A wild head of hair did little to cover the smile that spread across Adam Jacobs’s ’10 face when asked about activism on campus.  He is quick to say that he doesn’t feel like he should represent the activist community here, and he proceeds to re-direct the question to students walking by—Jacobs wants to know what they think of activism on campus.

Most stare at him for a second before offering negative replies: one student rolled her eyes and let out a strong sigh before continuing on her way. Jacobs himself, however, remained optimistic.

“I think people care,” Jacobs said. “We’ve just got a lot going on.”

Despite low levels of activism on campus in recent years, Jacobs sees students’ apathy as an opportunity to reverse this trend. Since his fervent protest of the University’s chalking ban during his freshman year, he has been at the forefront of political and social activism on campus. Jacobs, who is now an American Studies major, cited the takeover of Fisk Hall as one of his most recent activities.

“When people ask me, ‘Why American Studies?’ I tell them, ‘So when I graduate from Wes I know what to protest!’” he said.

Jacobs grew up in Cupertino, a relatively well off, predominately white suburb in Ca. He said his hometown provided him with a very limited world-view. As a young child, he remembers assuming that people in the world were rich—but he quickly learned otherwise.

Despite this realization, however, he did little by way of activism during high school. During his senior year, he did become involved in efforts to stop “Measures O and L” from passing in his district, measures that threatened to limit funding for local high schools. The proposal failed—thanks, in part, to the flyers and door-to-door canvassing of Jacobs and his friends.

In making his college decision, Jacobs’ said he chose the University for its diverse and open-minded community. He said he liked how University students tend to go against the grain.

“Wesleyan seemed the riskiest,” Jacobs said. “I would be the most questioned and prodded, scared and inspired here.”

Activism has since become a part of who he is as a person. He said he is constantly looking to re-define himself through his experiences, jumping from passion to passion both on and off campus.

“I try to do what I want to be,” he said.

Among his activities on campus, Jacobs put theater towards the top of his list. He has acted in a number of campus productions, including the faculty production of “Oedipus” last year. He said that the process of getting in character helps him to feel empathy for people, an experience that lends itself to real situations.

For the past two years, for example, Jacobs has taken part in spring break trips to Washington D.C. to protest the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While he noticed a decline in participants this year, which he attributed, at least in part, to the election of Barack Obama, Jacobs believes that as long as the wars are still being waged and tens of thousands of troops are still abroad, activism should continue in full force.

According to Jacobs, one way to do this is through community-building, which he considers one of the most important elements to the success of student activism. He said many movements on campus have ignited discussions and created the space for radical dialogue.

Jacobs would, however, like to see more opportunities in the classroom to put what is taught into action, with more emphasis placed on the practical application of assigned readings. He added that many of the professors seem more radical than their students.

“The question should not so much be, ‘Is what I’m reading relevant?’ but ‘Is what I’m doing relevant?’” Jacobs said.

In Middletown, Jacobs also sees problems that he is determined to fix. He paced back and forth, discussing the need for more resources for the homeless. He is appalled that the University spent $45 million on the new campus center, rather than building a new shelter or food bank in its own backyard.

To Jacobs, an activist’s job is never done, and he plans to pursue this passion beyond his years at the University. Looking around, Jacobs reiterated that he is only one of many students on campus concerned with these issues, and remains humbled by the conviction that he is never doing enough.

“I always want to remember how little I’m doing,” he said.