Political activism

momrath
Wed, 13 Apr 2005 23:11:38 +0000

My observation would be that Williams is less politically active than Brown or Swarthmore. Without doubt kids are engaged – they vote, they protest, they canvas, they care – but they are less ostensibly politically correct than they are at schools with more pronounced political profiles.

Williams, like most northeast colleges, is decidedly liberal, both in faculty and student body. It does not, however, lean as far left as Brown or Swarthmore. I think that the conservative faction would stand a better chance of expressing the right’s point of view at Williams than they would at Brown or Swarthmore. The administration tries to provide a balance in scheduling speakers and several departments are actually known to have professors who vote Republican, an endangered species in American education.

Williams kids love to debate, but they are also respectful of others’ ideas. They don’t automatically make the assumption that everyone in their social circle holds the same political point of view.