Bob Stepno's Other Journalism Weblog

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Frist Prompts High Point in Student Activism

Tennessee's Senator Bill Frist has been an inspiration to students across the nation this year, judging by Mother Jones magazine's award for "Protest of the Year."

Here's a clip (highlighting added):

When Senate majority leader and Princeton alum Bill Frist threatened to go nuclear in the battle over judicial appointments, students at his alma mater responded by staging the mother of all filibusters. It began quietly enough, with eight students in cheap suits gathering in front of the Frist Campus Center to give dramatic readings of the campus phone book... Within a week, the phenom had gone national, with copycat protests on 50 campuses in 35 states, from UCLA to Bates College. Even the theatrically challenged Democrats were quick to recognize the value of a good publicity stunt. The 384-hour gabfest wrapped up with a "fili-bus-tour" to Washington, D.C., where guest bloviators Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) joined in.

"Campus activism" isn't what it used to be, at least on the left, but Mother Jones is just the magazine to keep track -- presenting its annual roundup in the back-to-school September/October issue. Other headings include Student Activist of the Year (at Georgetown) and Victory of the Year (over Taco Bell?), plus links to its 2003 list of "Top Ten Activist Campuses" -- from Tehran to Berkeley, and a 2001-02 list that did not have to include pie-throwings in its "top 10."

Is there a similar list about activism on the right somewhere on the Web?

Anyhow, I hope next year's lists from both sides will include plenty of "student activism" in support of the thousands of folks displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

11:24:51 AM