Content area
Full text
Student activism is a ubiquitous component in most democratic societies. Despite its disconcerting implications to the university's operations, it remains an important agenda to student development in higher education. This study presents the case of a university in the Philippines where student activism is a predominant ethos. The findings expose the role of the wider social context, university, and students in creating a culture of activism. This research uses the case study methodology, initially framed around investigating student affairs practice in a state university in the Philippines, eventually leading to the emergence of student activism as a dominant theme of analysis.
The role of student activism in promoting political and social transformation is pervasive in most societies striving to live out the ideals of democracy (Stitzlein, 2012). Activism, which has often been associated with dissent, calls to mind the mobilization of the masses towards a common agenda, usually directed at political, economic, and social reforms (Biddix, Somers, & Polman, 2009), thus positioning student activism as a critical nexus between higher education and the democratic development of a country. Student activism remains a tacit agenda of student development in higher education.
Although student activism in the 1960s was labeled as disruptive to student development, recent literature heralded it as integral not just to civic development but also to student development in general (Biddix et al., 2009; Bryant, Gayles, & Davies, 2012; Stitzlein, 2012; Zimmerman & Halfacre-Hitchcock, 2006). Activism, as a task, needs a set of complex skills and a deep level of emotional maturity. In particular, it requires synthesis of a wide base of historical and contextual knowledge, public speaking and organizing skills, demanding a disposition inclined towards empathic care, and the ability to engage effectively with people (Stitzlein, 2012).
University educators, particularly those tasked with student development, such as student affairs practitioners, have been faced with the challenge of mobilizing students towards greater who are disengaged and apathetic (Zimmerman & Halfacre-Hitchcock, 2006). Some of the barriers identified were apathy among students, lack of tangible results, lack of coordination among campus community, emotional dynamism between students and issues, locating campus as part of community, commitment barriers, incorporation of personality into roles, individual perception of sense of place, and individual perception of what a community engagement...