Student politics: The new localism

The nature of recent student politics has changed substantially. National surveys of college students and administrators reveal that undergraduates have lost faith in the nation's social institutions, distrust government, and reject well-known political leaders. Students are issue oriented and desire change. Confident in the efficacy of their generation, they have chosen to act locally in the community and on campus, where consumerism is a growing reality. Although campus activism is on the rise, its dominance by small affinity groups, its local focus, and its peaceful, consumer tactics hide the strength of this 1990s reality.