I believe universities and community colleges are the most advantageous sites for advancing social awareness and to foster change. Prior to reading the Gitlin book The Sixties and The Port Huron Statement (PHS), from the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), I had a difficult time formulating an opinion about student activism. After reading the PHS I developed a greater understanding about the Free Speech Movement by the SDS during the 1960's. I have also heard comments from family members about their perceptions of the 60's and the Free Speech Movement. Politics is always a topic of debate and people often reserve their comments for discussion at home since it can trigger very strong feelings and arguments. I feel there are a few factors which impact whether or not a college student will become interested or participate in efforts to affect social change. A student's educational background, affluence and influence are just a few of the characteristics that I will discuss to support my opinion.

First, I feel a person's educational background is very important. Attending a college or university not only involves a student taking the required general education courses an

d the courses for his major, but it also teaches discipline. Many of the required courses may seem like they are unnecessary for the student's field of study, but they influence who that student will become, a "well rounded individual". Being a student requires discipline to arrive to class on time, participate in class discussions, develop critical thinking skills, complete assignments, and pass tests to evaluate how much the student has learned and is able to retain. These are critical tasks that students will be asked to perform in their profession and with the community at-large. So, although a college degree is the goal, it is more important to learn the skills to become an active participant in society. Many students do not take the time to understand political current events because they are busy working or rasing a family, or they are simply not interested. Therefore, a college or university can be a great location for providing information about social issues and soliciting student involvement.

The years a student spends attending a college or university can be described as the formative years. The subjects studied provide knowledge in a variety of topics, but real-life skills are also taught. For many students that attend a college or university immediately following high school, they may not have had any real exposure to the world and the social iss

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Approximate Word count = 927
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)