Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 38, Issue 2


Volume 38, Issue 2. Today is .

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Volume 38 Issue 2
September 19, 2000

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Oath issue inspires activism

LEGEND'S VIEW
MESA LEGEND
Submitted September 19, 2000

It used to be all you had to do to put your finger on the pulse of a new generation was walk on to any college campus in the United States. Sit-ins, student demonstrations and even the occasional riot were commonplace on American college campuses during the 1960s and early ’70s.

During such times of social revolution, students didn’t have to go far to find an issue to be passionate enough about to band together and fight for, or against. With the Vietnam War, corrupt politicians and the civil rights movement to choose from, students had lightning rods to provoke even the mild-mannered into action.

For some, those were the days.

And for most, those days seem gone forever — the days when students announced their presence as a force in society with authority and fought for what they believed in.

College wasn’t college without some measure of social unrest and civil disobedience. If you weren’t part of the solution you were part of the problem.

Today, lightning strikes seem few and far between and students aren’t fanning the fires of discontent. Is there anyone out there willing to put themselves on the line for anything anymore?

The answer is “Yes.”

Recently, one student here at MCC decided to take a stand against what he perceived as an attack on his freedom as an American citizen.

Fabricio Rodriguez, vice president of the Associated Students of MCC, has refused to sign the Maricopa Community College District’s loyalty agreement all student workers and adjunct faculty must sign in order to work for the college.

In doing so, Rodriguez has touched off a debate on an issue that undoubtedly affects each of us.

The section of the agreement Rodriguez objects to concerns MCCD’s requirement that all employees take an oath not to “...knowingly become or remain a member of the Communist Party of the United States or its successors or any of its subordinate organizations...”

Rodriguez is indeed a member of the Communist Party and believes that the constitution of the United States protects his right to political freedom. The fact is, it does.

Communism? The “Red Menace?” Some individuals may be incensed at the idea that Communism has any place on an American college campus.

The angry right may bellow, “American tax dollars fund our educational institutions, and by God, that SOB should wake up and appreciate the land he lives in. Love it, or leave it, pal.”

But, isn’t this exactly what America is all about? And isn’t this the place where these issues should be tackled?

Respecting a person’s right to their personal political ideals does not equal support of those ideals. And students should recognize the importance of issues such as these, get educated and be a part of the process.

Granted, these aren’t the ’60s, and a social revolution may not be right around the corner.

But our voice still has a pulse, albeit a faint one, and we should be prepared to announce our presence with authority whenever necessary.