Author: Not all students apathetic

"Too often we're told that we don't have an impact, our efforts don't count," Paul Loeb, author of Generations at the Crossroads: Apathy and Action on the American Campus, said during a speech and book signing Tuesday evening. Sponsored by the Office of Health Education, the Greenfield Intercultural Center, Civic House and the Women's Center, Loeb's speech addressed both the barriers that hinder student political and social activism and the historic importance of such student-led reform efforts. Three panelists from various socially active student groups introduced Loeb, speaking about why they joined their respective organizations and what impact they thought the groups had had on campus. "If you are able to change that one person, if you're able to prevent that one rape, if you're able to get someone to get up and do something, it's worth all the time, all the effort, all the energy in the world," said Engineering senior Mauricio Zuniga, an executive member of Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, just before introducing Loeb. After lecturing at various colleges since 1982, Loeb said he became increasingly "upset at how this generation was getting characterized." In particular, he said, parents, professors and the media inaccurately describe students as "apathetic." Loeb's book summarizes research conducted during visits to more than 100 college campuses in 30 states over the past seven years, dealing with not only how many students become involved in activism, but also with what prevents other students from getting involved. According to Loeb, barriers to student activism today include economic difficulties, a lack of connection to activist history and the pervasiveness of the "not that kind of person" label that excludes many students from participation in a cause. In particular, Loeb said it was unfair to compare today's students with the students of the 1960s, who did not have to deal with pressures currently facing people today. "Part of the struggle is trying to hold on to dreams we can believe in and not getting dragged down by this pseudo-realism that says, 'Act against your values; throw away what you believe in the most because that's the only practical path'," he said. Many who attended the event said they were inspired by Loeb's speech. College senior Snigdha Bollampally said the speech "gives us inspiration to know we're part of something more." "It's nice to hear somebody saying this generation isn't apathetic,"said first-year Nursing graduate student Ani Maitin.

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