Rebels of the Week: Students For Liberty Rallies the Quickly Growing Student Movement
February 23rd, 2011
The 2011 International Students For Liberty Conference was the largest conference for student libertarians the world has ever seen. We filmed an episode of Stossel there this year and afterward I was able to ask him questions as a Silver Underground blogger. When the episode airs in a few weeks Students For Liberty is going to continue its exponential growth in size and influence.
They are our Rebels of the Week collectively because of the work they’ve put in for years to help student libertarians no longer to feel like an isolated presence on their campuses but part of a major network which is excitingly growing at a rapid pace. And strictly as an egoist, I’m grateful for the they’ve given me, the training they’ve provided me (which have sometimes involved generous travel scholarships), the numerous essay contests and free books distribution projects which I’ve participated in, and the feeling of inclusiveness within their ranks toward ideological diversity.
I began working with Students For Liberty in the summer of 2009 when I met with the leadership of the Arizona State University Students For Liberty about how to affect our campus the following semester. The SFL West Coast director and Executive Board member, Alexander Falkenstein, encouraged me to go to the international conference the following February in Washington, DC.
Since then I’ve become increasingly more active in their organization which has changed the course of my life dramatically. Over the weekend I accepted an Executive Board position with SFL’s Alumni For Liberty network; a clear vote of confidence from me toward the viability and importance of SFL’s mission and committed members.
In my two year involvement with SFL we have seen a growth of media appearances by their recently crowned Student of the Year, Michelle Fields, on Reason TV and Fox Business News, and Pericles Niarchos whom has been a guest of Judge Napolitano’s twice; once on the online show and once on his cable show. And with the Stossel show more is almost certainly on the way.
Another exciting component to their work is the diversity to which they’ve been so welcome. This year one of the events was hosted by the Institute for Humane Studies’ Nigel Ashford, who inquired “Which Type of Libertarian Are You?” And surprisingly there was a growing contingent of people who explicitly identified as left-libertarian. The movement is maturing and has a beautiful stratification of philosophy now which will hopefully continue to grow.
You can view here Students For Liberty’s full re-cap of the year’s amazing festivities which links to all of the media coverage they have received so far. The event was attended by over twenty members of the media so more is attention is certainly on the way.
If you are a student you should begin to work with Students For Liberty. The amount of support they can lend you in order to be an effective voice for liberty is staggering with no real cost to you. If you are in a position to speak, mentor, donate or otherwise aid in SFL’s mission please contact their general inquiries email account.
Delightful Rebels of the Week, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for virtually single-handedly creating the student libertarian movement into the powerhouse that it is fast becoming. Students For Liberty, we love you!
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