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The Pepperdine Libertarians Are Indicative Of STUDENTS FOR LIBERTY 2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT SFL reached unprecedented heights during the 2011-2012 school year, expanding to new parts of the world, holding the largest libertarian student event ever, and CONFERENCES RESOURCES empowering more students than ever before. Here are some of the highlights detailed in this annual report: International SFL Conference Attendance NETWORK 1931Webinar Participants STUDENT GROUPS IN THE SFL NETWORK 1013 529 302 35Webinars 780 100 153 511 2008 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 109 290 42 2008 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Regional Conferences 12 82 Student Groups Participated in Free Speech Week SFL Facebook Fans Campus Coordinators Completed Regional1509 Conference Attendees 532011-2012 Program 220 1521Free Books Distributed to 102 Student Groups Attendees 25 Countries Launched European Students For Liberty with 7 Executive Board Members. Tabling Kits Distributed 14 Board Members have been accepted for the 2012-2013 academic year. First European SFL Conference HIGHLIGHTS 61 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Highlights 1 Special Features Letter from the President 5 Media 7 Leadership 9 Student Network 15 15SFL’s Network European SFL 17 Regional Conferences 19 International Conference 21 SFL Resources 25 European17 Students For Liberty Alumni For Liberty 35 Donor Appreciation 37 Finances 38 International21 Conference 3 4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT has ever existed, growing up socially tolerant leaders, more oversight mechanisms, and more While I’ve always started and fiscally responsible. While we spend a great resources. This is not the same organization these annual letters by deal of time educating ourselves and our peers that started out in 2007 as a pie-in-the-sky about the nuances of what a free society means, dream of 5 volunteers and a $6,000 budget for describing SFL’s success over we do not try to impose this education on anyone, a one-time conference. Our principles are the the past year, this year, I get to nor do we have to. There is an inherent desire same. Our dedication to liberty is the same. talk about SFL’s record-breaking in all students to understand Our commitment to getting freedom, and an even greater the most bang for the buck achievements. Over the past passion for promoting the in everything we do is the year, we ran 12 Regional cause. This is why SFL is same. But our infrastructure Conferences across the US with driven by a philosophy of and strategy for doing that is empowerment. We believe evolving to allow us to reach over 1,500 attendees, held 35 in the ability of students to more students and make an webinars for 1,900+ students, significantly change society and even greater impact. seek to provide them with the grew the network to 780 student training, resources, and support SFL has come a long way, groups, and saw more libertarian to promote the cause of liberty but there is a long way for us to go. There are threats to activism on campuses than ever as they want to. We do not attempt to impose anything on liberty from all sides, all over before. them, correct “misconceived” the world, and our success is views, or tell them, “This is far from given. That is what what you should do because makes SFL so important. We We saw many firsts this year. SFL ran amongst the SFL network regarding what areas we know better.” Rather, we have an opportunity to shape the first-ever four-figure libertarian student of liberty they care most about. But there is a engage our peers as equals, the future right now. There is conference with the 5th International SFL deeper meaning to this result: SFL’ers are not expose them to new ideas, and an incredible interest in liberty Conference. SFL launched the first-ever motivated so much by a particular issue as they provide opportunities to discuss amongst this generation. European-wide libertarian student group with are by a philosophy. SFL’ers are not committed and strategize how to promote However, that interest will European Students For Liberty. SFL reached to social change because they want to be able liberty themselves. This is the mean nothing if we don’t a new level in our organizational capacity by to do something, or they are looking for a quick fundamental premise of SFL’s provide them with the tools raising over $1 million this year. We added fix. They are dedicated first and foremost to success. There are more students passionate and training to be effective advocates of liberty. new staff, resources, and oversight mechanisms a philosophy of liberty and they care about about liberty than many have recognized for a Now is the time for us to empower the next to institutionalize our work for generations of the many issues related to leading a free life, long time. We are identifying and empowering generation of leaders of liberty, and SFL is the students to come. seeking to maximize the aggregate