Calm settles on campus known for confrontational protests.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

Last week, college students across the nation skipped classes to rally against a war in Iraq - but the "Books not Bombs" campaign didn't draw a single protester at the University of Oregon.

On the campus that twice was named the nation's most politically active, things have been relatively quiet even as the country moves closer to war. But the unexpected calm in the university's political fervor may be only skin deep.

Student activists have not been idle, but they have deliberately avoided the kind of high-profile protests that in the past resulted in arrests and disruption. Of the several events held so far, the largest may come Saturday, when Students for Peace will lead a march from campus to the federal building to join a larger community war protest.

"I've seen a lot more involvement now than I've ever seen before," said UO sophomore Pira Kelly, an organizer with Students for Peace. "I think the movement is bringing together all kinds of activists that people wouldn't be involved with otherwise."

Veteran activists puzzled

But the low-key approach has left some veteran activists wondering whether students really are engaged in the world outside campus. The large, spirited rallies that marked the first gulf war have been largely absent, along with the urgency that led opponents of sweatshop labor to occupy Johnson Hall and face arrest a few years ago.

"I'm disappointed that more isn't happening among students," said Bo Adan, a faculty researcher in the College of Education. Adan recently helped organize faculty support for a resolution opposing a war and, as a UO graduate student, he was a lead organizer of campus protests against the gulf war.

"There are some students who are very committed to this issue, but for whatever reason they don't seem to have found their ground swell," he said. "I don't know why that is."

There's no shortage of suspicions. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may have put a different complexion on this conflict. The post-attack passage of the USA Patriot Act and government surveillance of political protesters may have activists thinking twice. Or it could be that students in general aren't as liberal or simply agree that war is necessary if Iraq doesn't disarm.

Some call it apathy 

And it could have nothing to do with politics at all. Students now work more hours, take out larger loans and pay higher tuition than ever before, with costs expected to rise further. Combine that with stress over finding a post-graduation job, and students may simply be too preoccupied to put as much effort into activism.

"People are more worried about tuition increases than war," said Rodrigo Moreno, a UO junior majoring in political science and anthropology. "They're worried about their financial situation."

Students involved in the peace movement acknowledge that it's tougher to get the attention of their classmates these days, and it's especially hard to get them to delve deeply into any given issue. Part of that is the competing demands on students' time, but many activists believe students are simply fed up with what they see as the corruption of American politics.

"I feel like a lot of people have just given up on the system and just aren't sure what direction to take," said Nathaniel N-T, another organizer with Students for Peace. "We're kind of building up a new movement of resistance, but people aren't really sure how to sign on."

Others see it a little more starkly. Veteran activist Don Goldman, a self-described radical who protested the Vietnam War, said students today are uninformed and apathetic.

"I'm disgusted with students around here," said Goldman, who enrolled as a UO student a few years ago and works on the left-wing Student Insurgent newspaper. "There's a lot of kids on this campus who are concerned, but they're not doing anything about it."

Student group disavows conflict

But anti-war activism is not absent from the UO campus. About 1,000 students took part in a march from the student union to the Federal Building Feb. 15, and Students for Peace gathered almost 4,000 signatures supporting the anti-war resolution.

Also, more than 30 people took part in a "Bikes not Bombs" ride on a chilly, drizzly day last week to protest "irresponsible ... petroleum consumption." And N-T said about 450 people have signed up for the e-mail alerts sent out by Students for Peace and another 30 to 50 attend the group's weekly meeting.

Kelly said Students for Peace is consciously avoiding the more confrontational tactics of past protests.

They're seeking permits for amplified sound and music for Saturday's rally, and they're not trying to block traffic or stage sit-ins.

"Students for Peace is a nonviolent organization and our intent is not to create conflict," she said. "As an organization, we want to be really accessible to everybody, and it does limit accessibility to be in conflict."

Kelly said the Saturday rally will feature music, artists and activities for children in addition to short political speeches. She said their hope is to make the anti-war movement a part of everyday culture and thereby open it up to those who have doubts about the war but don't usually join in protests.

"Our goal is to bring the mainstream forward and make them part of the movement," Kelly said, "because without them, the movement doesn't work."

Voices may rise when bombs fall

That kind of organizing impresses local veterans of the peace movement. David Zupan of Eugene Peaceworks said he's not at all disappointed in the level of political engagement among UO students.

"I'd say it is a very different phenomenon we're seeing today, and it's very exciting to see it," he said. "I see a very deep commitment on the part of so many of the students, and they're a real source of inspiration for me. They're kind of discovering their own ways of being involved."

The nonconfrontational approach is one of those ways, at least for now.

Ilona Koleszar, director of the student legal services office, said students are trying to work with police and want to know how they can get their message out without getting arrested.

"It's not so antagonistic," she said. "They're really trying to figure out where they can get the most attention and be the most effective for their cause, and they realize they're not effective when they're in jail. I think they see that as stealing their time and money away from what they want to do."

Whether that attitude will continue should U.S. bombs start to fall in Iraq remains to be seen. Most observers agree that whatever the level of activism now, the outbreak of war will rachet it up.

"We haven't actually begun a military engagement," said sociology professor Michael Dreiling.

"It's my belief that when that happens we will see a lot of activity around here."