The University of Houston Students for Fair Trade (UHSFT) recently won a major victory on their campus. Their university administration decided this month that Java City, a campus coffee shop located in UH’s student center will only serve fair trade certified coffee starting in the fall. This has been a major request of UHSFT for some time.

Some of UHSFT’s other victories have included:

•  Made fair trade coffee available in all campus corporate coffee outlets (but not the dining halls)
• Made Fair Trade greeting cards available in UH’s Barnes and Noble-run campus bookstore
• Helped make a small business, Hope for Women, become an official vendor for all Barnes and Nobles campus stores nationwide
• Made fair trade coffee available in campus dining halls
• Placed signage and brochures about fair trade coffee at every coffee outlet
• Generated quite a bit of local and national publicity,
• Received grants from Transfair USA and Campus Progress
• Helped a local business, Katz Coffee (owned by UH alum Avi Katz) begin the first all fair trade coffee outlet on the UH campus

On March 30 UHSFT kicked off a new fair food campaign—focusing on just wages and working conditions for tomato pickers—in solidarity with the Student Farmworkers Alliance and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

UHSFT has received Campus Progress Action Grants for two years now. Action grants make $200-$1,000 available to progressive issue campaigns led by college students and young people. Grantees will also get assistance with events, publicity, training, and other resources. 

Campus Progress Student Reps in Austin, Texas have been doing some amazing work through Students Against the Death Penalty (SADP) and the Texas Moratorium Network.

One of their biggest issues right now is the impeachment of a state judge that refused to receive paperwork a few minutes for an urgent appeal from a man that was scheduled to be executed the same night. The cause against Judge Keller has received widespread support, including from the New York Times. SADP has a campaign website where you can find more information about this issue.

You can find recent testimony at a committee hearing from Hooman Hedayati, a University of Texas student, and an update from Margaret Haule, a student at Austin Community College, below:

Campus Progress released the following statement after the passage of the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights early today:

Credit Card Bill will Help Young People & Students
Washington, DC — Today Congress passed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights by a margin of 361-64 in the House of Representatives, following yesterday’s vote of 90 to 5 in the Senate. The President is expected to sign the bill on Friday afternoon. “By passing this legislation, Congress took a big step toward extending basic protections to all credit card borrowers, especially young people and students,” said Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Campus Progress, who testified before the House Financial Services Committee on this issue last summer on behalf of Campus Progress Action. 

Hooman Hedayati, a Campus Progress Student Representative, just published an op-ed in the Daily Texan in response to David Horowitz's appearance at the University of Texas-Austin tomorrow to promote his new book “One Party Classroom.” Here is a sample: 

Right-wing culture warrior David Horowitz has come out with yet another anti-academic-freedom book and accompanying campus tour. The book, “One-Party Classroom,” is a virtually unreconstructed rehash of his previous books, “The Professors” and “Indoctrination U.” In these works he announces the shocking news that they teach feminism in women’s and gender studies, social movements in courses on social movements, and Arab and Muslim culture and politics in Middle Eastern studies.

Hooman helped stop a previous Horowitizan effort in Texas a couple of years ago. His quick organizing and column was a major factor in the failure of legislation that would restrict the free exchange of ideas on campus. He is also helping to organize his campus's response to Horowitz's visit.

If you want to learn more about attacks on academic freedom and how to stop them, check out the Free Exchange on Campus Coalition. Campus Progress has been working with this coalition for years to stop right-wing attacks on students and faculty. If you would like to plan peaceful responses to David Horowitz on your campus, let us know at organize@campusprogress.org. 

 UPDATE: Check out video from the event below. Horowitz mentions Hooman's article and Campus Progress around 1:27:

Along with the students who spoke about their personal experiences, several Congressmen were on hand to reaffirm their commitment to our country’s young people. Representative George Miller (D-CA) argued that student debt often prevents students from choosing a career path that they are passionate about. He urged students to “choose a career where your heart is, not just where the loans will be paid.” Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) also made an appearance, assuring attendees that “the winds of change are blowing in DC.” He told a story about a Korean immigrant in Illinois who was unable to attend college since he was not a U.S. citizen, and later went on to promise his support of the DREAM Act as long as he remained in Congress. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) also spoke at the rally, telling the crowd that it is time to “Invest in education and invest in our nation!”

After the rally, students dispersed to various Congressional offices for meetings with their Senators and Representatives. The meetings gave students the opportunity to tell their stories and to demand the passage of the DREAM Act, EFCA, and Obama’s Budget Plan. Attendees hoped that the lobby day would make clear to Congress that young people are committed to their causes and set on reclaiming their future. The rally and lobby day were organized by the United States Student Association as part of their 40th Annual Grassroots Legislative Conference.

Campus Progress reached out to DC area students, and encouraged them to participate in the rally and lobby day. We have also been encouraging students to meet with members of Congress to discuss the 2010 budget and higher education legislation during April’s congressional district work period, and are working to educate young people about the Employee Free Choice Act, college affordability, and other related issues. 

Additionally, Campus Progress has been encouraging students to get involved in the Student Labor Week of Action, to support the Employee Free Choice Act, green jobs, and student/labor solidarity.

If you are interested in getting involved, please email organize@campusprogress.org.

After a campaign from the Students for Economic and Social Justice (SESJ), working in concert with the United Students Against Sweatshops, the University of Montana-Missoula (UM) decided yesterday to cancel its contract with Russell Athletic because of their union-busting tactics in Honduras. This decision represents another big victory for the student group, which previously convinced UM to join the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), and is engaged in a campaign to convince UM to join the Designated Supplier Program.

