ALONE IN THE DESERT: INCREASING ACTIVISM AT BYU During the turbulent 1960s, BYU was an oasis of calm: no anti-war protests, no violence, no organized opposition to the status quo. Today, self-proclaimed progressive BYU students are increasingly adopting political and humanitarian causes, from the conflict in Sudan to protesting the war in Iraq. In the fall of 2006, students organized a protest over the firing of Todd Hendricks, a student body association advisor who had publicly called for greater transparency in student elections. In 2007, a sit-in protested the invitation of Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement, and BYU students organized a “BYU Alternative Commencement” that not only challenged the political nature of the invitation but also the school’s never-before-examined commencement tradition. This panel discussion will featurefilm footage from the protests and will address these events and the future of activism at BYU.

HUGO OLAIZ, JASON MINTON BROWN, ASHLEY SANDERS, STEVEN GREENSTREET, and R. DENNIS POTTER