This past week has seen a vigorous renewal of student activism at the College of William and Mary, including rallies against both budget cuts and recent state forays into university discrimination policies. We are proud to see students rallying in support of these essential issues. While sometimes we as a community spend our efforts on less-than-worthwhile activities — remember that time we staged a “Thriller” dance-off — it’s good to see sincere effort spent on such valuable and important causes.
Earlier this month, students organized a successful “Our Schools, Our Budgets” rally in the Crim Dell Meadow to protest the ongoing specter of state-mandated budget cuts for Virginia higher education. Later, when Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli advised Virginia state universities to remove language protecting against discrimination, students were quick to react. College students traveled to Richmond to take part in a rally organized by students from Virginia Commonwealth University and plan on hosting their own protest on campus later this week. The vehement reactions against Cuccinelli at Virginia universities has managed to garner national media attention, largely due to student efforts.
It’s good to see the age-old prospect of student protest alive and well at the College, especially since apathy is more often the easier option. There’s always the standard litany of excuses not to get involved in such efforts: it’s too time consuming, too easily ignored, not worth the effort. Thankfully, students have instead chosen to continue setting a fine example for vigorous political involvement at the College.