In recent years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been in the midst of student unrest that is derivative of the surging racial turmoil across the country. HBCU students, fueled by a desire for change have been less inclined to acquiesce to campus administrations whom they believe do not have their best interests in mind.…

Systemic oppression is a pervasive and insidious problem in U.S. society. In higher education, challenging oppression sometimes requires exposing how institutions perpetuate violence toward minoritized populations, passionate confrontations with people who have committed undeniably egregious acts or are key powerbrokers actively perpetuating…

At California State University Northridge (CSUN), Stevie Ruiz's students reflect the multiracial communities of Los Angeles County. The students are children of immigrants, working class, first-generation college students, and queer people of color. Students share a wealth of knowledge that is shaped by race, gender, sexual, and class inequality…

In 2006, Una, the feminist student organization at Saint Louis University (SLU)--a midsized, Midwestern, urban, Jesuit/Catholic university--was denied campus space to perform Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," an episodic play that portrays women's experiences with their bodies to raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations…

Alan Mueller explores the tension between helping students reach their career aspirations and being true to his personal and professional values of justice and equity. He identifies this as "inhabiting the gap," that is, remaining in the discomfort of the ethical or moral dilemma. One way he does this is by practicing unconditional…

In this article, William Deresiewicz discusses his Book, "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite & the Way to a Meaningful Life." He shares his perspective on some of the ways higher education is missing the mark.

Kathryn Lynn Weiland, Amilcar Guzman, and KerryAnn O'Meara explore historical and contemporary student protest movements at three academic institutions and provide suggestions to educators on how to support students (and their learning) through their protest activities. (Contains 17 notes.)

In this article, the authors consider the strengths and weaknesses of digital media in the organization of student activism, and how educators can better assist and advise student activists using digital media to create improved learning opportunities. To gain a perspective on the relative strengths and challenges of online media in regard to…

In this article, the authors report on a successful collaboration between academic and student services that resulted in a Rutgers University Byrne Seminar on social entrepreneurship. The course, entitled "The Business of Doing Good: Combining Business Practices with Social Activism," was designed to inspire the next generation of change makers,…

Without question, sustainability efforts and initiatives are on the rise on college campuses. In a 2007 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) presentation, Debra Rowe reported that across the country there were 250 sustainability coordinators/offices/committees, 300 LEED (green) buildings, 275 campus sustainability assessments that had…

In this article, the author reflects on the learning opportunities provided by the tragedy at Kent State University forty years ago for educators and learners. Four students were slain and nine students were wounded by the bullets of National Guardsmen who had been sent to quell anti-war demonstrations and vandalism. The events of May 4, 1970,…

Kathleen Manning identifies seven philosophical positions in relation to the broad issue of difference. Recognizing and understanding where they stand in this matrix allows educators to work more effectively with students, faculty, and staff about the complex and sometimes contested issue of difference.

For years, educators and politicians have sought to foster a sense of hope among students--a hope that moves them beyond cynicism about society and incite them to envision better days ahead. Yet as Princeton University professor of religion and author Cornel West discusses in his 2004 book "Democracy Matters", many students today are…

For years, educators had complained that college students were apathetic, that their turnout at the polls was pitifully low, that they didn't seem to care about national politics. Despite MTV's Rock the Vote campaign in the 2000 election, students didn't show up to vote in any numbers that gave everybody the reason to be hopeful about the nation's…

Decades ago, feminist theorists opened the possibility that learning is deeply entwined with gender. The author argues that the interface between learning and identities formed by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other individual contexts is not yet well enough understood. To engage educators in the process of rethinking learning and…