Linnea Patterson - Week 8 A02

Linnea Patterson
21 May 2017
ASA 2 A02

Week 8: Student Activism

Conor Friedersdorf's coverage of last year's protests surrounding Chancellor Katehi's resignation really illustrates the power that students have in society. I was really surprised and impressed last year by the students' initiative and perseverance in their beliefs to protest the chancellor. As a freshman, I had only heard of the "hippy" protests that I was assured I would witness college, but to see one for myself was a new experience. Students were really dedicated, omitting classes and taking tests for what they felt was the greater good of the student body. They wanted a leader for their education that was "based on student interests" (Friedersdorf). I think this shows an extreme sense of selflessness. Although they ignored their education temporarily, they were attempting to improve the quality of thousands of students' education, in the long term.

Political and social activism is probably so popular in college because in this time of their lives, young people are coming into their beliefs as adults, finally independent from their family and hometown. Students are also full of energy and hope for the future, which is what makes their protests so dynamic. What this unfortunately also leads to is a lack of respect for these movements. The 2016 Mrak Hall protests were met with patronizing behavior from many professors, and Katehi herself completely ignored the dozens of students camping outside her office, not even granting them acknowledgment. The misconception that young age is equal to immaturity is, in my opinion a silly assumption. For at least a century, students have been the foundation for larger social movements, like the Vietnam War protests (image included). Social change is built on the backs of movements such as the Mrak protests. So, when will the University take student protests seriously?

Works Cited

Friedersdorf, C. (2016, March 17). UC Davis Students Stage Sit-in to Demand Chancellor Resign. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from https://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/17/headlines/u_of_c_davis_students_stage_sit_in_to_demand_chancellor_resign

Vietnam War. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2017, from http://bdthetimestheyareachangin.weebly.com/vietnam-war.html