These are not the best of times to be a college student in the
United States. Spiraling tuition costs, huge post-graduation
debt, and a shrinking job market could understandably demoralize
an entire generation. But recent events demonstrate that college
students are responding to the tough economic times not by
giving up, but rather by redoubling efforts to create a more
just society. In fact, as was true with the civil rights and
anti-war movements of the 1960’s, today’s college students are
in the vanguard of highlighting the profound disconnection
between the nation’s stated ideals and its actual practices.
Students have played leading roles in the Occupy movement both
on an off campus, inspiring longtime activists to regenerate
their own efforts for change. On this Thanksgiving week, the
students risking physical harm and school discipline to demand
greater social and economic fairness truly deserve the nation’s
thanks. Ever since the 1970’s, college activists in the United
States have been unfavorably co