Student inactivism is a fixable problem at USC

In the past few weeks, European students have taken to the streets in protest, exercising their voices and demonstrating their discontent.

French protesters demonstrated against proposed changes to pension law, Ireland saw its largest student protest in a generation with more than 30,000 people marching in Dublin to oppose increased student registration fees and a peaceful protest in London of 50,000 people against increased tuition fees turned violent when rioters attacked the headquarters of the British Conservative party.

Here at USC, the scene is a little bit different. Last month, for instance, a Facebook event titled “USC Bike Ban Civil Disobedience” was created. More than 2,300 people said they would attend the bike ride through Trousdale Parkway to oppose restrictions on campus bike use. On the day of the event, a grand total of 12 people showed up.

I’m certainly not advocating that we take up the French students’ modus operandi and riot at every perceivable opportunity, but there is a definite disparity in the passion for activism displayed by our students. Sure, there was some slight rain on the day of the bike ban event, and Vice President for Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson sent an e-mail to students the day before attempting to diffuse the situation, but that event was still just one example of a general sense of complacency among our generation.

All too often students are content to let an issue pass by without fully expressing their voice as an influential part of American society. Maybe something happens that really angers some students, but usually all that comes out of it is a caustically worded Facebook status or even a few e-mails sent to a local representative if they’re really riled up.

Some complain that those in power don’t listen to us anyway, but that’s only because we haven’t made enough efforts to force them to listen. It’s a vicious cycle; politicians don’t put the needs of students at the top of their priorities because they know that we won’t turn out in full force at the polls or take definitive action in defense of what we believe in. We don’t pose a threat to their political security, so they don’t always fear letting us down as much as they should.

That doesn’t mean that students in the United States are as a rule indifferent to the issues around them, because we are not — there are a few promising examples of activism from some students.

Students in the California public higher education system, for example, have made clear their opposition to the continued budget cuts and increases in tuition that they have faced as a result for the past few years. The California State University system just announced a 15 percent increase in tuition, which comes right after a 32 percent increase implemented last year, and the University of California system is seeking an 8 percent increase on top of last year’s 32 percent increase.

Outside the CSU Office of the Chancellor last week, a group of more than 20 students protested the fee hike and demanded to be given the right to be present in a meeting of the UC Board of Trustees. The board met this week to discuss the tuition increase, prompting protests from students at their campuses as well as outside the meeting.

Although these instances of outspoken students are encouraging, the fact of the matter is that these small groups of students and marches of a  few hundred people pale in comparison to the massive demonstrations currently taking place in Europe. One of the most important aspects of a successful protest is media coverage, which allows the message to reach a much larger audience, and it is much more difficult for the media to ignore a 50,000-person march than a 20-person protest.

Even if we can’t gather such staggering numbers, we can still do more to express our voices as students. All we need is a base of involved students who are willing to take action on their opinions, and more will follow.

The USC Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign provides an excellent example of this involved base that is so important for the success of student activism. Not only have their members held events aimed toward educating the student body about their goal of eliminating the university’s dependence on coal energy, but they have also gone straight to the people who can effect change by making proposals to Undergraduate Student Government and encouraging President C. L. Max Nikias to make a commitment to end coal dependence.

If we want our concerns as students to be taken seriously, we have to illustrate our passion for what we believe in and follow these examples of committed activism. Writing a letter or starting a Facebook group is a good start, but don’t stop there. Strive to make your voice heard and don’t be afraid to shake things up a little bit if need be. Stay informed, find what you care about and involve yourself in your local government, whether it’s within the university or the city.

Paul Routledge, a writer for the Mirror News in England, called the student protests in London “a generation finding its voice.” We seem to still be struggling with this problem, but there are promising signs of progress. Who knows, maybe it will be a fellow Trojan who guides our generation toward finding its voice.

Jared Servantez is a freshman majoring in print and digital journalism.