Many Oakland University students care deeply about the world around them yet feel uncertain about how to make a difference. Rising tuition, long work hours, family responsibilities, and the pressures of everyday life leave little room for activism.
For Dr. Jo Reger — a professor of sociology, affiliated Women and Gender Studies faculty member, and chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice — this reality is central to the way she thinks about her work.
For 24 years, she has studied activism and social movements, particularly feminist organizing, and has used that research to guide and empower students who want to engage but don’t know where to start.
Through her teaching and leadership, Dr. Reger encourages students to understand activism not as a grand gesture reserved for people with unlimited time, but as a collection of deliberate, collective actions rooted in community support. She believes students are not apathetic—- they are overwhelmed. In this Q&A, she discusses the barriers students face, the strategies that help them engage, and why understanding social movement history matters now more than ever.
Q: Can you describe your role at Oakland University and the work you do in your department?
A: “I’m a professor of sociology, and I’ve been here for 24 years. I’m also an affiliated faculty member in Women and Gender Studies. Right now, I am the chair of the department, which means I help oversee everything along with our associate chair, Professor Sanders.”
Q: What major social challenge do you see students facing when it comes to getting involved in activism or social justice causes?
A: “Time. A lot of our students work. Many have families. Some take care of siblings or parents. It’s not that they’re not interested— it’s that they don’t have time to get involved in things.”
She adds that historically, students involved in major movements like the Civil Rights Movement often had fewer external responsibilities.
“Now,” she says, “I don’t think there are a lot of students here at Oakland who are just like, ‘I’m just
going to school.’ They’re working jobs. They’re taking care of families too.”
Q: What motivated you to study activism and social movements, and how has that shaped your teaching?
A: “I was a journalism major and a Women and Gender Studies minor, and while working at a newspaper I got involved in feminist groups. I even worked at a feminist bookstore.”
Those experiences led her to study feminist activism in graduate school.
“My experience as an activist made me want to understand more about activism. It shapes the way I
teach. I don’t tell students what issues to support— I want them to decide for themselves what they’re really interested in.”
Q: What approaches or courses help students understand how activism works or how they can create change? A: “We have a course on social movements. Social work also has community organizing courses. And honestly, every professor in our department talks about inequality — racism, discrimination, exploitation, oppression — on a consistent basis.”
She emphasizes that faculty are intentional about not pushing students toward particular issues.
“We don’t want to be seen as promoting our own agendas. We encourage students to get active, but we want them to choose what matters to them.”
Q: When students feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start, what kinds of support or strategies help them engage more effectively?
A: “They need to talk to each other. Sometimes you feel alone— like, ‘I really care about this, but I don’t know anybody else who’s going to that protest.’ Research shows that people get involved when they have support.”
She points to Freedom Summer as an example. “People often applied and went in pairs. Having someone with you matters.”
University resources such as the Gender and Sexuality Center, along with student-led organizations like the Black Students’ Association and various environmental groups, give students opportunities “to find people who might be thinking the same way as you.”
Q: What evidence shows that activism— even small action — can create meaningful change?
A: “Social movements rarely get everything they want, but they can change culture. They can get people into positions where they can influence policy.”
She notes that being part of a group encourages persistence.
“Even when protests don’t get media coverage, being in a group of people who believe the same things you do helps you keep fighting. You realize you’re not isolated.”
Q: Are there examples from OU that show the impact of student activism?
A: “Yes— the reason we have a Gender and Sexuality Center is because students organized for it. They argued for the center and later for a bigger space. They went to the Board of Trustees. When students mobilize, they get attention— sometimes more than faculty do.”
Q: What lessons from feminist or social movement history are most helpful for students today?
A: “That those things can happen. Progress is never linear— we go forward and back.”
She cites the Jane Collective, a 1970s group trained to provide safe abortions when access was limited, as a reminder that people find ways to act.
She also points to shifts in transgender rights as an example of advancement followed by backlash.
“Understanding the work that went into progress before helps students see that they can put in the work to get back what they’ve lost.”
Q: What limitations or barriers do student activists face, and how can they be overcome?
A: “Time and isolation. But activism has moved online, and social media makes some things easier. You don’t have to make flyers or wait for a newspaper— you can organize quickly and reach people fast.”
Q: What do you want OU students to know about their ability to create change?
A: “We need change. Food insecurity is rising. College is getting more expensive. Financial aid is
shrinking. There are so many things that need to be addressed.”
She believes young people still have power.
“Movements sometimes seem like they pop out of nowhere, but that’s because people don’t give up. They keep working in organizations, supporting issues, and talking about things. Then something happens that lets it all explode — and that’s when real change starts.”