liberty them to do what they already have a passion for. organization doing just that. of individuals, not just liberty in a particular That has been the key to SFL’s success up to now, There are two questions I often get asked Sincerely & For Liberty, area. That is difficult to understand given a and it is the philosophy that will lead us to grow these days: How has SFL grown so much so traditional paradigm of politics as being about even more. quickly? And what issues drive our students? short-sighted, personal gain because it’s an To answer the latter, we surveyed attendees incredibly powerful shift: a philosophy that As SFL grows, we will need to create new at the 2012 International SFL Conference comes before issues rather than the reverse. systems and mechanisms that empower students regarding their top 3 issues, and the results to promote liberty. For example, European were striking: no individual issue received It is our participation in this generational Students For Liberty will be launching its own Alexander McCobin more than 12% of the vote. On the face of it, shift that has caused SFL to grow so quickly. We version of the US Campus Coordinator Program, that result indicates a diversity of interests are part of the most libertarian generation that called Local Coordinators. To manage this larger network and new programs, SFL will require more 5 6 MEDIA STUDENTS FOR LIBERTY FACEBOOK FANS 65,647 60K 40K 20K Pericles Niarchos, Megan Roberts and Tanner Alexander McCobin debating a Republican and a May May May May Whitham on FOX News. Democrat on FNCU. 2009 2010 2011 2012 These young libertarians “are the potential saviors of 270,736 Average number of people the country. exposed to Students For Liberty on Facebook PER DAY. - Stephen Richer ” Forbes.com 4,983 STUDENTS FOR LIBERTY Twitter Followers WEBSITE VISITORS 40000 30000 20000 Pericles Niarchos on MTV News. Megan Roberts on C-SPAN2. OTHER MEDIA MENTIONS 10000 Millennials Flock to Students for Zombie Crawl protests policies Harvard Libertarian Forum Builds MacBook Pro Liberty and Liberty on the Rocks The Daily Texan Free Speech Wall The Harvard Crimson DC, Liberty Movement Gaining 0 A FRESH LOOK. Students For Liberty smoking ban SFL will launch our new website Summer 2012. The website Momentum in Washington DC protest Libertarians Promote Justice for All features a new user interface, user accounts, group profiles PolicyMic Sonoran News Boston Herald MAY ‘11JUN ‘11JUL ‘11AUG ‘11SEP ‘11OCT NOV‘11 ‘11DEC ‘11JAN ‘12FEB MAR‘12 ‘12APR ‘12 and member-only features. 7 8 LEADERSHIP EXECUTIVE BOARD BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alexander McCobin President & Executive Director PhD Candidate in Philosophy Georgetown University Sloane Frost Chairwoman of the Board Carlos Alfaro Matthew Needham M.A. Public Policy with a Certificate Economics & American Political Theory in Health Administration and Policy Michigan State University University of Chicago History Arizona State University Jose Niño Sam Eckman Ankur Chawla History 3L University of Texas, Austin University of Chicago Law School Political Theory & History Editor-in-Chief, University of Chicago University of California, San Olumayowa Okediran Get to know Law Review Diego Animal Physiology Carlos Alfaro Moriah Costa Federal University of Agriculture, Nigeria The journey through high BOARD OF ADVISORS STAFF Journalism school and college that led Arizona State University SFL is honored to have such an esteemed list of Alexander McCobin James Padilioni, Jr. me to libertarianism can individuals on our Board of Advisors to provide President David Deerson PhD Early American Studies be defined at its origin by both oversight of and insight into SFL’s affairs and Georgetown University, PhD Candidate Philosophy & History William and Mary culture shock. I was born direction. The Board of Advisors is comprised of: Clark Ruper University of North Carolina, Luke Ripp in Mexico and came to the Dr. Nigel Ashford, Institute for Humane Studies Vice President Chapel Hill Law United States when I was University of Michigan, 2007 very young. Alongside the David Boaz, Cato Institute Casey Given Marquette University Marissa Giannotta language barrier and drastic Dr. Tyler Cowen, George Mason University Rhetoric Frederik Cyrus Roeder Development Associate life changes that came with Matt Harrison, Prometheus Institute University of California, Health Economics University of California, Irvine, 2011 moving to a new country, the Gary Johnson, Our America Initiative Berkeley University of Bayreuth experience that impacted me Dr. Alan Charles Kors, University of Pennsylvania Megan Roberts Communications Manager Anton Howes Luis Silva-Ball the most was the discovery Dr. Jo Kwong, Philanthropy Roundtable University of Missouri, 2011 History & War Studies Liberal Studies of an American culture that Dr. James W. Lark, III, University of Virginia King’s College London, Universidad Metropolitana, held individual freedom in Kelly Jemison Venezuela such high regard.
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