North America:
August 2017 Update
SFL North America
AUGUST 2017 UPDATE
Back to School!
August was a great month for the Students For Liberty network! With college and university students across the United States and Canada returning to campus after a long summer breaks, campus activism has begun to pick up again! It’s arguably our favorite time of the year because we get to meet incoming freshmen and introduce them to the ideas of a free society!
Fall Recruitment Drives
Since freshmen are just now arriving on their respective college campuses for the first time, our student leaders are busy planning and executing fantastic recruitment drives! These recruitment drives serve to expose students to the ideas of a free society, identify interested students, and get them plugged into the pro-liberty groups on campus. Fall recruitment drives are crucial for growing chapters because freshmen and transfer students are often very excited to get involved on their new campus and make friends. We’re so proud of the amazing recruitment drives our student groups have executed, and the thousands of interested new students that have now been identified on their campuses!
The students in our group network get really creative in their recruitment efforts! The Students For Liberty Chapter at The Ohio State University, for example, passed out free pot brownies along with their stickers, buttons, Pocket Constitutions, posters, and other swag! On their table at the student org fair they filled a cooking pot with normal brownies and offered passersby free pot brownies. It was really successful because it got the attention of those walking by hundreds of different tables, and it also helped start a conversation about an important issue. Our Ohio State University chapter is just one of the countless successful recruitment drive we’ve seen in the month of August!
Tom Palmer in Charlottesville, Virginia
In the wake of the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia just a few short weeks ago, libertarian campus group Students For Individual Liberty celebrated their 30th anniversary at the University of Virginia by hosting Dr. Tom Palmer on their campus. The event, cosponsored by Students For Liberty, focused on the history of the libertarian student movement in advancing individual liberty for all people.
Dr. Tom Palmer’s speech discussed the history and impact of the student libertarian movement. Given the recent tragic events in Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, Dr. Palmer’s speech focused heavily on free speech and tolerance, as libertarians have long been at the forefront of advocacy for both freedom of speech and nonviolence.
Dr. Palmer currently is the Executive Vice President of International programs for the Atlas Network, and has spent many years spreading the ideas of classical liberalism. We at Students for Liberty are honored to have him speaking at an upcoming Regional Conference, the North Central Regional Conference on October 7th. This Conference is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you weren’t able to catch Dr. Palmer in Charlottesville, the North Central Regional Conference is another great opportunity to hear him speak!
When asked about the event, David Clement, Director of North American Programs, said that “Students For Individual Liberty at UVA has a long and thorough history in the student movement for liberty. It is only fitting that we [cohosted] Dr. Tom Palmer to honor their 30th anniversary, and discuss liberty in the wake of the white-nationalist protest in Charlottesville.”
With the campus activism season just heating up and the Regional Conferences quickly approaching, the North American team at Students For Liberty is really excited about what September will bring! Make sure to register for your local Regional Conference so you don’t miss out on your chance to hear from an awesome line up of speakers!
Preparing for Regional Conferences
Starting in October, we will be hosting this year’s round of Regional Conferences. These events are hosted all over the US and Canada promoting liberty across this mighty continent. All the conferences are conceived of, organized by, and run by our student leaders. They pour tons of effort into these conferences, from securing a venue, to inviting speakers, to forming a conference around a theme, and so much more. These Regional Conferences are free to attend, but you must register to reserve your spot.