Second Annual Students For Liberty Conference a Tremendous Success

This past weekend, Students For Liberty held its Second Annual International SFL Conference at George Washington University, which was for the second year in a row, a tremendous success! Over a 150 students gathered from a dozen countries to discuss how to promote liberty on campus and hear from leaders of liberty. Speakers were of the highest caliber, coming from organizations like Cato, Reason, the Institute for Justice, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Bureaucrash, and more than we can list here, discussing everything from theories of how to change society to the greatest threats to liberty today. Workshops got students involved in discussing issues like international student collaboration and effective means of marketing on campus. The students who attended were so passionate about liberty that it is clear the future of freedom is bright.

Cato on Campus had a large presence at the conference. Cato staff and interns were visible throughout the conference at the Cato on Campus booth, talking with students about Cato books, research, and opportunities for students, such as the Cato University Bastiat Scholarship, and Cato on Campus Student Contests. Cato Senior Fellow, Tom Palmer, sat on the "Foundations of Liberty" panel and argued that liberty has many justifications, which should all be used in its defense. Chairman of Cato's Board of Directors, Robert A. Levy, was the Closing Keynote Speaker, delivering an excellent speech on "The Worst Supreme Court Cases of the Modern Era", partly highlighting the work he did in putting together D.C. v. Heller, the Supreme Court decision that ruled the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. After his speech, students flocked to have him autograph his new book, The Dirty Dozen. Cato on Campus even went so far as to sponsor the Saturday Night Social at the Cato Institute, bringing students to our building to hear Nick Gillespie's Keynote Address and socialize with Cato scholars, providing an opportunity for the current and future leaders of liberty to meet with one another. At the end of the conference, SFL announced the new members of the 2009-2010 Executive Board, which include former Cato intern, Katya Akudovich (George Mason University), and Cato University alumnus, Alexander Falkenstein (Arizona State University).

It is amazing to see what began as a one time event by 5 students turn into such a meaningful organization doing so much good. As Cato on Campus predicted one year ago, SFL has turned into the kind of organization that every student dedicated to liberty should be a part of, providing students "an opportunity to transform their passion for freedom into action". This conference has proven that SFL is an institution that will make a difference and be with us for years to come, and Cato on Campus is proud to have supported SFL from the beginning. Congratulations to Students For Liberty and the many people who put on such a terrific program!

Check out Cato on Campus' past work with SFL in publishing the anti-economic intervention ad on campus papers across the U.S. here.