Every year someone raises the question why students at the University of Denver are so little involved in political and social issues.

This question was put to a dozen faculty and students since the beginning of the war in Iraq.

Lecturer Tim Wunder of the economics department said, “I don’t understand how people can have so little passion.”

Professor Andrew Busch of the political science department agreed.

“It’s disappointing, but not surprising because frankly when you’re in college, you have more things to think about,” he said.

Yet the difference is striking between today’s atmosphere on campus and that of the 1970s during the Vietnam War.

“Everything was more controversial at that time. Everything was much more political,” said DU archivist and Associate Professor Steven Fisher. “There were fights about student government. It was a politically charged environment.”

“However, there were places on campus where students could discuss political issues.”

Yet many students remain inactive despite the military action.

“People don’t feel as threatened,” Fisher said. “I don’t think casualties have gotten to the point where people are shocked.

During Vietnam, they were losing far more people every day, it was a real shocking experience. I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”

Andrew Petraitis, the AUSA DCB Senator, said college students are uninterested in subjects that do not seem to relate to them.

“Overall college students dissociate themselves with politics. As seen on the DU campus, most students are still more concerned with their own personal agenda rather than a worldly perspective,” he said.

Alberto Mares said, “The culture has to change at DU. Daily events have to take place on campus.”

Mares, the former editor in chief of the Clarion for the last two years, said, “There needs to be a common meeting place, like a student union, where students can change ideas.”

Professor Busch said, “Decline in cynicism also has to happen.”

“People withdraw because they don’t believe anything. Unless there’s some regaining in confidence in political, I don’t think you’re going to see a huge amount of activity,” he said.

Junior Leo Simonovich attributed lack of student involvement to lack of information and education, on campus.

“Students are not aware of the current problems that occur in the political realm, especially foreign policy,” he said. “This of course leads to lack of involvement, [a] disenfranchised student body, and lack of political activism.”

Simonovich, the president of United for Israel, a student organization that raises awareness of the situation in Israel on campus, said, “I think many college students are not educated about the issues, and daily excerpts from the media help very little to explain the interpretation [of the events] of the region.”

“It’s still a new developing story,” Fisher said. “We haven’t had a lot of time to get accustomed to what’s going on. People are in an information mind-set. Vietnam went on for years and years.”