The Channels of Student Activism

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What can student activism at flagship public universities of the toss-up states of Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and Virginia tell us about polarization and the next generation of political activists? Sociologists Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder found that while most college campuses are considered progressive, and liberal students can be involved on campus in many ways, a lack of left-leaning infrastructure after graduation makes it hard for activist students to effectively channel their energies into political involvement post-college. And though usually in the minority, conservative students tend to be better organized as campus groups, helped by the funds and expertise of right-leaning organizations heavily involved in universities. After graduation, conservative students can readily move into those organizations to continue their politically active lives. The conservative strategy has helped to increase the number of provocations on campus and lower the public's trust in higher education. The authors' look at both liberal and conservative student activism has a compelling takeaway: the left is being outflanked by the right in recruiting young activists who will invest time and energy in party politics, with worrisome implications for the future of the Democratic party. What's more, the authors provide a helpful read on the way college students themselves are being instrumentalized by the right in US culture wars"--