This weekend, I had a conversation with some friends at an Institute for Humane Studies seminar about the culture of Students For Liberty. One of the key aspects of SFL’s culture is our theory of empowerment. SFL believes that student leaders should not allow any boundaries and rules laid down by our predecessors to dictate how we engage in social change. Instead, it is our duty to expand libertarianism to new territory through new methods. My successes as a Campus Coordinator during the 2011-2012 school year were largely a result of SFL’s theory of empowerment as well as my willingness to take advantage of that freedom through entrepreneurship in student organizing.

Matt Needham (bottom left) with fellow Michigan students on the road to ISFLC12

As a Campus Coordinator, I have been free to do nearly anything that I believe will further the cause of liberty. At the Campus Coordinator Retreat in July, I worked with Midwest Regional Director Dennis Craig and other Campus Coordinators in my area to set goals for what I wanted to accomplish in my region. These goals were not dictated by any central authority. Throughout the year, I continued a dialog with Dennis about the goals that were within reach, the goals that needed revising, and new goals that I wanted to set for myself.

Not only was I free in goal setting, but I was free to do whatever I felt was necessary to accomplish my goals. One of my goals was to see Michigan be the Midwestern state with highest attendance at the Chicago Regional Conference and at the International Conference. After hearing from student leaders in my area that transportation and lodging were the two largest hurdles they faced in attending these conferences, I set out to organize group transportation and lodging for students from Michigan. For the Regional Conference, I was able to negotiate sponsorship for a charter bus and subsidized lodging from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, an organization with a strong history of supporting pro-liberty students. For the International Conference, I was able to negotiate sponsorship for a charter bus from a generous donor. SFL’s reputation for successful projects and well-trained leaders granted me the legitimacy I needed in organizing these projects. These projects were well worth my time and effort; Michigan had more than double the number of ISFLC attendees than any other Midwestern state. These students were able to bring knowledge of libertarian ideas and organizing tactics back to their campus in order to further the cause of liberty.

I should add that while these projects were unlikely to happen without my efforts, I did not organize them solely on my own. SFL provides a large network of peers and mentors that have assisted me greatly over the past year. I cannot stress the importance of mentorship enough! There are scores of libertarians experienced in campus activism, public policy, academic research, and other avenues that want to help students. Successful student leaders reach out to these individuals and develop strong relationships.

Moriah Costa (center) at Occupy Phoenix

I am not alone in taking advantage of the freedom allotted to Campus Coordinators. Morgan Freeman, a Campus Coordinator at Sam Houston State University, used a Free Speech Wall event to gain statewide attention about hostility to free speech on college campuses. Luis Silva-Ball, a Campus Coordinator at Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, translated SFL’s How to Start a Student Organization for Liberty handbook into Spanish. Moriah Costa handed out copies of SFL’s book The Morality of Capitalism at the Occupy Phoenix protests. The success of Students For Liberty does not come solely from empowering students; our success is dependent upon the initiative and ingenuity of local leaders to develop new methods of furthering the cause of liberty.

I strongly encourage all student leaders to join the Campus Coordinator program. Students For Liberty is here to empower you to discover new tactics for furthering the cause of liberty. I do not believe I will see a day when we have run out of new tactics for furthering the cause of liberty so long as SFL continues to empower students and student leaders continue to take advantage of all possible opportunities.