Activism in Grad School - Do or Don't?

[meowth812]

Will activism hurt my grad career?

 

I'm in a situation where I don't feel very "at home" in my graduate program (biology), so I started looking around campus for clubs to join to make some friends and make my time here a little less excruciating. Specifically, I found a club that is really into gender equality activism, and since this is an interest of mine, I've been attending some of their meetings. Today, they held a rally on campus, which got pretty noisy and of course there were some interesting people yelling profanities over megaphones and the like. I held some signs and handed out some fliers, but I got this eerie feeling the whole time that if anyone from my department saw me, I'd get a talking to about how it's unprofessional and that getting actively involved with groups like that could bring some sort of bad reputation on the department. (As an aside, I don't see other grad students in this group, so that kind of worries me.) 

 

Am I just imagining this? I'm getting clues from my department that reputation is everything (for instance, the faculty openly and rudely snubbed a visiting lecturer that opposes a chemical made by a company that funds their research; a few have also made fun of a transgendered professor). I am kind of jaded with their attitudes and I guess I don't really care what they think of me, but at the same time, what they think about me can affect whether or not I make it out of a thesis defense and ultimately escape with a degree.

 

So I was wondering if it is generally frowned upon to be involved with anything activist-related once you've become a graduate student, or if you can pretty much do whatever without judgement. 

 

Thoughts?

[drpepper711]

I think this issue should be judged on a case by case basis. From the information you have provided, it seems this can have a negative effect on your image. I wouldn't think to a large degree, but you never know. Is everything this group do very conspicuous  Can't you work 'behind the scenes?' If you are really bothered by it, you can look at other clubs or volunteer off campus.

[rising_star]

It really depends on your department. A few years ago, grad students in my dept helped organize a grad student protest to our university's funding cuts. One of our students got arrested (charges were later dropped) for his participation and we actually talked about him as a sort of testament to the importance of our work. Both faculty and grad students showed support for him when this happened.

 

But, YMMV obviously and you know your department culture better than the rest of us do. FWIW, my activism is probably less visible on campus but that's just because I'm involved in some national-level discussions about topics that interest me.

[toasterazzi]

Like everybody else, I think it probably depends on your perception of your department. It also depends on how much that matters to you. One of the first things I put up in my office was my Safe Zone placard which identifies me as someone who has been trained as an ally for the LGBTQ community. I also joined the campus LGBTQA group and I'll probably be one of their grad advisors in the next school year. The group hasn't had any large scale rallies or anything, but we have been visible out in the middle of campus during National Coming Out Day and we just had our yearly drag pageant last night in the student union. If there was some sort of march or protest or whatever, I'd most likely participate as long as the cause was something I supported. I know nobody in my cohort would care and based on the professors I've had so far as well as the general environment in my department (English), I don't think the faculty would care either. As far as I can tell, they really don't care about our outside of class activities as long as we're performing well as students and teachers.

[TakeruK]

Like others said, it really depends on the department. I think it's important to stand up for what you believe in -- personally, a career in academia is not worth compromising who I am. Also, keep in mind that what your department here thinks might not be how other departments you might apply to in the future might think. That said, it also depends on how far along you are in your grad career too. If you're a first year student, it might not be the best time to disrupt whatever the norm is at your department. On the other hand, if the norm is really bad, if you wait too long, the more likely you'll just be complacent with the way things happen. Find a balance that you are comfortable with, I guess.

 

At my MSc program, I was the Department Steward for the TA Union. I didn't agree with everything that the Union was pushing for so like others said, I only participated in causes that I supported. However, I did bring up some cases where the Department were violating our Collective Bargaining Agreement and had some rather tense meetings with several profs and the department head. In one case, when I mentioned that students should be paid for attending a government mandated training workshop for [issue X] as it was an employee requirement and thus covered under the CBA, one prof accused me of not being supportive of [issue X] (which is obviously not true). There are some professors in the field whom I know to be not very nice people but I don't use that to judge the quality of their research. I try to separate their personal and professional aspects and I hope that those who don't agree with my beliefs will do the same for me.

[selecttext]

there are other ways to advance a cause without humiliating yourself

[daydreamer254]

From what others have told me about participating in rallies and such on campus as grads, I wouldn't do it, whether the department favors it or not. It takes away from your studies. One guy became involved in events while he was doing his MA and as a result he stayed in his program 6 months longer than intended, so he lost his funding. Don't be like him!

[CageFree]

Some of it may be dependent upon your discipline and overall campus atmosphere. I think the humanities, for the most part, tend to be more open to student activism than the sciences,  but campus culture is a big factor as well.

 

My department is very left-wing and as a result both faculty and grad students are heavily involved in activism. The grad student union on campus has a LOT of people from my department, faculty knows and often encourages it. When we had a serious incident on campus a few years ago (involving abuse of pepper spray), several of my professors participated in open 'lectures' discussing the history of protest movements and activism, and wrote strong letters to denounce what happened. 

 

As for it being a distraction from your studies... one of the most active people I know passed his comps at the beginning of his third year. Most people do their comps at the END of their third year. So... it doesn't have to be a distraction, but it certainly CAN be.