Mag praises U. Texas activism

The listing cited a UT sit-in on October 22, 1998, when 35 UT students occupied the school's Tower overnight to protest the Hopwood ruling. The Hopwood ruling is the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that effectively ended affirmative action in Texas colleges and universities that receive federal funding. "Contrary to the image of the apathetic Generation Xer, students at these and other campuses mobilized and fought for change in civic and campus affairs ranging from homelessness and workers' rights to diversity and fair tuition," wrote Jennifer Barrios in this month's issue. In the sixth year of the survey, the magazine's focus changed from generally active campuses to specific student actions. The schools chosen may not necessarily have had much activism overall, but a notable protest occurred on each campus during the previous year. Mother Jones' recognition of the 1998 sit-in is not the first time UT protests have been recognized. The University was third on the magazine's 1998 list of "Top Ten Activist Schools." This year's listing did not rank schools specifically. Fred Niemann, a government freshman, said student protests are a vital part of campus interaction. "It is a really good and healthy thing for students to voice their opinion, and protest is one of the best vocalizations," he said. The recognition-winning UT protest was sparked after a rally condemning racially insensitive comments made by a UT law professor moved into the Tower. To compile its list, Mother Jones contacted 17 activist organizations to find out what student actions have caught their attention in the past year. The magazine conducted follow-up investigations on campuses to decide which were the most noteworthy. According to Richard Reynolds, Mother Jones communications director, the biggest topic of protest this year was sweat shops. "Schools all over the country have been pressuring administrations to look into where school paraphernalia has been made," Reynolds said. "It is the biggest movement we have seen since we began making the list six years ago." But Mother Jones limited itself to noting only a single anti-sweatshop sit-in held at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.