Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today

"What can student activism at flagship public universities of the toss-up states of Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and Virginia tell us about polarization and the next generation of political activists? Sociologists Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder found that while most college campuses are considered progressive, and liberal students can be involved on campus in many ways, a lack of left-leaning infrastructure after graduation makes it hard for activist students to effectively channel their energies into political involvement post-college. And though usually in the minority, conservative students tend to be better organized as campus groups, helped by the funds and expertise of right-leaning organizations heavily involved in universities. After graduation, conservative students can readily move into those organizations to continue their politically active lives. The conservative strategy has helped to increase the number of provocations on campus and lower the public's trust in higher education. The authors' look at both liberal and conservative student activism has a compelling takeaway: the left is being outflanked by the right in recruiting young activists who will invest time and energy in party politics, with worrisome implications for the future of the Democratic party. What's more, the authors provide a helpful read on the way college students themselves are being instrumentalized by the right in US culture wars"--
 An eye-opening analysis of collegiate activism and its effects on the divisions in contemporary American politics.  The past six years have been marked by a contentious political atmosphere that has touched every arena of public life, including higher education. Though most college campuses are considered ideologically progressive, how can it be that the right has been so successful in mobilizing young people even in these environments? As Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder show in this surprising analysis of the relationship between political activism on college campuses and the broader US political landscape, while liberal students often outnumber conservatives on college campuses, liberal campus organizing remains removed from national institutions that effectively engage students after graduation. And though they are usually in the minority, conservative student groups have strong ties to national right-leaning organizations, which provide funds and expertise, as well as job opportunities and avenues for involvement after graduation. Though the left is more prominent on campus, the right has built a much more effective system for mobilizing ongoing engagement. What’s more, the conservative college ecosystem has worked to increase the number of political provocations on campus and lower the public’s trust in higher education.    In analyzing collegiate activism from the left, right, and center, The Channels of Student Activism shows exactly how politically engaged college students are channeled into two distinct forms of mobilization and why that has profound consequences for the future of American politics.