A hotbed of political activity and turmoil in decades past, Kansas University is far less likely to make the news for its activist spirit these days. But the extent of its influence today depends on who you ask.

Lawrence sophomore Charlie Pye labels the activity he has witnessed as “a lot of protests and demonstrations and such, but they were really unfocused.”

Whereas some schools have “waves” on big issues, activists on the campus of KU “were just small groups of people who felt strongly about something and felt like making noise about it,” Pye said. “I’m sure some people were inspired by it, but in the long run, I don’t think it accomplished much.”

Some campus sites remain the hot spots of political activity, especially during elections and other important events.

“If you walk across Wescoe Beach, you have to try really hard to not notice political groups,” KU senior Ben Turner said. “If someone is looking for a group to participate in, the opportunities are definitely there.”

Yet, the difference between campus now and the campus in the past is that the onus is now on the individual student to find an activist group, rather than vice versa.

“The political groups will reach the people that are interested in what they have to say,” Turner said, “but I’m not sure if they make an impact on those that have no interest.”

Sophomore Ashley McCaskill shares a similar viewpoint.

“There were a few things like the ‘Wall of Hate’ or something like that, and right during the Kansas gay marriage amendment vote,” she said. “But rarely did I see any large campaigns on campus. It seems that if you ask people about any given issue, there’s a club for it, but they weren’t very active near the buildings on campus in which I spent my time.”

Tom Casling, a senior at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom who spent the last year studying at KU, is more excited about the activist spirit on campus.

“There were always all sorts of talks and discussions, all well-advertised,” he said.

Casling said there was a very strong anarchist presence, which he described as “well-organized and vocal.”

Judging the activism levels on any campus is always a matter of relatives.

“What it comes down to is how intellectually and physically involved the student body is in the world around them,” McCaskill said, “and with a school as large as KU, it’s impossible to successfully generalize.”