The debate about whether or not to launch an attack on Iraq has garnered the full attention of Congress, yet college activism on the issue has been dormant.
A review of student-run newspapers and interviews with students from universities across the country revealed campuses are unlikely to be the bases for any massive anti-war or pro-war movements.
“College campuses today aren’t marked with protests and demonstrations. That seems to be a thing of the past,” said Sarah Nagen of West Virginia University. “It is admittedly easy to get lost in the daily rhythm of classes, studying, sports, music, friends and parties. It’s too easy to forget there’s an entire world out there.”
At the University of California-Berkeley, a regular hotbed of college activism, protests and demonstrations over Iraq have been nearly non-existent.
Days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, nearly 3,000 students marched on Sproul Plaza at Berkeley. When the bombing of Afghanistan began, another 500 marched to protest the war. In recent weeks, the Plaza has been absent of the demonstrations that marked the aftermath of Sept. 11.
The absence of massive protests and demonstrations like those during the Vietnam War in no way indicates that activism is dead, students say. Instead, the dominant form of activism has evolved into petitions and silent protests.
At Harvard, scores of students and professors have signed an online petition opposing any military strike against Iraq. The petition argues military action would only be necessary if diplomacy and weapons inspections failed and only if the United Nations issued a resolution authorizing force.
While some use words as their protesting force, Robin Goldberg and Erik Foley of Massachusetts used a 1983 Volkswagen Vanagon to “drive” their message across.
The two newlyweds are road-tripping across America. The route they travel spells “No War” and stretches from Boston to the California coast.
The two plan to make 50 stops during their 30,000-mile trip. Forty are predetermined stops where violent episodes have taken place or efforts have been made to prevent violence. Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. and Strawberry Fields, N.Y., where John Lennon was gunned down, are two predetermined stops.
The two recently chose Madison as one of their ten undetermined stops. At each of the 50 stops, Foley and Goldberg leave a white flag to symbolize their hope to “end the bitter cycle of violence that has affected so many.”
The flag can be found in Peace Park off State Street.
“When you think about it, who really wants violence? The most militant suicide bomber, right before the bomb detonates, does not want to perpetuate violence,” Foley said. “He may believe in his mission, but he does not want war. He does not want people to follow in his footsteps. All of the problems throughout the history of the world are generated from the same thing.”
