Everyone should be compelled by the call to activism in order to create a better world. Everyone has an activist streak, whether it is the environmental agenda of the Greens or the laissez-faire ideal espoused by the Libertarians. However, college activism has been slowly fading away.

This decline in activism is due to a myriad of reasons. First of all, schoolwork saps the creative energy out of students. This is an energy that could be used to turn the world on its ear.

But there are yet other reasons why most college students are jaded or disillusioned with activism and with the government as a whole. The propagation of electronic devices, for instance, leeches students' ambition and drives them away from practically everyone they come in contact with. Even I have been continually lured in by devices such as the personal computer, the television and the stereo, which supposedly facilitate life.

DePauw actually adds to this facet of the problem very slightly by giving computers to Information Technology Associates Program students and requiring a large number of classes to participate on online discussion boards.

When we talk about the decline of activism, we cannot say that it is just a loss of activism. That would definitely be an untrue statement. Let's take, for example, the massive amounts of drinking at DePauw's campus. This is not a DePauw-only occurrence, but it works well as an example as long as I'm a student here.

Having such a fabled drinking "scene," the average DePauw student devotes time and ambition to finding parties. This ambition, which could be used for other purposes, is further diminished by the amount of alcohol imbibed. The effects of a massive drinking spree can be noticed in hangovers and the like.

One thing that the average college student has to remember is to do all activities in moderation. I know for a fact that it would be hypocritical of me to urge students not to go on the Internet or drink, since I do it myself, but at least I keep it at a certain level.

If more people would set guidelines for themselves and shake off the veil of the Internet or alcohol-induced stupors, maybe then, and only then, will we actually be able to win much-needed rights for the current and future student body.