Marquette students are apathetic.

It is not that we don’t care. We care, or, at least, we complain enough to make it seem like we care.

Our complaints are wide-ranging. From the quality of our food to the strength of our internet to the amount of work to the lack of sleep, we routinely report on the sorry state of our lives.  We gripe about our administration, our teachers, our student government.

Whatever the issue, we are good about vocalizing it. Or updating our Facebook statuses about it. Or tweeting about it. Can anyone say #privilegedproblems?

Vocalizing frustrations, no matter how trivial the problem may seem, is important. As I pointed out in my column a few weeks ago, language is the first step to change.

But when was the last time you saw any of our common complaints lead to real change?

Sodexo is still our food provider, and Meal Exchanges are still confusing. Four-hour classes in the College of Communication still count for only three credits. We still pay for most of our extracurricular activities out of pocket, even with rising tuition rates. And there is still an interim dean in the College of Arts & Sciences.

And why should any of these be remedied? I regularly overhear conversations that begin with “I just wish that they would change…” and end with the usual. I participate in them sometimes.

But why can’t we be the “they?” Why can’t we just make the change? Students grumble all the time. But those unorganized grumbles, no matter how valid, will not result in progress. This is not about the administration not doing their job — they’re doing fine. The issue here lies with the student body. At some point, we have to do something.

That’s how the people participating in Occupy Wall Street and similar protests nationwide are feeling. They are acting based on frustrations — frustrations which are widely held but rarely addressed.

Occupy Wall Street might not have a particular agenda (protesters argue against everything from corporate influence, social inequality and wealth disparity), but they are taking to the street to try to affect some sort of change. As my mom says, “You have to appreciate them for trying.”

Nothing may be accomplished, but these members of society feel marginalized and largely ignored. They feel this is their opportunity to stand up and create a voice for themselves.

Countless times, such activism has worked: the peace protests of India under Gandhi; the civil rights movement in the 1960s; the feminist Movement in the 1970s; the Middle East riots this past spring; the Chilean student protest of this past month. It is proven that change occurs if people care deeply enough and are willing to make it happen.

I’m not saying we need to stage a coup. I’m not even saying that we have anything to revolt against. But we have the power to affect our community and actually make a change, instead of just filling the air and our time with chatter.

Maybe we have nothing to change. Maybe there is no interest valid enough to drop our routine and pick up a cause. But if there is something that needs to be changed, we need to be the ones to do it. We can — and we should — be the difference. Not indifferent.