Giving Compass' Take:

• College campuses are a rising source of political activism. Even as students face pushback, they are taking on major political issues. 

• Why are student protesters often condemned for their activism? How can organizations partner with and/or support student activists? 

• Should college faculty be forced to remain neutral? Nicole Truesdell argues that faculty trained to speak about systems of oppression should not be neutral.

The fatal mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February sent a shockwave through America as youth respond with nationwide protests against gun violence. Within the past month, both private and public universities have assured applicants that their freedom of expression is valued and that their activism will not affect their admissions statuses.

These protests follow the trend of rising student activism across higher education institutions, which has challenged a host of issues from racism on campus to university inaction regarding widespread campus sexual assault. This activism has been met with criticism from politicians and commentators who say students have a double standard when it comes to free speech — they’re only willing to hear opinions that support their own and will shut down those who disagree.

Those critics are wasting their time, says Dr. Marcia Chatelain, the associate professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University.

Chatelain urged the audience not to condemn activism on college campuses, arguing that students have a clear right to protest speakers and events at their schools. Dismissing that right means dismissing the very aims of higher education.

Oftentimes, student activism brings light to the inequalities that marginalized communities face on- and off-campus. Perhaps the best way to fix the problems of educational inequity and to explore potential avenues for reform is to empower students — to listen to their grievances and acknowledge their needs while engaging with them in healthy discussions about our educational, political, and socioeconomic systems.

Read the full article on college student activists by Lalini Pedris at The Aspen Institute