Navigating Protests and Promoting Engagement by Student Organizations on College Campuses
By Trevor Fornara, Center for Civic Engagement, Binghamton University, and Dunni Oni, Recent Graduate, George Mason University
Could Polarization Help Bipartisan Student Organizing?
By Trevor Fornara – Center for Civic Engagement, Binghamton University
If a university is an organism, then student organizing is its consciousness, the pestering voice holding it accountable to the ever-changing world. Recently, this consciousness has pushed up against universities on free speech norms, student engagement, and more. My experience as a student organizer shows how collaboration between student political organizations to promote civic engagement is not only possible, but necessary and perhaps inevitable, on highly polarized campuses.
Student organizing exists to serve two functions: (1) to achieve the intended purpose of an organizing effort, determined by student leaders and specific to each group, and (2) to foster the long-term development of ‘“healthy conflict” that places pressure on otherwise stagnant institutions to embrace reform. (The term “healthy conflict” is used to differentiate from “toxic conflict,” which is fueled by animosity and defamation toward a certain individual or group.) When student leaders understand the distinction between these two functions, they can better translate their organizing into civic action by leaning into one or the other.
Binghamton Students Create a Bipartisan Coalition
Days before the 2022 midterms, Binghamton University’s College Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians hosted a collaborative event where their members debated numerous issues for a student audience. I covered the event with a reporter from Happy Medium, a student-run magazine I launched to promote respectful and productive political discourse. After the debate, I spoke with the club presidents, who expressed concerns that student turnover could dissipate their collaborative energy over time. As such, a formal coalition in partnership with the university’s Center for Civic Engagement would provide continuity to the work they had started, and the Summit on Student Political Engagement was formed. At semesterly Summit meetings, student leaders are introduced face to face, plan collaborations, and air grievances in a diplomatic setting. The Summit’s first year saw bylaws ratified, a student leadership team elected, a voter registration fair, and another debate.
I asked other student leaders why they wanted to collaborate in the first place. The consensus? They were tired of the zero-sum game of securing the student body’s support—a tempting endeavor with little real political impact. Such efforts to win favor consumed the limited capacities of student leaders and overshadowed opportunities to participate in real civic activities. The students realized that collaborating on campus was essential to productively effecting political change off campus. The Summit was created because rational student leaders reached a point where it became ineffective to continue organizing without such a structure due to polarization.
Student organizing is a powerful tool. Academic institutions that lack strong student organizing (due to either restrictive administrations or apathetic student bodies) are doomed to fail in time, unable to keep pace with the rapidly evolving market of higher education. It is clear how students can use this tool to promote civic engagement and how collaborative organizing may be necessary, and perhaps inevitable, in highly polarized campuses.
Cooperation is A Start, But We Also Need True Engagement
By Dunni Oni – Recent Graduate, George Mason University
While I agree with Mr. Fornara’s overall premise about the need for collaboration between student organizations with differing opinions, I would like to offer feedback on specific details. The analogy between an organism and a university, or between a student organization and its awareness, oversimplifies the forces at play. Claiming that “healthy conflict” created by student organizations results in institutional change ignores the possibility of discriminatory policies and silences criticism within these groups. Making these ideas into a reality requires that we move the discussion beyond the surface level of cooperation.
Campuses Reflect a Range of Viewpoints
The college campus contains a broad array of viewpoints, philosophies, and goals. Student political organizations, which reflect a range of ideologies and connections, have the exceptional chance to work together and focus their efforts on a shared objective: encouraging civic engagement. Even when there are disagreements, there is also the opportunity to work together to advance democratic values and engaged citizenship.
On college campuses, student political organizations reflect the range of opinions present in society at large. These organizations may support a variety of causes, from social justice to fiscal responsibility, and may adhere to distinct political philosophies. Despite these ideological disagreements, the common ground rests in the shared objective of encouraging students to engage in the democratic process. Identifying this shared experience is the first step to promoting cooperation across student political organizations.
Diversity is a Strength
For student organizations, combining resources and knowledge can help student political organizations make the most impact possible. Collaborative projects enhance the influence and efficacy of individual organizations. Examples include planning voter registration campaigns, educational workshops, and discussions for the entire campus. These organizations can cover a wider range of student interests and concerns by combining their efforts to develop a more thorough and inclusive approach to civic engagement.
Campus engagement initiatives must be committed to diversity and impartiality. Student political organizations need to be open to forming connections with groups that hold contrasting beliefs and be willing to go beyond their established ties. This inclusive approach creates an atmosphere on campus where all perspectives are heard and students from different backgrounds feel inspired to engage in civic life without worrying about being left out.
Student political organizations may nonetheless find it difficult to cooperate due to ingrained ideological conflicts, rivalry for resources, and misgivings about making concessions. However, these difficulties can be addressed by creating open lines of communication, encouraging a respectful environment, and concentrating on common objectives.
Student Organizations Are Stronger Together
The cooperation of student political parties is not only possible but also essential to the growth of campus civic involvement. When these groups acknowledge their common commitment to democratic principles and student empowerment, ideological differences can be overcome. Seeking this common ground, they may collaborate easily on initiatives that advance the school community as a whole. These groups can raise a new generation of knowledgeable and involved citizens by recognizing their shared commitment and by establishing inclusive and instructional programs that emphasize active citizenship on campus. Student political organizations’ ability to bring people together by encouraging civic engagement is a powerful metaphor for democracy’s basic values of tolerance and unwavering commitment to the common good.
