ARI's Campus Club Library

ARI recently let us know about a new resource they've created for campus clubs called the Campus Club Library. It is a collection of audio lectures, recorded campus club lectures, and essays. Much of the collection is unique to the library or only available for purchase through the Ayn Rand Bookstore. Most importantly, it is free to members of campus clubs registered with ARI.

In order to access the information you must be a registered user of the ARI site. If you are not yet a user, you can become one here.

If you just set up your account, or your account has not been associated with a registered campus club, you can contact the campus club coordinator at clubs@aynrand.org or (949)222-6550 extension 259.

Once you are registered, login to ARI (link on the left side of the ARI homepage) and click the following link to the Campus Club Library: http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_campus_av

Alternatively, you can use the dropdown menus on the site: Under the “Students” drop-down menu, select the “College” drop-down menu, then select “Student Clubs.” On the right-hand side select Campus Club Library.

Once in the library you will have access to the following, extensive list of materials:

The Arts

-Andrew Bernstein

---The Mind as Hero in Atlas Shrugged

-M. Zachary Johnson

---Essential Musical Developments towards Musical Romanticism

-Shoshana Milgram

---Ayn Rand’s Unique and Enduring Contributions to Literature

---The Road to Roark

---The Spirit of Francisco

-Ayn Rand

---Our Esthetic Vaccuum

---Romantic Literature

Business and Economics

-Andrew Bernstein

---Capitalism as the System of the Mind

-Alex Epstein

---History of Oil

-Ayn Rand

---Robber Barons

---What is Capitalism

Education

-Leonard Peikoff

---The Philosophy of Education

-Ayn Rand

---Art in Education

---Issues in Education

-Lisa VanDamme

---Teaching Values in the Classroom

Foreign Policy and Terrorism

-Ayn Rand

---The Foreign Policy of a Mixed Economy

History

-Debi Ghate

---Inspiring Heroes: Lewis and Clark

-John Ridpath

---This Hallowed Ground

-Ayn Rand

---19th Century Capitalism

---Braindrain

---Facism: A New Frontier

---Today's Intellectual State

Individual Rights

-Ayn Rand

---America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business

---Nature of Rights

---Objective Law

---The Politics of a Free Society

---The Press of a Free Society

---The Proper Structure of Government

---Speaking Freely

Philosophy

-Yaron Brook

---Is Christianity Compatible with Capitalism?

---You Are Not Your Brother's Health Care Provider

-Onkar Ghate

---A Study of Galt’s Speech

-Leonard Peikoff

---Integration as the Essence of Personal Identity

---Moral Virtue

---Objectivism through Induction: The Final Examination

---Why Should One Act on Principle

-Ayn Rand

---Age of Mediocrity

---Apollo and Dionysis

---Aristotle

---Censorship

---The "Conflict" of Men's Interests

---Conservatism vs. Objectivism

---A Cultural Update

---Egalitarianism and Inflation

---Enemies of Extremism

---Ethics

---Faith and Force

---The Foreign Policy of a Mixed Economy

---Facism: A New Frontier

---Global Balkanization

---Interview with Ayn Rand

---Introducing Objectivism

---Of Living Death

---Introducing Objectivism

---Is Atlas Shrugging

---Let Us Alone

---Moratorium on Brains

---Nation's Unity

---New Fascism

---Objectivism In Brief

---Questions and Answers on Objectivism

---Philosophy: Who Needs It

---Selfishness as a Virtue

---The Intellectual Bankruptcy of Our Age

---The Psychology of Altruism

---Today's Intellectual State

---Wreckage of Consensus

-John Ridpath

---Nietzsche and Individualism

---The Philosophical Origins of Marxism

-Greg Salmieri

---Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy

-Tara Smith

---Moral Ambition: Perfection and Pride

---No Tributes to Caesar: Good or Evil in Atlas Shrugged

---Self-Interest

Politics

-Keith Lockitch

---Creationism in Camouflage: The "Intelligent Design" Deception

-Ayn Rand

---Facism: A New Frontier

---The Significance of the Goldwater Campaign

-Peter Schwartz

---Analyzing Libertarianism: A Case Study in Thinking Principles

Essays by Ayn Rand

---Causality Versus Duty

 ---Doesn't Life Require Compromise?

---"Extremism," or the Art of Smearing

---Philosophy: Who Needs It

---Philosophy and Sense of Life

---The Conflict of Men's "Interests"

---The Psycho-Epistemology of Art

---What Can One Do?

---What Is Capitalism?

USC Objectivist Club's Plan for a First Meeting Icebreaker

by James Ellias, President, USC Objectivist Club

When followed correctly and with sufficient enthusiasm, the Oclubs guide for how to attract members at a campus activities fair will get many new people to come to your first meeting.

Retaining these people is the hard part.                                 

Retaining the newbies is hard because many of them show up curious about a philosophy and they are utterly overwhelmed by the first meeting. Most people don’t have strong opinions about nearly every issue (as Objectivists do). At their first meeting, they are confronted by totally new ideas that clash with how they have been raised. The ideas are bandied about by confident people they don’t know who could probably crush them in a debate. They are often afraid to raise questions or disagreements because they fear they will look stupid in front of a bunch of people.

I have a remedy.

At my first meeting this year I had 21 people, roughly twelve of them new. When I brought the meeting to order, I gave a one minute statement framing Philosophy as a tool, whose primary goal is to help us live better lives by helping us to make better decisions.

I told everyone to split into small groups and have a philosophical conversation about whatever they want. To start off, I told the new members to talk about an opinion they feel strongly about and why they hold that opinion. I made sure that each group of 3 or 4 had an experienced member in it, to keep the conversation more productive (though I instructed my experienced members not to be too strict).

