Often compared to a hazily nostalgic vision of their 1960s counterparts, students these days are constantly plagued by accusations of apathy. Older generations wistfully recall the stereotypical activist of ‘68 – the long haired protestor, sporting love beads and handmade sandals, manning the barricades, placard in hand – and ask themselves “what happened to the spirit of the 60s?” But is student activism really a thing of the past?
1968 saw the first instance of large-scale student protest in Bristol, when disagreements between the university and the Union escalated into an eleven day sit-in at Senate House. Meanwhile, French students protesting at the Sorbonne University in Paris sparked a nationwide insurrection, an (albeit short-lived) alliance with the nation’s workers effectively bringing the country to a standstill. Such revolts also flared up beyond the Iron Curtain and across the Atlantic. In the United States, protests began over the issues of race and civil rights, and – although this was the common denominator of many protests that year – in opposition to the Vietnam War. At Columbia University, students held the Dean of College hostage, while students in New York obstructed a $3.5 million supercomputer for three weeks.
In many countries these protests evoked a violent response from the authorities. In Spain, student demonstrations against Franco’s dictatorship led to clashes with the police, while the government’s response to a protest in Mexico City resulted in some 200-300 fatalities in what is now known as the Tlatelolco massacre.
It is difficult to imagine today’s students taking part in such large-scale, widespread protest. Karina Watkins, President of Bristol’s branch of the campaigning group People and Planet, says: “I think there is a lot of apathy, which is frustrating. Many people do not seem to care about climate change and would rather get on with their own lives and try to be successful.” Undoubtedly, some students are apathetic and are more likely to be seen shrugging their shoulders than making a placard and taking to the streets. Many feel disillusioned and powerless in an unresponsive system, adopting the view that “it never makes a difference, nothing ever gets any better.”
Sam Lee-Gammage of the Bristol University Sustainability Team believes that “students are too apolitical here; they don’t seem to realise that if you don’t actively engage in politics and society you tend to loose out. Most students don’t even know how the Union works, just look at the AGM.” Last year’s Annual General Meeting at the Union was attended by less than 400 out of 15,000 Bristol students – despite all being given the afternoon off lectures. He adds: “Students need to re-realise that things don’t change simply because you want them to. If you want to have a political voice in the Union, university, or the world, activism is where it’s at.”
However, students today are scared of the risks and consequences of protesting. The debt they are taking on is too great, positions in the job market or graduate school are too scarce, and the sacrifice too considerable to risk it all for a political gesture that may have very little effective impact anyway. Lee-Gammage says that “students just don’t have the freedoms they used to have. For one, we now pay so much that we have far less time to spend whilst holding down other jobs. We are also more fearful of retribution by the university or by future employers.”
Despite this, student activism is still alive and well, on both a global and local scale. Earlier this year, students in France blocked universities for four months in response to proposed educational reforms, while those in several cities across Spain and Italy took to the streets and clashed with riot police. In Bristol, students have been engaged in more peaceful protests. Last May, for example, the University made the headlines when it was hit by a rebellion from hundreds of angry undergraduates of Economics, Finance and Management, who submitted a series of complaints expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of teaching. Since then, protests about teaching hours, class sizes and facilities have followed. Watkins believes that “many students do care, and show it in all sorts of ways, from signing petitions to going on demonstrations. Some even engage in actions that might get them arrested. Many students are principled and activism is far from dead.”
The Union has around fifteen campaigning societies and their stalls were buzzing at the recent Fresher’s Fair, despite having been located in a back room of the union. Lee-Gammage is proud that “we had over 200 people sign up to BUST this year, with a further 400 already on the mailing list from last year. Around 70 people came along to our first meeting, which is quite something.”
The Union’s campaigning societies get involved in all manner of projects, as Ms. Watkins attests: “I have taken part in several demonstrations, including the National Climate March. This year, we will be collaborating with various organisations, such as Oxfam in their Oxjam events, as well as organising our own campaigns.” Similarly, BUST has many projects planned for the coming year, from farmers’ markets to free bike fixing workshops, student allotments to energy campaigns.
Although forms of student activism may have changed over the years, there is no doubt that it is still thriving. Lee-Gammage maintains that “there are tons and tons of active students. Look at the 1,000 or more students that do voluntary community work in Bristol. Look at all the students that run societies and work for free for the Union. That’s all activism. Student activism isn’t dead – it’s just hidden, non-reported, and not often celebrated.”
Hopefully this has been one small step to addressing those ills. After all, it must all start with individual action.
Liz Day
02/11/2009
