Economic Equality: The Major Social Struggle within Student Activism

Jennifer Le
Reflection #4
Section A01
Reading "Fighting Privatization, Occupy Activists at CUNY and UC Kick Into High Gear"

   The student activism of the 1960s was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement of the Vietnam War to tackle the large racial discrimination that provides large socio-economic disparities. These disparities persist to this day, but in terms of the widening economic gap that benefits the social elites at the expense of the lower and middle. The Occupy Movement that emerged during the recession protested against this very problem; Occupy Movement, UC and CUNY universities emerged with their own brand of student activism to protest the privatization of colleges and the tuition hikes that increase the college education. The purpose of college is to provide a social service and investment that produces more productive members of society, and even though I agree with the intentions of these administrators to create a more efficient education system by adopting similar corporate practices, this continuing influences can have big consequences by making a more competitive, profit-driven institution makes education unattainable for those who can't afford it, allowing access to the social elites, and lowering the quality of education produced. How will this influence the growing number of college graduates that enter a more competitive job market? Will these growing frustrations from the unemployed social groups create more social unrest? Only time will tell.