Those are solid, important articles you linked to, and I was being entirely sincere when I said your site is indispensable — over the last year, I’ve linked to IHE more than a dozen times. Y’all do great work, and you’re a great resource for students.

But it’s worth noting that none of the articles you cite are primarily about student organizing. Even in the two stories you ran on the Southwestern College situation, the hook was the suspension of faculty members, not the student-led protest itself. At the risk of being (perhaps fairly) accused of playing gotcha, I’ll note that the word “student” doesn’t even appear in your comment.

There is a strong tendency among higher education journalists to see students as peripheral to the institutional life of the university. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, for example, has a “Faculty” section on its site and an “Administration” section, but no “Students” section.) That perspective is understandable on many levels, even rational, but it is, I think, unfortunate.

Students are not mere consumers of higher education, they are active participants in shaping the institutions they attend. They are not only acted upon, they act as well, and the IHE would, in my opinion, be an even more valuable resource if it took note of that fact more often.

(lightly edited after posting)

A three-part series — “California Beating” — about fallout from the
budget crisis:
–On U. of California –
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/13/california1
–On Cal State U. — http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/17/california2
–On California’s community colleges –
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/21/california

An analysis of the debate over spending on athletics at Berkeley at a
time of severe budget cuts:
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/30/ucsports

On the meaning of a proposal asking some UC instructors to teach for free:
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/10/stipends

On the terrible choices facing California community colleges:
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/05/delta
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/17/ccsf

On actions taken against professors who backed a peaceful protest:
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/26/southwestern
–http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/02/southwestern

Essay on the experience of being a California faculty member on furlough:
–http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/08/14/moreno

There’s more coverage on the way, of course, given the severity of the
budget situation in California and the importance of the state’s
higher education system. I welcome your ideas.

Scott Jaschik
Editor
scott.jaschik@insidehighered.com

Only two videos up but there’s more to come. Take special note of the more recent one, shot by students featuring Vassar profs and one staff member.

Keep fighting the good fight! It’s going on all across the country.