"I think social service can be part of activismwhen you link it to social issues," he says. "Whenyou begin to look at the larger things, you'rebecoming more of an activist."

"It's important to challenge oneself toparticipate in direct service work," Simmons says."It's also important to ask why [you're doing thatwork.]"

Still, as a former coordinator of the PBHAMission Hill tutoring program, Redmond says therelative popularity of performing communityservice on campus stems not from a desire tochange the world, but rather to "selfishly"fulfill psychological needs.

"Community service can be a way of getting ridof guilt in some ways," Wuchinich says.

But Nelson sees this view as demeaning studentefforts.

"In order to inflate the activist agenda,they're suggesting that...people who are doingcommunity service are almost selfish," he says."There is a marginalization in the activistcommunity for those who do community service."

Where Do We Go From Here?

Overall, Campos says that the state of activismat Harvard remains in flux.

"We're at a cross road where we can go eitherway," he says.

With the issues of an ethnic studies departmentand college administration reform rearing theirheads, activists admit there must be forwardprogress.

"I'd say we have our work more than cut out forus," Greenwood says