Campus Characteristics and Campus Unrest

Abstract

The political and public controversy surround ing campus unrest has led to the widespread endorsement by politicians and many members of the general public of five propositions: 1. Campus protests are typically violent; 2. campus discipline is too permissive (or repressive); (3) higher education indoctrinates its students; 4. American campuses have been politicized; 5. student discontent with higher edu cation causes unrest. Examination of the by-now-extensive research data on campus protests indicates unequivocally that each of these propositions is false. A better understanding of the determinants of campus protest can be gained by study ing the manifest issues involved in these protests as they are selectively responded to by "protest-prone" students.