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?

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.

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

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.

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.

1. Initiate discussion yourself. Begin your meetings by briefly introducing the week’s topic and presenting an initial point of discussion yourself. This sets the tone for the meeting, helps other members feel comfortable sharing their own ideas, and establishes your position as the leader of the discussion in case you need to intervene later.
2. Ask open questions. Ask questions that will provoke many different ideas from your group, questions that different Objectivists will answer in different ways, none of them necessarily wrong. Avoid questions with short, obvious answers or a single correct answer.
3. Revive discussion when it hits a lull. Prior to your meeting you should prepare a list of five to ten points of interest you can bring up when discussion needs to be revived or re-focused. These can include quotes or scenes from Objectivist literature, moral dilemmas club members are likely to encounter in real life, or questions and insights you have about the day’s topic.
4. Intervene when necessary. It is your responsibility as moderator to see that discussion flows smoothly and that all club members are able to participate. This will not always happen spontaneously. While you should not try to determine every twist and turn the conversation takes, you must take active steps to resolve problems. Whenever possible, you should address problems during meetings rather than outside of them, and you should explicitly identify the problem you are trying to correct. For example, “I’m going to interrupt the meeting here because people have been presenting their positions in terms of concrete examples, and we need to turn our attention to the abstract principles underlying these examples.” However, if you’re having recurrent problems with a particular individual’s conduct, you may want to discuss the matter with him privately after a meeting rather than singling him out in front of the whole group.

Good luck with your meetings, and don’t hesitate to contact the Objectivist Club Network or your club mentor if you need more specific advice.

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

(Ideally, you will also hold some--or many--standalone meetings during the term to add variety and attract visitors to the club.)

Listening to Leonard Peikoff's taped lecture courses is still a crucial way for young Objectivists to learn about the philosophy. I strongly encourage you to plan a tape series into your program for next year.

*ARI loans taped courses to campus clubs to listen to at meetings. Visit: http://tinyurl.com/lhtuej  for more information. (For some reason, Founders of Western Philosophy is missing from the list, but I suspect it could be made available if there were sufficient interest.)

Jean Moroney is President of Thinking Directions (http://www.thinkingdirections.com). She teaches thinking tactics to managers and other professionals grappling with the pace and complexity of business. As a graduate student, she ran the campus club at Carnegie Mellon for one year. Since then she has run a local Toastmasters club for many years, a task which poses similar challenges.

1. Dinner. The purpose of a dinner is purely social, so there's no need to do much planning beyond when and where to meet. It's a great time to get to know one another outside of the shared interest in Objectivism.
2. Movie night. Find a night to get together at someone's house and watch a movie (and it doesn't have to be "The Fountainhead" or "We the Living"!), or see something in the theater.  Movies can lead to long and deep discussions about art and philosophy.
3. Game night. Just like dinner, it's just an excuse to meet and get to know each other.
4. Field trip. Go off-campus together to visit a museum, for instance, or to attend an event such as a concert. 
5. Campus events. Attend a campus event together as a group--perhaps a lecture hosted by the university or by another club.
6. Parties. Consider hosting a Christmas party, or an end-of-year party. Advertise the party outside the club itself, and you will attract people interested in your club whom you may be able to recruit as new members.
7. Regular meeting in a different setting. Usually meetings are held in a classroom, a coffee shop, or someone's home. If the members are agreeable, try holding your meeting in some type of commons area, on- or off-campus. Or if the weather is nice, find a place outside to meet.

These are just a few options on how to do things differently. Follow your own interests and values and those of your officers and other club members, and don't be afraid to experiment and see what works.

Darren Cauthon is the president of the Kansas City Objectivists.

1. Do something. Do not ignore the problem, hoping it will go away by itself. It won’t. But some of your more productive club members might.
2. Address problems during meetings, not after. Addressing problems during meetings allows all members to see what sort of conduct is expected, making it less likely that you will encounter future disruptions of the same kind from other members.
3. Be specific. Explain as clearly and politely as possible what the problem is and why it is a problem.  For example, "I’m going to interrupt you here, because you’ve been talking for a while now. If you would please tell us quickly and concisely what your main point was, I think it will be easier for all of us to understand what you’re trying to say and respond effectively."
4. Be constructive. Find something positive about the disruption that you can use to return the conversation to its central purpose. Extract a useful point from a convoluted speech or complicated example, and use it to re-initiate and re-focus discussion. Turn the group’s attention to the root of a disagreement between two arguing members, or try to clarify any misunderstandings that are impeding further communication on an issue. For example: "So, we’ve mentioned several examples of injustice that we encounter on a daily basis, many of which include the problem of altruism. What is the relationship between injustice and altruism?"
5. Let reason guide your action, not emotion. Do not let anger, frustration, resentment, or any other emotion motivate your response to the disruption. This will not solve the problem. Consider the purpose of your intervention and plan your approach accordingly.

Handling disruptive members can be one of the most difficult aspects of leading discussions, both because it’s hard to figure out how to address the problem and because confrontation is uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Do not hesitate to contact the OCN team or your club mentor for further advice regarding specific situations.

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

4. Group study encourages the commitment to regular study. It is easy to make private promises to study and not be held accountable for them. A scheduled public meeting encourages participants to read or to prepare new questions about a given idea. Regular (weekly or biweekly) meetings can get participants to complete whole books and to study them actively.

5. Group study enables the reaffirmation of one's values. We live in a world which is not yet friendly to Objectivist ideas and to rational values. Study groups let us meet others who speak and act on life-based values, giving us the knowledge that these values are achievable and encouraging us to fight for the future.

In summary, group study affords intellectual benefits as well as practical and psychological benefits. Using your campus club to achieve these selfish values helps lay an intellectual foundation for the club's other activist and social activities.

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.

This article was originally published on January 16, 2009.