Students always have a strong back-up on their demands: they could possibly organize a strike to paralyze all the operations of an institution if not heard. There are pressing issues and injustices that college students face in the course of their studies that ought to be addressed (Munoz 70).
Activism is the act of lobbying for social, economic or political transformation using laid down policies, peaceful negotiations or forceful campaigns by an individual or group of people. Other scholars have also defined activism as the practice that advocates for enthusiastic actions in pushing for or when against a debatable issue. Many times, activism has been associated with objection, opposition or some absurd behaviors against established authorities (Munoz 72). However, activism has been a tool for facilitating positive actions and behaviors in the society. People involved in activism mostly have an accepted thought and vision for their society. Organizations, trade unions and political parties have used activism to lobby for international, regional and national actions about different issues in the society. Students, for the sake of this research, have also actively used their unions to lobby for changes in different sectors in the colleges and universities in which they learn.
Examples of such include the East LA student Walk Out of 19 68, the Gidra-Asian American UCLA student publication in the 1960s and the 3rd World liberation front strike interested in creation of ethnic studies. Other actions included the Students’ non-violent Coordinating Committee, the push for women’s centers and LGBT centers on campuses and the Free Speech Movement among others (Yamane 14). All these were combined efforts of students in colleges to ensure that the interest of the colleges’ leadership was on proper use of finances for equality in education.