Student sacrifices tend to be exalted in the literature on student movements. Will it ever end? Or is this just the cost of being heard?

Students shouldn’t have to risk their lives for democracy. Yet today, in Georgia, Romania, Serbia, and beyond, they’re back on the streets.

The Tlatelolco Massacre once again had shown the risks student movements face in fighting for change. Students risk their lives in resistance against repressive laws. Even in the countries with the developed student governments, student-led street protests are a norm, not an exception.

Aftermath: survivors and families fought for justice, but accountability took decades. In 2000, a “special prosecutor” investigated the massacre. Former officials faced charges, but convictions were rare. The govt formally apologized in 2008.

Why was this so critical? The Olympics were just 10 days away. Mexico wanted to showcase itself as modern and prosperous, but the massacre highlighted its authoritarian reality. The govt suppressed media coverage, but the truth spread globally over time.

Casualties: estimates range from 100 to 300+ dead, countless injured, and many arrested. The govt initially denied responsibility. The massacre exposed the violent lengths the PRI would go to maintain control, even as the world watched.

Oct 2, 1968: Thousands of students rallied at Tlatelolco Square in Mexico City. Military & police surrounded the square. Shots rang out, chaos erupted. Official accounts blamed “provocateurs,” but evidence shows the govt ordered the attack to silence dissent.

Summer 1968: Protests spread across Mexico as students called for an end to authoritarianism and police brutality. The govt, fearing unrest during its moment on the global stage (the upcoming Olympics), responded with harsh crackdowns, escalating tensions.

Mexico in 1968: a country with rapid economic growth, but stark inequality. The Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), ruling since 1929, controlled politics with little opposition. Students, inspired by global protests, began demanding democracy, free speech, and education reform.

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Consult the full Index and insights now: studentunionsindex.be

But there is also value in healthy competition and benchmarking that the public Index provides. Hence, this may not be the last Student Union Index, as the methodology can be replicated and adjusted for use in other countries.

These findings reinforce an important notion to student unions — stand up for yourself and interests of your students. Doing so continuously will improve your union in the long run.

Student unions with higher structural power scored higher, those with the more autonomy from the state had better representation, and unions representing more students tended to score better (but not drastically).

Although the correlations in this study would need to be confirmed with more studies in other countries, the results align with the existing student government research.

But why evaluate student unions? While the Index represents the first time anyone has ranked student unions, the goal was to find out what makes them successful.