The recent news of DePauw community members' arrests as a result of social activism is news that, in our opinion, has become all too rare.
We're not talking about the arrests themselves, but the idea of activism on the part of students, professors and staff is less common.
Professors and staff at public universities, as agents of the state, are frequently bound by university codes of conduct that prohibit them from participating in any form of political activism so as not to endorse any candidate, measure or position. All university members, including students, are on occasion bound to similar codes of conduct at private, religious institutions to ensure a university's community acts in accordance with its institutional values. Even private secular institutions are not always spared these codes regulating "permissible" and "impermissible" campus activism.
DePauw is not such an institution, and we should all be excited and proud to attend a university that encourages us to take our education to the streets, the steps and the public. Whether we are in Greencastle, Indianapolis, Chicago or Washington D.C., it seems clear that the institution that has inspired many of us to act also encourages it, or at least doesn't prohibit it. Not everyone in higher education has the luxury of such support in this regard.
Whether or not we agree with the politics of the anti-tar sands movement, this commitment to personal values based in a commitment to the truth and its consequences is something we find personally inspiring and motivating.
This praise is not without a caveat, however. Commitment to a cause is one thing, but all professors should remember that when they enter the classroom, they have a duty to teach. Political, religious and social alliances are not necessarily in combat with the transmittance of a sound, knowledge-based education, but at times, they can conflict.
This can be a fine line to walk, particularly during the discussion of contentious issues, but the solution is not a complex one. Opinion can come from anyone, but knowledge should come from proven methods of research — both materials can be fine sources for education, but one should never be presented as the other. Additionally, we are students seeking to learn and develop our own perspectives and opinions, and we need the freedom to do so without the fear of chastisement or condescension for disagreeing. We are here to learn, discuss and argue, not passively await a world view to be installed in us by anyone.
As an institution, we should be proud of the political activists that have become all too rare in our lifetime. They are truly role models of living out a social responsibility we assume as our awareness of important social issues broadens with our education.
We praise their commitment to their civic and global communities.