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CALSAC Program
(California Student Action for Change)
funded by The Pews Charitable Trusts and national Campus Compact,
administered by CACC
About CalSAC
 In
the fall of 2002, California Campus Compact launched the first phase
of California Student Action for Change, part of the National Campus
Compact Raise Your Voice campaign (http://www.actionforchange.org). During
the past academic year, we have begun to examine the involvement
of California’s higher education students in publisc service,
advocacy and activism. Where appropriate, we have tried to promote
a higher degree of student involvement in public activities ranging
from local community service to taking a stance on timely issues.
Our work has included an examination of campus resources and opportunities
through both formal and informal campus mapping activities, the
promotion of civic dialogues and brokering collaborative relationships
between existing student efforts on campus.
While many students do not relate
to the term "civic engagement," we have elected to stand
by it and use it as a point of dialogue about the involvement of
students in the life of the democracy. While our title suggests
an action focus, we believe that our work, of necessity, also includes
a critical reflective component. If we are to truly affect the patterns
of engagement of students, we must work toward a better understanding
of their thoughts about civic participation.
 The
most critical questions we are attempting to address include:
- What are the reasons for non-engagement
of many students on campus and how can these students be attracted
to civic participation?
- What are the incentives/barriers
on campus that affect student participation in civic activities?
- What draws some students to
be engaged in direct service but keeps them away from advocacy?
Conversely, what draws other students to more political action
but causes them to keep a distance between themselves and communities?
- What role does social, ethnic,
and economic diversity play in the engagement patterns of today’s
students?
- Why do so many students seem
to hate traditional politics? What would it take to re-engage
them in mainstream democratic processes?
- What should higher education
institutions be doing to promote civic engagement of students?
Regional Centers
 One
of our most successful ventures during the past several months has
been opportunities to bring students together to reflect on the
nature of our work, increase student understanding of methods of
promoting student engagement and help students connect with students
on other campuses. To promote more such opportunities, California
Campus Compact will offer five one-year mini-grants to help support
Regional Centers for the Study, Promotion and Documentation of Student
Civic Engagement. One grant will be offered in each of the following
regions:
- San Diego
- Los Angeles
- Central California
- The Bay Area
- Northern California (possibly
to include Oregon campuses)
Each regional center will be
responsible for:
 Naming
a student scholar/advocate to be a part of the statewide student
team. This scholar/advocate will attend statewide meetings representing
the campus and region and work with a team of students on campus
to promote a civic initiative;- Examination and promotion of
civic engagement on its own campus including basic campus mapping,
facilitating civic dialogues, and brokering collaborative civic
action;
- Co-planning and co-hosting a
regional meeting during the fall semester/quarter;
- Provision of some technical
assistance to other campuses in the region by student scholar
advocates working under the guidance of a staff/faculty member.
The most critical area of technical assistance is helping a campus
launch a student-driven civic initiative;
- Participation in at least one
conference by the campus’s civic team, comprised of the campus
scholar/advocate, students and a staff/faculty member; and
- Documentation of efforts on
its campus and in its region.
Regional Centers will be eligible
for the following:
 A
mini-grant of $4,000;- Training for the campus scholar/advocate
on civic engagement and civic assessment strategies;
- Recognition as a Regional Center;
- Opportunities for students to
attend national meetings and conferences (additional funding may
be available to help support this); and
- Opportunities to co-author articles
regarding our work and our findings.
More Information
For more information please visit
http://www.actionforchange.org/getconnected/state/california.html,
please contact Christine Solari at 415-338-3985, or send email to
schirmer@sfsu.edu.
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