Kelsey Vickers
Perspectives Editor
A relatively new organization on campus is looking to make their mark on Troy University’s campus.
Students for Liberty, an organization whose mission is to provide a student-driven forum of students dedicated to liberty, promotes economic and social freedom as well as promoting the slogan “Free People, Free Markets.”
The organization is currently working on raising funds for its biggest trip of the year, the International Students for Liberty Conference.
The conference, which takes place Feb. 14-16 in Washington D.C., gives liberty-driven students all over the world an opportunity to come together and get more involved with the liberty movement.
At this conference, the students gather for a weekend of learning about liberty from contemporary leaders and prominent figures in the libertarian society, discussing the promotion of liberty on campus, and enjoying a massive celebration of freedom.
Ana-Shea Fann, a senior economics major from Muskegon, Mich. and Students for Liberty Campus Coordinator for the state of Alabama, said that the conference is a great opportunity for all students.
“It’s not only a chance to learn about a vast number of subjects, but also a great conference to network in,” she said. “I actually got an internship out of my attendance at the ISFLC in 2012, and I had one of the best times of my life meeting people from all over the world.”
The first SFL conference took place in 2008 with roughly 100 attendees. In 2013, the ISFLC featured over 1,400 attendees.
The conference will feature a live taping of the John Stossel show, who is the most recognizable libertarian spokesman alive today.
Among their other events, Students for Liberty has a School Choice event set for Jan. 30 this semester, which is an educational policy based on allowing students and their families their choice of public or private school.
Fann said this event is also crucial for the organization.
“School Choice is a huge issue for the state of Alabama, and one that legislators are taking seriously,” she said. “In 2013, the Alabama Accountability Act was passed which allows families that have students in chronically failing schools to move out of those schools.
School Choice, as a broad spectrum movement, is one of the best ways to provide upward mobility for children in impoverished areas, and over time it benefits society immensely to have a more well-educated population. We’re holding this event at Troy because School Choice offers a better future for everyone, and we want people to be informed about it so that we can be part of creating a real positive change for society.”
Students for Liberty also has plans to collaborate with a number of organizations on campus, including the Spectrum Alliance, Women’s Initiative and the Environmental Club.
The weekly meetings for Students for Liberty are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Johnson Center Library in Bibb Graves for the current semester.
