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This Issue 02/01/2007

Also in this issue

• Oh Snap!
• Reviews
• Street beats
• Street Sweeper
• Dental library
• Men (?) in Togas
• Silicon smackdown

Even Ira Harkavy, now director of Penn's Center for Community Partnerships, recognizes a shift in the activist climate. He gives credit to the University, through initiatives like the CCP and Civic House, for providing students with "academic work that links their idealism to their studies." During his protest days, "there weren't other avenues that existed, that encouraged young people to become engaged within their role of students within the University." Without an activist climate on campus, students' only recourse was direct action.

Paul Lyons, a Professor of Social Work at Richard Stockton College who has published extensively on Philadelphia activism, recognizes signs of New Activism as well. Without the convergence of the 60s movements - Civil Rights, Vietnam, and local issues all wrapped under one peace sign - Lyons feels student engagement has transferred to the micro-level, where it is alive and well. He believes that activists today are "more likely to work for a local Congressman, they're more likely to do Habitat For Humanity, they're more likely to volunteer to go to New Orleans, they're more likely to get involved in an HIV/AIDS campaign."

The micro-activist Lyons imagines might look a lot like College senior Adrienne Benson. She's a vocal member of the Penn Democrats - her Facebook photo is their most recent flyer - and she works in the Communications Department on EMILY's List, a political action committee whose focus is electing democratic women to state and federal offices. She served on the campaign for eight district Congressman Patrick Murphy, and before that, Senator Bob Casey. Ask her if she opposes the war in Iraq and you don't get a simple answer, but rather a detailed personal account of her thoughts on even the most recent developments. She supports yesterday's Warner and Levin's non-binding resolution in the Senate. "A little too much CSPAN," she laughs after the rundown.

Benson also represents an emerging dynamic in Penn student politics: the image-conscious activist. Despite her devotion to the Democrats, and support for Saturday's rally, she has never marched against the war in Iraq.

"As someone who works for, and often represents organizations and candidates, I'm less public about positions that can be construed certain ways," Benson said. She cited the 2004 incident in which a photo of Jane Fonda and presidential hopeful John Kerry at a 1970 anti-war rally caused an online media frenzy. "You have to be careful about being seen with a representative of other organizations, even if you're participating in separate activities."

In the New Activism climate, Dr. Paxton has one law: "The only thing that deserves criticism is doing nothing."

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