Campus protests don’t come without risks to students, but possible negative consequences don’t mean protest is frivolous or dangerous to a career.
Today’s protests, however, harm the less privileged but are led by campus elites who experience fewer consequences, Kyle Sammin argues in The Federalist.
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“By spending their time on social justice activism instead of pursuing their studies, many of the protesters are making a mistake that could follow them for the rest of their lives. By emulating the radicalism of campus elites without actually having the security of membership in that elite class, they risk destroying the advantages their education was supposed to create,” Sammin wrote.
That concern seems overblown.
Students are rarely arrested for campus protests and activism. When they are, the charges don’t usually go beyond a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. He cites a 1995 incident at Princeton where protesters were placed on academic probation, which made the possibility of expulsion more real, but it’s unclear that the protest actually had a dire effect.
Expulsion would be no picnic, but expulsion for protest would be much less dire than other reasons of expulsion.
Like most activities on- or off-campus, less-privileged students have fewer chances and run higher risks in realizing the full negative consequences of their actions. The flip side of the “less-privileged students should be careful about protesting,” however, is “only richer students should protest,” which is a concerning message.
Few students, in reality, risk sacrificing a college degree because they develop an interest in campus issues and protests. Their weekend drinking habits threaten scholastic achievements more than activism. Activism is diverse enough to present plenty of opportunities that don’t threaten a spot at a prestigious college. A binary of “a bullhorn or a degree” is false. Especially as hours spent studying have declined for decades, students can find a middle ground where they excel in protest and in the classroom.
Students should be aware of the risks they run in clashing with their administration. Sticking out their necks could threaten mentor relationships, recommendation letters, or networking that leads to a better career. In some instances, though, students agitating for their sincerely held beliefs should trump those more practical considerations.
