Plans for Campus Activism

CLU has seen a lot of campus activism, recently with the Prop 8 campaign last year. GSA has become more prominent on campus, and Prop 8 really helped to give it a huge leap forward. This type of activism and campaigning was very shocking for some people, especially on such a small campus. Sure, the methods that they used were not as extreme as SDS, but they were effective. They brought awareness to the issue, and they gave a very strong argument for voting "No" on Prop 8. Other groups were also present presenting a strong front for "Yes" on Prop 8 as well. The people involved were extremely passionate about the issue and brought that issue to the attention of the whole campus.

Other issues on CLU's campus, and campuses across the country have seen similar movements over the years. The activists who start the movements are always passionate and wish to share their passions with their peers. SDS used more radical forms of activism, which definitely garnered the attention of their peers. The more radical protests were effective in their own right, but are not the only way to bring attention to an issue. There are many other ways to be an activist on a college campus, including tabling for an issue, handing out fliers, screening informative films/documentaries, and holding peaceful protests or rallies. These forms of activism are probably more effective on the CLU campus than things such as taking over the administration building or (in very extreme cases) blowing up empty buildings.

North Korean refugees, and the issues associated with it (nuclear proliferation, the Korean war, and a crazy dictator), are not very well known issues. Bringing about awareness is one of the most important things that can be done for any issue, especially something sensitive that can majorly affect international relations. SDS used very shocking, radical forms of campus activism. I don't think that it would be possible to have such shocking activism for the issue of human rights in North Korea. A better way to go about it would be to promote more awareness on campus and in the community.

There are a few things that can be done to bring about on campus awareness of the issue of the poor treatment of the North Korean immigrants. Handing out fliers or tabling at the flagpole always garners attention. However, I believe that working with LiNK for this will also be very beneficial. Last semester, we brought LiNK in during the International Relations class to screen a film "Seoul Train," which directly addressed the North Korean refugees attempts to escape North Korea into China, and the failures and hardships that they faced. I believe that this helped our class and those who came just for the film to be more aware of the issue of North Korean refugees.

This might not be the most radical way to bring about awareness, but it is effective. LiNK helps to raise awareness throughout the country with the help of schools, churches, and other organizations who wish to screen the film. They also help the North Korean refugees to escape to safe houses and help them to start new lives in South Korea, the US, or elsewhere. This is made possible by donations, generally given at their film screenings. They take donations, and they also sell T-shirts, that really help to raise awareness. People always ask about special shirts that people wear, so they can take that opportunity to spread the word.