007). In November 2007, Sierra Student Coalition held a gathering with 5,500 students, and this is what was stated on their website: “A movement is brewing…what is needed is a fearless and uncompromising movement of the world's youth. We are the generation with the vision, the hope, and the moral authority to demand real global warming solutions” (Sierra Student Coalition, 2007). These young people propose they are the generation with the vision and “moral authority” to demand solutions for our world and many of them will be headed to college campuses in the future.

Another factor in the growth of student movements is a growth in a feeling of efficacy. Pryor, Hurtado, Saenz, Korn, Santos & Korn (2006) survey indicated that approximately 75% of students believe they can bring about change in society, which may explain the increase in activism with students. When undergraduates were asked why they got involved in service activities, 80% indicated they derived satisfaction from helping people and 54% felt it their responsibility to correct societal problems (Serow, 1991). In the 2006 Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) survey approximately two-thirds, (66.7%) of all freshmen report that “helping others in difficulty” is a “very important” or “essential” personal goal and 42.5% of students desire to “influence social values” which is the response’s highest point since 1993 (Pryor et al., 2006).




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