UB has opportunity for activism

In the pages of The Spectrum this semester there have been many references to student apathy. In the article "Atrophied Action"(Oct. 28), Siobhan Counihan examined the state of student activism on our campus. While noting that there is a vast majority of UB students who are not politically engaged, there are a dedicated few who are affecting lasting change in the UB and Buffalo communities. However, very often while having conversations with politically minded students, I find that many of them dismiss the student body as apathetic and uninterested in the world around them.

I have a drastically different point of view. I find that many students are interested in the situations in our contemporary society. However, many of them say to themselves: "What can I do? I'm just one person." This is symptomatic of the current American condition. With the increasing focus on the global situations of the world (which rapidly grew with the rise of the Internet), there was a two-fold effect: more possibilities to connect to information on global issues and get more involved with change on a macro scale and the possibility that one becomes crippled by the massive amounts of information and perspectives on global politics that one simply throws up one's hands and decides that one cannot change anything.

As such, people have forgotten about the effect of global politics on their own community.

History has shown that effective and lasting change has been the result of direct political action beginning within the community. At the current time, UB Students Against Sweatshops has been working in conjunction with unions, on-campus janitors, UB groups and community groups to bring an end to the poverty wages and racism to which UB contracted custodial workers are subjected. Basic rights are being violated right here in the UB community. To bring awareness to the UB community on this situation-and to tell the UB community that they have the power to change it-UBSAS and other student groups are sponsoring a Worker Speakout in the Woldman Theatre on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.

Come learn about this living wage campaign and how you can help the people who make UB work.