Healthy Conflict Leads to Positive Change
By Trevor Fornara – Center for Civic Engagement, Binghamton University
Ms. Oni brings up a great point about the need for values to direct collaborative organizing. Collaboration in and of itself is not a universal good; yet, collaboration through shared values is likely to produce more just and agreeable outcomes. In this spirit, Binghamton’s Summit on Student Political Engagement unanimously voted to adopt four foundational principles at its semiannual meeting this January that will help guide and govern the Summit’s work going forward.
First, the freedom of speech must be protected for all students—this one is a given since Binghamton is a public university on public land and, as such, cannot place restrictions on student speech. Second, all students are free to engage in the legal political activity of their choice. Third, student organizations should recognize and respect each other’s right to exist and organize on campus, regardless of ideological disagreements. And fourth, student leaders should approach their work with a spirit of collaboration and utilize diplomacy as a first resort in cases of inter-organizational conflict. With these foundational principles, this bipartisan group of student leaders hopes to enact a new set of norms for student organizing on campus.
Of course, building structures that allow students to openly advocate for change comes with the possibility that students will advocate for ideas with which we disagree. Healthy conflict between student organizations and the university results in institutional change, but there is no guarantee that this change will be favorable or just. The outcome of healthy conflict may be discriminatory, and it may silence opposition, just as the outcome of any democratic process may result in these same ills. That is why values must be placed at the center of this work—the Summit’s four principles function as a sort of bill of rights to protect students and organizations from overzealous student leaders.
Our Campuses Must Embrace Change
The mission of fostering an accepting campus community starts with creating pathways for students to make real change. This can be a scary process for administrators, who may find comfort in their ongoing attempt to create ‘safe’ campus environments by restricting students’ ability to self-advocate. Such an approach is defined by an ever-shrinking bubble of permissible speech through which administrators mistake exclusion for inclusion, creating a “safe” atmosphere for some students at the expense of others. However, administrators can put their fears to rest by pairing such pathways to student advocacy with a commitment to civic education.
Universities have a choice between investing in student organizing or pushing it to the side. The latter will result in ongoing struggles that manifest beneath the surface of the student body and explode into toxic conflict when administrators least expect it. The former comes with some growing pains, but over time will result in a healthier campus culture with lower risk to the university.
There is a Balance to Be Found
By Dunni Oni – Recent Graduate, George Mason University
I do agree that collaboration must be rooted in shared principles to yield just and effective outcomes. The Binghamton’s Summit on Student Political Engagement is a commendable step in this direction. Based on my personal experiences as a student organizer, I have seen firsthand the value of cooperation across student political organizations in fostering civic involvement, especially on polarized campuses. This kind of cooperation is not just desired but necessary, acting as a spark for change in establishments where stagnation impedes advancement. Student leaders must strike a balance between achieving short-term organizational goals and the longer-term objective of promoting institutional change as they move through these roles. When this delicate balance is struck, it guarantees that the institution will continue to be relevant and responsive to the demands of its community in the face of a constantly changing social situation, while simultaneously giving students the power to influence change.
Ensuring the protection of students’ freedom of speech is of utmost importance, especially in public university environments where such rights are guaranteed by the Constitution. Also, respecting different ideological viewpoints within student groups and acknowledging students’ ability to participate in lawful political activity are essential values that foster tolerance and pluralism on campus.
The focus on addressing disputes cooperatively and diplomatically also emphasizes the significance of having productive conversations to resolve disagreements. This strategy creates a positive precedent for future interactions among student leaders and also promotes a more peaceful campus climate.
An Open Campus will Always be Advantageous
Mr. Fornara raises important concerns about the dangers and difficulties that could arise from encouraging advocacy on campus. Institutional growth and change require healthy conflict, but there’s always a chance that the results won’t match our beliefs or unintentionally stifle criticism. Therefore, it is imperative that these endeavors be firmly rooted in a set of fundamental principles, such as those embodied in the Summit, in order to protect students and organizations from any harm.
It can be strategically advantageous for colleges to invest in student organizing, but also morally imperative. Although there could be some initial difficulties and concerns, there are significantly more long-term advantages to promoting an open campus culture than disadvantages to suppressing student opinions. Universities may foster an environment of flexibility and positive development by valuing a variety of opinions and promoting positive discourse.
It’s critical to strike this balance between defending fundamental values and encouraging constructive disagreement and dialogue. By doing this, universities not only demonstrate their support for democratic ideals and academic freedom, but they also open the door for a more robust and active campus community.
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Trevor Fornara
Trevor Fornara is a recent graduate of Binghamton University, where he now works as the Civic Education Coordinator at the Center for Civic Engagement and project lead for the Civil Dialogue Project. As an undergraduate, Trevor co-founded the student-run magazine and publishing group Happy Medium, serving first as editor-in-chief and now as political director. Trevor also helped create the Summit on Student Political Engagement, a bipartisan coalition of student organizations at Binghamton University.
Dunni Oni
Dunni Oni is a native of Prince George's County, MD. She is a recent graduate of George Mason University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Science in Criminal Justice. Dunni is passionate about politics, social activism, and human rights. She plans on entering the legal field in hopes of becoming a judge one day and serving her community in the political realm as a state senator.