Shifting Perspectives on Student Activism

This chapter explores how activism is positioned within the world and within higher education. Societal expectations of college students are discussed and include the idea that student's mirror the larger world around them. This leads to students' use of technology as a form of activism, and ultimately, how students balance their own independent thinking and their relationships with faculty members. A second perspective presented is how activism looks to college administrators and policy makers, noting that technology-based activism may draw upon a larger collection of students, but may actually result in less disturbance and impact on campus. The chapter concludes with projections as to what activism will look like in the future.

Predictions of the Future

College student activism has played an important role in the history of higher education, and in many ways has created the current balance of power between the institution and students. The future of student activism will be predicated largely on the characteristics of the new generation of college students and the experiences they have had in forming their own identities. This chapter explores several key predictions for the future of activism and the implications of those predictions on both administrators and faculty members. Several key predictions include the continued attempt to control activism as a learning experience, more national movements coming to campuses, and activism as a non-physical and technology-based experience.

Policy Implications of Student Involvement

This chapter provides an overview of several key elements of public policy that relate to student activism in higher education. Following a general discussion of agenda setting, governance structures are presented based on a typology developed by Hendrickson et al. (2013) and includes bureaucratic, collegial, and political models of university governance. In each of these models, the concept of organizational communication is presented as a foundation for collaborating with students, and impetus for possible activist episodes. As an example of public policy and student activism, in loco parentis as an institutional policy that intersects with public officials and the courts is presented. A number of legal decisions about in loco parentis are noted, along with the growth of activism as a tool to overturn the practice.

What's Happening Today

This chapter provides a detailed look at four recent examples of activism on American college campuses. The first of these case studies is the University of Missouri, where racial tensions following the Ferguson shooting heightened tensions among students who believed the campus was not racially accepting. The second case explores the City University of New York and their handling of faculty and graduate student contracts, salaries, and appointments. The third case presented is Seattle University, where students and administrators clashed over curricular content. The final case detailed here is the University of California's attempt to significantly raise student tuition, and how students, faculty, and the public joined forces to protest these increases.

Historical Context of Student Activism

College students have a long history of activism and protest on campus, beginning with the founding of some of the earliest European colleges. This activism at Bologna resulted in students making decisions about who would teach and what would be taught. More contemporary activism has been noted for a brief period in the 1960s and 1970s, and that powerful experience brought social activism to college campuses as never before. The evolution of activism has resulted in a managed experience by institutions with specific outcomes, whether socialization or learning-oriented expectations, and that college administrators find an important role in encouraging healthy activism for welfare of the student's development.

Introduction to Campus Activism in the 21st Century

The chapter provides an overview of what activism is currently taking place on college campuses and the formats of this engagement. Activism as protest and technological engagement are introduced, noting that activism can be more than traditional protests and demonstrations aimed at making immediate change. Different perspectives on activism are also presented, including the concept that activism is a way to help students grow and mature while in college, is a way to engage students in democratic ideology, and can also be viewed as a tool in the free-market enterprise system. The chapter concludes by introducing the alignment of activism with different elements of the study of public policy.