File photo/The Ithacan Members of the Young Democratic Socialists protest outside the Office of Admission Office in December 2000 to voice disapproval of Sodexho Marriott’s connection to private prisons.

When the Young Democratic Socialists occupied the college’s Office of Admission for 34 hours in December 2000, they brought the college to a standstill and ultimately inspired a semester-long discussion on the issue of private prisons.

Now, just three years later, YDS is not even a presence on campus. After a wildly successful campaign that rallied hundreds of students around a single cause, the group fell victim to the same pitfalls that have hurt a number of student activist movements. Leaders graduated, priorities shifted, and momentum diminished.

And YDS is not the only activist organization that has faded in recent years. Students for a Just Peace, Ithaca College Democrats, Ithaca College Environmental Society, BiGayLa and Created Equal have all been relatively quiet this year.

Members of all those groups spoke to The Ithacan and expressed concern about the general lack of activism this year and said active membership has almost universally declined.

“There was a time when groups like YDS were in the news every week, and that isn’t the case now,” said Lucas Shapiro ’03, a former student activist and now the national coordinator for YDS. “I’m really kind of surprised, and it’s really unfortunate.”

Shapiro, who was involved in activist campaigns against Sodexho Marriott and sweatshop labor, said the reasons for the decline in student activism are varied, but the results are the same: The campus is not as well informed about important issues, and students do not get training and practice in organizing and working for change in the world.

Senior Eric Lieb, a longtime activist and cofounder of SJP, said though things may have quieted down this year, important conversations are still being held.

“It’s just like when a class is silent,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have anything to say. People are just thinking.”

But SJP cofounder Sami Khan ’03 said there’s no excuse for the lack of activism among students this year, particularly given the domestic political climate and the volatile international situation.

“It seems like everywhere outside of Ithaca College people are recognizing what a pivotal moment we’re at in history and doing something about it,” he said.

Other students have noticed an overall decline in activism. Senior Nate Best, a member and former president of ICES, said his group lacks the same momentum it has had in the past.

Senior Braeden Sullivan, a queer rights advocate, said he has seen a decline in the number of large, vocal campaigns and movements, but suggested students may be taking on more individual projects and issues.

Yet Shapiro said that is simply not enough. Rallies, teach-ins and confrontation are an integral part of activism on campus, he said. Shapiro recalled years when the Free Speech Rock was the sight of countless protests.

“You really have to create a political spectacle sometimes,” he said. “That’s how you draw students in and get them involved. At Ithaca College, I don’t think there’s too much of an excuse for what’s not going on.”

Activists cite a myriad of reasons for the perceived decline in activity this year. The lead-up to the Iraq war was emotionally and physically draining for many groups, particularly when in the end, the war went ahead despite the protests. Also, it is difficult to mount a sustained campaign for change and also manage class work and a social life.

But perhaps the greatest problem facing groups on campus is that the college population is constantly changing as classes graduate. Sullivan said the challenge of leading an organization and training the next group of leaders can be too much.

“I do wish I had done a better job of training the people who came after me,” he said. “I think everybody wishes that.”

Khan said he graduated thinking he did everything he could to help prepare the next generation of leaders to continue the struggle for social justice.

“We put a lot of time into trying to build a progressive student group, and I think we’ve kind of been let down,” he said. “The problem is the students are more interested in an intellectual debating society … than in real action.”

The Diversity Awareness Committee has begun to examine the issue of student apathy to understand if it is a problem and why. Brian Martinson, executive assistant to the vice president for finance and administration and a member of the committee, said one reason activism may be less important at Ithaca College is that the college is already a comfortable environment for progressive, liberal ideas.

Perhaps that is why the Ithaca College Republicans remain one of the most politically active groups on campus, said senior Roger Custer, ICR chairman.

National surveys have shown that in the last two years, the number of college students who consider politics very important is increasing, up to 33 percent this year. Still, that’s a far cry from the 60 percent of students who thought that during the Vietnam War era. But many in the activist community see the upcoming election as a chance to get the progressive students on campus back on track.

“If you want to defeat Bush and think he’s the devil, then you’ve got to stop whining about it and demonizing the human being and actually do something about it, get off your butt,” Khan said.