Activism For Now ... and Later

Student council election season may be over, but Columbia hasn't seen the end of transition. In late April, political and other activist groups gather in smaller rooms with slips of paper instead of electronic ballots to replace the leaders who've guided their vision.

Few activist achievements of real importance are accomplished in a year, or even four years: bringing Columbia up to speed on the environment, changing modes of cultural interaction, improving labor policies, and influencing the University's proposed expansion are long-term efforts. That's the fundamental challenge of campus activism-as soon as students gain the knowledge and experience to be effective, they're gone.

This isn't as much of a problem for the councils. True, they're not like national political parties, which throw out the priorities of the preceding administration as a matter of course. But because they center around individuals more than around specific issues, each administration is considered independently of its predecessors, fully expected to set its own agenda. Presidents are given free rein to define their own legacy, and as a result, don't feel the need to consider campaigns on a more macro scale.

Issue-based groups don't have this luxury. It's got to be about the campaign rather than those who run it because the group doesn't survive without some continuity of vision.

Case in point: for seniors on the Student Coalition on Expansion and Gentrification, the memory of Bollinger's entire time in Low Library-he will also finish his fourth year at Columbia this May-proved crucial in providing a framework for action against the University's plans in Manhattanville. This year will see the graduation of several key leaders with detailed knowledge of the complex issue. These activists, quoted every week in Spectator and on a first name basis with community leaders, will be missed by an effort that's already fighting the tide.

Groups like Stop Hate on Columbia's Campus, which was formed as an emergency response to several hate incidents around campus, face a separate challenge. When the memory of particular offenses fade, SHOCC's eight demands may prove less urgent to the wide audience they need to achieve them.

The ultimate goal of activist groups is usually institutionalizing their priorities. The establishment of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the appointment of a Vice Provost for Diversity was a victory for those who organized the now-legendary Fed cartoon and affirmative action bake sale protests. Now environmental groups envision an Office of Sustainable Development, with a budget and staff to help with efforts too large for students who must also contend with five classes and a social life.

In the meantime, savvier groups focus on absorbing the knowledge of their graduating leadership. Last year, the president of Productive Outreach for Women compiled all the group's files on one disc, the Columbia University Performing Arts League put together a manual for performance groups, and Students for Environmental and Economic Justice is developing a 'zine with instructions on how to run a campaign.

Melanie Brazzell, BC '06, who has worked with SEEJ among other groups on campus, has developed what seems like the most long-range strategy for maintaining continuity: a community that defines itself by its activism. Several times a month, SEEJ holds some sort of social event, like vegan potlucks and kickball.

"The most important thing to group cohesion, I think, is to build a strong community where people feel loved and accepted and where they want to spend their time," Brazzell said. "It's not just about being against things or being annoyed by institutions or making policy change, it's about creating alternative ways of living and being with others and building communities in new ways."