The audience at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee in Washington, D.C. is not typically regarded as a breeding ground for moderation and pragmatism. Over the past few years, its roster of speakers has included Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Ron Paul. So, it was a bit unnerving to some when, last weekend, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels showed up at the gathering and reminded his fellow activists that, “Purity in martyrdom is for suicide bombers.”
Speaking about the need to reform government and reduce the rising national debt, Daniels said, “Big change requires big majorities.” He continued, “As we ask Americans to join us on such a boldly different course, it would help if they liked us, just a bit.”
Daniels’ seriousness was a pleasant and unusual relief from the ideological cheerleading that typically defines CPAC. His advice to conservatives seeking to elect small-government Republicans is applicable to Capstonians working to initiate change on campus.
Last week, a story on the front page of The Crimson White reported that students representing 15 greek houses have come together to launch Greeks for T.I.D.E. (Together for Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Engagement). Their discussion centered on building a more open greek community.
A column last Wednesday called for more discussion about the challenges we face as a University.
For over a year now, diverse groups of students have been meeting to talk about how to resolve controversial issues on campus.
These students are engaged in campus; they are working to build a stronger UA community that will endure for years after the current generation of students graduate.
Yet, big change requires big majorities. Over the past two years, the energy and passion of Tea Party activists has helped elect dozens of Republican governors, congressmen, and senators. But as large as the Tea Party protests have been, the movement is only representative of an overwhelming minority of the public. To advance their agenda, Tea Party leaders are going to have to work with the opposition, compromise, and find solutions to the challenges the government faces. If they don’t, their agenda will falter.
Student activists are in the same boat. A small group of passionate students cheerleading major change while the rest of the student body sighs in dismay or incomprehension will soon see their hopes dashed. We need more than a student Tea Party. We need more people like Mitch Daniels, student leaders who are flexible and willing to work through established channels and across social barriers to initiate broader reforms.
As Daniels said to CPAC, “It is up to us to show, specifically, the best way back to greatness, and to argue for it with all the passion of our patriotism. But, should the best way be blocked, while the enemy draws nearer, then someone will need to find the second best way. Or the third, because the nation’s survival requires it.”
It is up to us, as students, to show the best way forward for our student body. But should our most ambitious plans for campus prove infeasible, we must find alternatives. Most students want a university that is more equipped to handle the influx of new students and more capable of giving those students an enriching extracurricular environment. However, we also have many institutions and traditions that have to be considered as we seek to adjust to the new realities gripping the University.
Sometimes, political realities create an environment for sweeping reforms. (For instance, the Great Depression gave momentum for the New Deal.) Other times, though, incremental change is the best way to move forward. Over time, those changes will build on and sustain one another. This is especially true when the goal is to alter deep-rooted social norms.
Students working to make campus more engaging and inclusive have taken on a worthy cause. It is important, though, to also work to help other students understand the need for engagement and inclusivity, and bring those students into the conversation about how the University should progress.
The most effective conversations do not always take place within the confines of an established group. Sometimes, they occur over dinner with friends or at parties. Through casual, off-the-record conversations, ideas can grow, mindsets can be changed, and the seeds of progress can take root.
In planting those seeds, it is very important that student leaders convey that they are working to make a great university even better, a strong greek system even stronger, a bright future even brighter. Despite all the shortcomings we are working to address, no UA student has a reason to be ashamed of the Capstone. We have a proud history that should encourage us to always be moving ahead.
Tray Smith is the opinions editor of The Crimson White. His column runs on Mondays.
