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I've only done a little research on student activism outside the United States -- it's a vast topic, obviously. One thing that's kept my study focused at home is the fact that so much of the work I do is on under-studied eras and topics. If I were only a historian of American student activism in the sixties, for instance, it'd be a lot easier (and more tempting) for me to branch out into comparative work.
The question about parallels and differences in activism in different kinds of American higher ed institutions is a great one, and I'll discuss two answers that leap to mind.
First, there's public vs. private. Students at public colleges and universities generally have a lot more leverage over their institutions, and their organizing reflects that. Student governments are stronger, legislative lobbying has more direct impact, regents and trustees can be influenced through the politicians who appoint and confirm them. There are certainly private campuses with strong traditions of activism, but in general there's more going on at the publics, particularly in the last 40 years.
A second obvious distinction is between residential and commuter colleges -- it's just a lot easier to organize students when they live on campus. And that doesn't just apply to sit-ins and rallies, either -- a residential campus is likely to have more vibrant clubs and organizations, more student participation in events and activities, more sense of community overall. So even when there's not a lot of overt "activism" going on, there's a base of student connectedness that can be tapped into. -
Let's see. I'm teaching three classes, and doing a bunch of campus speaking. There's the website, and Twitter, and the huge spike in journalists' calls since #March4. I'm launching a new group blog for student government leaders (http://sgablogs.com). I'm writing the foreword for a resource guide for journalists on student activist organizations. I'm working on a series of video interviews for the website, and thinking about doing some live video chats. Oh, and I really should set up a proper Facebook fan page.
Other than that stuff and this Formspring experiment, I'm pretty much just hanging out. -
Huh. Tough question. I don't know that I can speak coherently on what issue IS most important to students, and I don't know that it's my place to speak on what issue SHOULD BE most important to students, but I'll give it a whirl.
Obviously the financial crisis in higher ed is a huge issue right now. That's clearly at the top of the agenda on a lot of campuses. And what's particularly interesting there is how many different approaches students are taking to addressing the crisis, both in terms of organizing strategies and tactics and in terms of what they see as the overall goals. That's the mark of a really vibrant movement, I think -- that students coming from radically different perspectives somehow see themselves as part of the same big project.
I should note, too, that the present crisis in public higher education is really two crises -- the acute crisis of states slashing support and hiking tuition because of the recession, and the long-term crisis of the erosion of society's commitment to public higher education as a public good. Observers are making a big mistake, I think, if they interpret the current wave of student organizing solely as a reaction to short-term complaints.
There's a lot more to say about the underlying issue of students' role in the university, but this answer has turned out better than I thought it would, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. -
I was involved in student activism and student government as an undergrad, and started researching student history because of that. I quickly realized that there were a lot of important stories that hadn't been told, so I went to grad school to learn how to tell them. Everything else has just flowed from that.
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