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My daughter goes to
Concordia. Well, sort of. You see, she’s only four years old, and while
she isn’t a prodigy (even though her grandmothers think so) she does
attend Concordia’s daycare at Loyola Campus. But hopefully one day she,
and my eight-year-old son, will pursue more serious studies here or at
another university (none would be as good as Concordia, of course). I also
hope when my kids reach college age they’ll be as passionate about issues
as many of today’s students are.
I wouldn’t have felt that way until fairly recently. Just last March our magazine featured an article, “Is the Whole World Still Watching?,” which examined the nature and extent of present-day student activism versus that of the 1960s. When the article was first conceived, in 1999, student activism was alive but limited to a fairly small group and mostly focussed on micro issues such as tuition. Indeed, students were often criticized by their Baby Boom elders for their apathy.
It’s amazing how much has changed in such a short period. The number of students — indeed, of people of all ages — involved in social activity has climbed considerably in the past few years, and these groups are attracting a lot more attention. A line from an otherwise forgettable 1990 movie went, “The ’90s will make the ’60s look like the ’50s.” That didn’t happen, but it seems to be coming true in the ’00s (what are people calling this decade, anyway: the zeroes? the oughts? the double Os?). Part of the reason for this recent activist increase has been the sudden prominence of global trade, which crosses all boundaries and touches upon motherhood issues ranging from working conditions, wages and child labour to the environment and even democracy. Those of us in the media — mea culpa — tend to focus on the extremists, but most activists and their groups represent sensible positions, and they play a valuable role as corporate and government watchdogs.
It’s great that our students be socially concerned. Yes, sometimes, for some of them, exuberance can lead to belligerence — this past year saw Concordia students end up in the news for confrontations involving the Mideast, CSIS and The Link, among other things. While violence or intimidation is inexcusable and unacceptable, these acts don’t represent the majority. And the payoff to society derived from university graduates concerned with the fate of the world around them far exceeds the costs of having to put up with a few agitators.
The passions of students at Concordia and elsewhere don’t just run to social topics. In the past few issues of the magazine we’ve begun examine varying student activities and interests, including the MBA case competition and the experiences of Concordia’s francophone students, and we’ll continue to do so in future issues. This time around we highlight Art Matters, the successful student-run fine arts showcase held at Concordia in March. The organizers hope Art Matters will be a yearly event. Some of you may remember that exactly 25 years earlier, in March 1976, Concordia held its first Festival of the Arts, which ran annually for six years. The desire to create and support an art festival, much like with social activism, waned, only to come back with a vengeance. It’s the normal cycle of things. More than likely in five or 10 years student activism will also dissipate, only to rise at a later period. Maybe around the time when my kids are at Concordia. I hope so
