Walk a path away from apathy

I recently attended an International Week lecture entitled “Student Movements that Changed the World,” in which the speakers recounted their experiences and research into various student demonstrations in China, Ukraine, and South Africa. This naturally got me thinking about our campus, how pathetic and selfish our protests of tuition hikes and prorogation are when compared to these people who challenged their country’s oppression at great personal risk and were actually successful. It seems like many of the student organizers at the U of A idolize these movements but fail to see what made them successful, instead relying on ineffective tactics such as rallies and gimmicky demonstrations. Comparing these to successful movements abroad, three important lessons come through that future student activists should take to heart.

Firstly, do not blame student apathy, or students in general, for lack of interest in a cause. The obvious distinction between us and the aforementioned movements is that we aren’t oppressed. We may dislike paying tuition or governmental chicanery, but nobody is infringing on our rights, so there is no moral compulsion to activism. People are free to choose whether they will support a cause or not, and to what degree they actively participate — and we need to respect their choice, be it apathetic or fully committed.

Secondly, stick to issues that you can actually change. The previous student movements succeeded because they were tackling local issues that affected everyone, and thus they were able to be directly involved. Solidarity is crucial, because it’s what powers a cause and lends credence to its aims. I’m bound to feel more strongly about an issue if it affects not only me, but my friends and fellow students. Moreover, I’m much more confident in the success of a protest if I’m physically near the powers-that-be, and can directly influence their decision-making.

It’s on this point, incidentally, where most tuition protests falter. Though none of us like paying tuition, most of us can and do, after which we quickly lose interest in further demonstration — any altruism for those seriously affected by high tuition costs bleeds away amidst papers and midterms. That, and having just successfully paid a tuition you thought was unfair is akin to flatly admitting defeat.

Lastly, have a single attainable goal and a realistic plan for achieving it. It’s not enough to organize a rally in Quad or a march on the legislature. Those happen all the time, and the most they accomplish is letting off some steam. Every activist group must have a clearly stated goal, an endpoint at which you can say you’ve succeeded. Without end in sight, interest in any cause will inevitably drift away. Furthermore you need a well-thought-out strategy for attaining your goal, offering solutions to a problem instead of just protesting it. Tell your supporters what they can do individually to help implement these solutions. This will help maintain interest and a feeling that they’re making a positive change.

To exemplify these points, consider the issue of the proposed $570 increase to student fees, which will likely be protested in the future. This affects every student at the U of A, and few would agree that we should bear the costs, so the seeds of solidarity are there. What, then, is our goal? To have this new fee repealed. With this goal in mind, we can better plan a strategy. A fiscal problem likely has a fiscal solution. One idea could be to convince students to simply not pay the $570 fee come September. If enough students do it, the University will not get the money they need and be forced to find it elsewhere.

So if there are any student activists out there, please consider these points. And if you do insist on trying the same old ineffective rallies, at least have the honesty to call them “we’re angry but mostly wanna meet chicks” rallies. That is, after all, the only thing they’re good for.