Sarah Chambers

Sarah Chambers knows what it's like to be hated.

The NYU junior won the title "worst person in the world" on Keith Olbermann's Countdown after the College Republicans, which she leads, staged a game where contestants tried to find an "illegal immigrant" - a student posing as one - in a crowded Washington Square Park.

Chambers doesn't exactly agree with Olbermann's sentiment. She would prefer to be known as someone "who helped bring different views to the forefront," she said, "encouraging students to get involved, to care about important political issues, even if it meant being politically incorrect."

Chambers' prowess for encouraging involvement cannot be denied. Though a paltry 12 people signed up to play the immigrant game, according to news accounts, over 200 protesters attended.

NYU encouraged the debate. As university spokesman John Beckman wrote in a statement to the NYU community, "At a university, the vigorous exchange of views is something we hope for from engaged students and scholars."

Despite NYU students' left-leaning tendencies, the College Democrats and liberal groups on campus have not had as much success getting the student body's attention as Chambers' group has.

"Whenever you identify with a norm, any norm, it's easy to do so because you rarely have to defend it," Chambers said. "At NYU you can say you're a liberal and nobody is going to ask 'why.' There's a lack of a need to get involved."

Chambers has given them a need. By hosting events deemed "hateful," "ignorant" and "offensive" by members of the university community, Chambers has opened up a veritable Pandora's Box of activist reactions from students.

"If you want people to get involved politically, you have to give them something to fight for," she said.

Whether students are fighting for immigration reform or against intolerance, it seems that Chambers has awoken the long-dormant activist community at NYU with her political stunts, in spite of the unconventional manner in which she did it.

"Decisions are being made today that are going to affect the way you live and the society that you're going to raise your children in," she said. "When you can convince people of that and get them to see that they have the ability to help mold the country's direction - that is when you get them involved."