More than 20 student-run public interest organizations offer a means for students to meet like-minded peers while mixing fun with service. Students often start new groups, many of which are affiliated with national organizations. Student groups are instrumental in raising the level of discourse on campus, often by sponsoring conferences on issues of current relevance. Recently, the Civil Rights Society sponsored the "Educational Equity Conference," which brought together government representatives, civil rights lawyers, other advocates, and educators to address gains and shortcomings in the struggle against economic and racial discrimination in public education. Columbia Law Students for Enacting Humane Drug Policies joined forces with the North American Congress on Latin America to organize "Widening Destruction: A Teach-In on the Drug War," for which leading human rights activists, political figures, and policy experts came to Columbia to share knowledge and seek solutions to this controversial issue. Most recently, a consortium of student groups hosted a conference on the Voting Rights Act to look at its successes and failures in light of its upcoming reorganization.
