Title: A History of Student Activism and Protests | BestColleges
Headings: Student Activism in College
Student Activism in College
A History of Campus Protests
Student Protests Throughout History
The Fight for Civil Rights on College Campuses
Students Protest Administrative Policies
The Push for Campus Safety
Fighting Tuition Increases and Rising Costs
Student Activism in 2020 and Beyond

Content: After decades of student protests against the in loco parentis policy, activists finally secured a victory in the 1960s. When Alabama State College (now Alabama State University) expelled black students for a civil rights demonstration, the students sued. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in Dixon v. Alabama (1961), which eliminated the in loco parentis doctrine and upheld the idea that colleges could not violate the constitutional rights of their students. Student activists protested … curfews, limits on freedom of speech, and “character-building” policies. Since the 1960s, student activists like those at the University of Missouri have demanded a voice in administrative decisions. For example, recent campus activism has focused on institutional policies and administrative leadership. In 2012, students at Purdue University protested after the board of trustees named Republican Governor Mitch Daniels president. Two years later, Florida State University students protested the appointment of Republican politician John Thrasher as their school president. In 2015, MFA students at the University of Southern California dropped out of the program to protest administrative changes. Campus activists have even fought for the staff who keep colleges running.