Student activism in international higher education

Perhaps one of the more difficult, and potentially distressing, issues that student affairs educators face is how to respond to student activism. With some educators projecting increased activism around the world, it's critical that thought is given to how student affairs staff can respond in ways that keep activism from moving into destructive dissent and also keep students' learning and development in mind. One case of an institutional response to student activism in India is already escalating to places that most would find uncomfortable. As one professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi indicated, the university should be a place where debate and dissent are welcome. When the surrounding political environment gets tense, the values of an institution in relation to learning through discourse and free speech are sometimes tested to the limit.