After Ferguson, we praised the conversation about change that was started on this campus.
Now, we are glad to see that students are turning talk into action with the creation of the Students Invested in Change organization.
While many lament the demise of youth activism on college campuses, here is an example to point to of students not content to be buffeted by outside forces and willing to work for their beliefs. The energy and passions of college students have served their communities well in pushing for social and political changes in the past, and hopefully this group of students can continue the tradition of colleges serving as institutions that push for growth in ideas and practices.
The opportunity for a forum to address societal grievances through action also allows for individual students to push for constructive agitation. While certain groups on campus address certain issues, some concerns of a larger scope remain harder to tackle. By banding together with a broad mission, students can take a wider worldview when addressing problems like quality of education or nastiness on social media.
Although this group was born out of the unrest in Ferguson and the larger questions about race that it provoked, we applaud the organization for not limiting themselves to minority issues. While those are certainly some of the largest issues that communities wrestle with, continued racial injustice is by no means the only thing that our generation sees as needing to change.
One of the organization’s goals, to strive for greater adherence to the Carolinian Creed, shows the nature of this group. By advancing the philosophy and values of the university, this group could serve not only as a force for change but also as a positive reflection upon our school. After all, isn’t that what people ask of their community? That it upholds the basic values they believe to be the best side of human nature, and that individuals work towards those standards?
We certainly believe that Students Invested in Change has the potential to be a force in spreading those values, and we wish them well as they organize and take action to make our community a better place.