By Sasha Chavkin

Clara Martinez Turco’s article on the 1968 student revolt drew an interesting parallel between 1960s anti-war protesters and current activists against the invasions of Iraq and Gaza. Her point is well-taken: shortly after the article appeared, a group of students at NYU took over a classroom demanding scholarships for Palestinian students.

But though SIPA students are highly active on global issues, I’m equally struck by our lack of engagement in local issues. The 1968 uprising didn’t end the Vietnam War, but they did succeed in stopping the construction of what protesters called the “Jim Crow Gym” because of its proposed backdoor entrance for community residents. Columbia is still expanding and displacing local residents at the same clip as it was in the 1960s – including for the future SIPA building – and I wonder why that reality is allowed to seem so distant from our ongoing educational experience.