"He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past controls the future."
- George Orwell, 1984
In our peace or justice activism, we are often accused of naivete or
idealism. Progressive people are dismissed as "emotional" and
"uninformed," even when we are articulate and knowledgeable on numerous
issues. Meanwhile, the powers that be are often portrayed as objective
purveyors of truth and fact.
Much of what we see in the media is written by those with money and
power. How we perceive the world is largely determined by how such
media portray it. It is difficult to call attention to problems when
those responsible for them are able to frame the discussion around
them.
One essential tool of activists is research. By doing research, we
can expose what's going on behind closed doors. We can pressure those
in power through such exposure. And we can build support for our cause
by showing people the facts they wouldn't otherwise see and
demonstrating our credibility.
Research can be as simple as going to the school library or clipping
news paper articles. You can get an amazing amount of information
just by asking institutions for data. For example, if your
administration wants to raise tuition, call them up and ask them to
send you the facts behind the increase, including information on
financial aid, teacher salaries, and investments.
If you go to a public university, this information should be easy to
obtain. If the administration denies you the information you need,
then this becomes a political issue and can be made part of your
campaign: "what are they hiding?"
For campus organizing, it may be useful to answer some questions about
your school. The answers may help you understand "where the money is
coming from," "who pulls the strings" on your campus, and what issues
your group might choose to work on.
In many ways, information is power, and being able to access
information is an essential democratic right. Getting this information
can be very difficult. People who benefit from withholding certain
facts will often try to prevent you from getting it, such as by
ignoring your requests.
Most students do no realize that they are often legally entitled to
many records and data, through the Freedom of Information Act and other
laws. You may need to file Freedom of Information Act requests (FOIA's)
to get certain documents . There are several manuals that will help you
understand this process, such as "Manual of Corporate Investigation,"
"Tapping Officials' Secrets," "Research Methodology Guide," "Raising
Hell," "The Military in Your Backyard," and "The Opposition Research
Handbook." Please see the bibliography for more information about
these guides.
Filing FOIA's can be a long process, but can yield amazing results.
For instance, you can find out how university research is being used by
corporations or the government, how much certain alumni or corporations
are donating, what pesticides and chemicals your universities use, what
animal testing they are engaged in, how much your administrators are
paid, etc.
Once you shed light on the wheelings and dealings of campus
officials, they may find it more difficult to carry out their
regressive agenda or to undermine yours. By doing and publicizing such
research, your movement will also expand its own power, gaining both
confidence and members. Activists have used this information to win
successful campaigns in the past. For example, student activists in
Arizona and Michigan were able, through FOIA information, to stop the
investing of their universities into the construction of a telescope on
Mount Graham, on sacred Native American land in Arizona.
- What information you can find about your school
- List of lawsuits against your school
- Property owned by your school and its staff
- Investment portfolio; university budget
- Listing of research contracts on campus
- Activists with 20-year history of the community
- Property transactions made by your school
- Names of activists on campus 10-30 years ago whom you can invite to speak to your group
- Names of high donors to your school
- Salaries of top university officials
- Political contributions made by professors

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