Activism is on the agenda during a luncheon today in an effort to encourage student participation on campus. The discussion will include a six-member panel of ISU faculty and student activists who will focus on topics such as faculty and student activism, past activist movements at Iowa State and opportunities for involvement in activist issues on campus. Program organizer Lynn Wellnitz said the discussion was created to help raise awareness of activism on campus. “I’ve heard concerns from people that students are apathetic, and I’m not sure that’s the case,” said Wellnitz, senior in history. “It’s just that what we aren’t seeing is a campuswide coalition of students involved in activism along one central issue.” Carl Mize, associate professor of forestry, said he is looking forward to the event. “I’ll be interested in hearing what other people have to say,” he said. “There are hopes among some of us that students would become more activist about some things at Iowa State.” Mize said he was most recently involved in activism on campus when he co-authored a petition last year against former ISU President Martin Jischke. Mize said he started the petition because he felt Jischke was not doing a good job and the quality of Iowa State was declining. “I think if people knew more about what’s going on at Iowa State, they would do more,” he said. “I would like to be able to say what I have to say and see if people agree with me.” Nathan Ashmore, president of American Civil Liberties Union at Iowa State, said it is important to maintain student activism to help insure a more democratic university. “A good way to get a feel for the future is to look at the past,” said Ashmore, sophomore in materials engineering. “I would like to see a nice, open discussion on the types of activism that have gone on at Iowa State throughout its history.” Wellnitz said she thinks the luncheon will be enjoyable for everyone who attends. “All of the people that we contacted immediately said `Yes,’ with absolutely no hesitation,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. People have been pretty enthusiastic that it’s happening.”