By midweek, their tactics had turned slightly more radical. They sang and chanted slogans, forcing Rodin's secretarial staff to abandon the outer room for one across the hall. Political activism on this scale has been rare on college campuses for two decades. Today's students often prefer working for social change in quiet, personal ways, through community service, rather than in large political protests. The answer mirrors the reason community-service projects appeal to this generation.
Students say they can have a discernible effect on a concrete problem.
There's nothing more tangible than clothing. Kurt Spiridakis, a Penn sophomore, agreed. There's a direct relation to us and the way sweatshop workers are treated. That's not all. In addition, schools such as Penn now routinely emphasize community service in their curriculum.