When we talk about student activism, an image of bell-bottom clad university students from the 1960s and 1970s is often the default image. The college campus activists, with signs in hand, strapping themselves to trees to avoid demolition, had a large role in social progress during the second half of the 20th century.

As of late, it seems as though a spark has been lost in this type of movement. Instead of educating and engaging ourselves on the issues at hand, it seems easier to simply agree with the need for change without actually getting involved. It’s easy to retweet a hashtag on Twitter or post an article on Facebook, giving just enough momentary satisfaction for complacency to take over.

Posting a link to the never-ending void that is the Internet just isn’t the same as wearing down the pavement of a campus quad. College students have had a long history of leading the charge in status quo disruption, but somewhere between the invention of color television and Netflix, we’ve lost our will to crawl out of bed and literally stand up for the changes we want to see.

The majority of students would agree that there is a need for change in some aspect or another in today’s society. In the 1970s, protesting defined a generation of social change. Today, that lively spirit has fallen by the wayside. So why does it seem as though there is a large portion of students playing Switzerland?

It’s easy to be a pseudo-activist online, constantly sharing articles without actually doing anything to combat the problem at hand. Starting and taking part in conversations is a start, but activism is an active effort. Students, we’ve gone soft, and that needs to stop.

At Grand Valley State University, students have a unique and advantageous opportunity. The Office of Inclusion and Equity works hard to provide diverse and plentiful opportunities to students. For Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week, the university has brought in not one, but two keynote speakers. We also have a day of service planned as well as many other celebratory spin-off events. Though these events create an ideal environment to get students involved in social change, often, the same individuals are present at these events time and time again. To those online-only activists, it’s not enough to complain about the current status quo. Without initiative, drive and backing, change is hard to come by.

It’s no interest that the biggest issue facing the current generation of college students is equality — for women, for people of color, for immigrants and more. At GVSU, we have students groups dedicated to social revision. We have whole divisions of the university whose main purpose is to help in student efforts. We have chances to learn about different people from different backgrounds every single day that we make our way on to campus.

Lakers, it’s time we open our eyes and look into what it really means to be an advocate. Let’s make some noise for what’s right.