I instructed my experienced members to do the following:

Ask the new members what their opinions are on issues, then instead of giving them the objectivist answer when they are wrong, ask the right questions. For example, if a new member says that they are for socialized medicine, instead of going into a lecture about the nature of government, the experienced member could ask “Do you think people should be forced to pay for such as system? If so, to what extent can the government abridge our property rights?” The purpose is to stimulate the new members into thinking about things they haven’t thought about before. If successful, they should leave feeling as though they learned something. More specifically, they have taught themselves something.

Each new member in my club now has a group of people they feel comfortable talking with when the meetings switch to more structured, specific topics.

For our future meetings, I plan on splitting into two groups of 6-10. This will allow the new people to stay with the people they got to know and are comfortable with and they will be more likely to participate in discussions about new material.

Activities Fair - Your Most Important Event of the Year

We've compiled a list of fantastic tips & advice from seven successful club leaders on how to promote your club at your campus activities fair! At most schools this event is the single best opportunity for your club to recruit new members and increase awareness of Ayn Rand on campus. 

Below is only a brief summary, be sure to read the full list of advice, you will definitely learn some valuable tips!

1. Have a big table sign to get people to approach your table, featuring the name "Ayn Rand" in very large letters.
2. Bring plenty of mailing list sign-up sheets, also pens and clipboards. Download a sign-up form from OCN
3. Have pamphlets to give away. You can get these from ARI; be sure to order enough time in advance. Stamp your club's contact information and meeting times/locations with any literature you distribute.
4. Bring other general equipment such as masking tape, scissors, rubber bands, and trash bags. Bring something to anchor your papers down if it's windy or protect them if it's raining.
5. Be prepared to answer questions. People will ask what Objectivism is and what your club does, prepare good answers to these common questions. The full advice list has some great Q&A.
6. Attract attention and engage your audience. Learn tips for inviting students who look interested to come to your table.
7. Prepare in advance. Set up a web site, mailing list, or Facebook group before the fair and look at our complete checklist for lots of other details.

Most of all, have fun! You'll enjoy the tabling event and best of all you'll meet tons of new people which will make your meetings for the rest of the year a more rewarding experience.

Read the full list of advice

Summer Discussion Groups

At last you’ve finished a busy year of school! Aside from relaxing, why not use your extra time to deepen your understanding of Objectivism? Here are some ideas for how you or the members of your club still in town can solidify the intellectual basis of your club.

1. During the school year, group study of long texts can be beneficial, but challenging, given most students’ necessary preoccupation with their studies. Use the summer break to start a reading group focused on analyzing longer works.
   • Consider beginning an Atlas Shrugged reading group. Diana Hsieh has created a web page with reading schedules, an extensive list of discussion questions, and podcasts analyzing each chapter of the book. Details here.
     The deadline for the Ayn Rand Institute’s Atlas Shrugged essay contest is September 17, 2010. See contest details. Discussing the novel is great preparation for submitting an entry into the contest.
   • Consider beginning a reading group based on Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The book is an integrated survey of the total system of Objectivist philosophy, and requires sustained, long-term study to digest. The Ayn Rand Bookstore offers a study guide that can effectively structure discussion group meetings.
2. Form a group to discuss relatively short but essential books (such as The Virtue of Selfishness or The Romantic Manifesto). Read a chapter out loud each week, with attendees taking turns reading sections. Reading out loud enables attendees to stop and ask questions during the reading of the text and to carefully digest the meaning of various passages.
3. Finally, consider forming a group to listen to a recorded lecture series. As with reading books out loud, listening to a lecture with others gives students the chance to stop the recording and ask questions about the material as they arise. Here are some ideal courses (all by Leonard Peikoff) for deepening your understanding of Objectivism and improving your general thinking skills:
   • Understanding Objectivism
   • Objectivism Through Induction
   • The Art of Thinking
   All are available via the Ayn Rand Bookstore. The first two courses are available both in audio CD format and as an internet course (which is less expensive). Note: Depending upon the size of your group, playing these tapes may count as a public performance, in which case you may need to receive permission from the Ayn Rand Bookstore for this purpose. But ARI-affiliated campus clubs may be able to borrow copies: inquire at clubs@aynrand.org.

This article is based on ideas and feedback shared by Ben B., a former president of the University of Illinois Objectivist Club and of the Lawrence University Students of Objectivism. He is currently a philosophy professor.

Helping Your Club Survive Your Graduation

Campus Objectivist clubs often exist only as long as their founding officers are in school—once these key members graduate, the club withers away. Here’s how to help avoid that fate for your club and make it live beyond your graduation:

1. Groom new leaders. Actively recruit your more reliable club members to assume leadership of the club when you graduate. Have these members help you lead discussions and plan events before you leave.
2. Pass on useful information and resources. Tell your new club leaders about discussion and event strategies that succeeded or failed. Inform them of helpful ARI and OCN resources. Give them a list of the club’s equipment and reading materials. Pass on ARI and club mentor contact information. Tell them how to access your club’s account and acquire additional funds.
3. Follow up with your club’s new leader. Encourage your new club leader to begin planning the club’s academic year activities over the summer. (This is especially true for clubs that host events.) Contact your new club leader throughout the school year to make sure he is aware of upcoming activities in which the club should participate (budget request deadlines, student organization fairs, ARI summer programs, etc.)
4. Actively recruit new members. If your club will be losing a lot of seniors at the end of the school year, devote extra effort to attracting new members. Post fliers advertising the club and its meetings if you don’t already do so. Consider hosting a lecture event or study break in addition to your regular meetings.

Doing any of these things will help, even if you can’t do them all. To all graduating club members, best of luck in your future endeavors!

Maria McRaven is a former president of the University of Chicago Objectivist Club.