This campaign was part of an international effort that has generated quite a bit of media coverage, including a segment on the Rachel Maddow show.

Some in the UM administration have downplayed the role of SESJ and student activism in their decision:

Yet, UM Vice President Jim Foley on Tuesday said the university didn't sever the contract with Russell because of the students' protest. The university has been looking into worker-rights violations by Russell for several years, far before the students got involved, he said.

The university came to its conclusion after discussing findings with the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association. 

UM joined the WRC because of a SESJ campaign, and even the official UM press release announcing the decision mentioned SESJ.

Either way, SESJ is applauding the university’s decision, and will continue to work with the administration, students, and others to stop sweatshops.

The SESJ have received a Campus Progress Action Grant for several years for their anti-sweatshop activities, and were recipients of the 2008 Campus Progress “Action Campaign of the Year” award. Action grants range from $200-$1,000, and are awarded to students working on hard-hitting, progressive issue campaigns. The image in this update was taken at a 06-07 SESJ rally. 

UPDATE: The Montana Kamin (the University of Montana - Missoula's student newspaper) ran an editorial on the SESJ victory today (3/5/09), and they also pointed out that this decision was directly linked to student activism:

With all respect due to Foley, who’s a smart guy, B.S. meters should be shooting through the roof on this one. [...] While it’s certainly plausible that Foley would have decided to sever ties with Russell if it had never appeared in the newspapers or been the focus of rallies, it’s far more likely that the issue would have died. So SESJ, your greatest achievement here was raising public awareness on a matter that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. 

The Students for Economic and Social Justice at the University of Montana (UM) made the news again for their campaign to convince the UM administration to cancel their contract with Russell Athletic.

The company, which makes university logo clothing for UM and other colleges, has been under fire from the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), student groups, and universities for its decision to close its Jerzees de Honduras factory. There is substantial evidence that the factory was closed because of “anti-union animus.” Jerzees de Honduras and a “sister facility” have also been the focus of recent union-busting action by Russell. Both factories are now closed, and represented Russell’s only unionized factories in a country not known for its union-friendly atmosphere.

The Students for Economic and Social Justice are encouraging students to sign a petition to the UM administration, and attempting to schedule meetings with key school officials. They also held a rally/press conference on Febuary 20th, and have hung large banners in “the quad” to raise awareness. You can join the campaign against Russell’s union-busting spree by taking action online or bringing the campaign to your campus.

The Students for Economic and Social Justice have received a Campus Progress Action Grant for several years for their anti-sweatshop activities, and were recipients of the 2008 Campus Progress “Action Campaign of the Year” award. Action grants range from $200-$1,000, and are awarded to students working on hard-hitting, progressive issue campaigns. 

UPDATE (2/23):  SESJ made the news again on Friday, Febuary 20th:

After nearly 20 minutes of rallying, SESJ members marched into Main Hall to deliver a petition of 360 signatures to Dennison. SESJ members gathered student signatures this week on the Oval to urge UM Administration to break its contract with Russell. [...] Dennison came out of his office and took the petition when Ella Torti, a regional organizer for United Students Against Sweatshops and a junior in human biology and International Developmental Studies, handed it to him. [...] Torti said SESJ was protesting because UM hasn’t acted. Administration has delayed meetings with the group too, Torti said. Thursday’s protest was a direct result of Foley [a UM official] canceling their meeting that was scheduled for that day, she said.
“We are asking for immediate action,” Torti said.

Other schools are quickly joining the effort - two more universities announced that they are dropping their contracts with the troubled company on Friday.  

UPDATE: The Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 61 to 37. The bill will now enter conference committee to reconcile the House and the Senate versions of the bill. Final passage is expected early next week. 

There is some good news when it comes to student aid in the Senate’s version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – it looks like funding for Pell grants will not be cut out of the bill under a proposed “bipartisan compromise,” which means that they will probably be included in the final version of the Senate bill. This greatly increases the chances that Pell grant funding will be included in the final version of the bill that will hopefully pass both houses of Congress.

There is also some bad news – while Pell grants will probably not be cut, there may still be significant cuts to higher education. For example, the original version of the Senate bill included $3.5 million for campus modernization projects, but this provision would be completely eliminated from the bill if the bipartisan compromise is adopted. The version of the stimulus bill that passed the house included $6 billion for this purpose.

The compromise will also contain large cuts to policies that would help states facing large budget cuts to sustain critical public services to K-12 and higher education, and help to mitigate the effects of state budget cuts to education. The Congressional Budget Office has reported that these kinds of provisions help to stimulate the economy better than all forms of tax cuts, and have been identified as some of the more efficient ways to stimulate the economy.

The compromise also includes large cuts to other aspects of the bill, and these cuts have made the stimulus package less efficient at stimulating the economy. The Center for American Progress has estimated that the Senate’s version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create between 430,000 and 538,000 fewer jobs than the House of Representative’s version of the bill if this compromise is adopted. The House of Representative’s version of the bill included more aid to students and investment in higher education even before the recent cuts.

We are happy to announce that Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the Campus Progress / The Nation Southern Regional Conference at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA on February 6-8, 2009.

Register now!

Democracy Now! is an award winning and independent daily news program featuring in-depth interviews, interesting debates, and hard-hitting reporting on national and international affairs, and grassroots activism.

Because Democracy Now! is independent, it is able to offer information and viewpoints that are difficult to find in much of the mainstream media.

Campus Progress today joined several student, consumer, and higher education groups sending a letter to Congress to ask that economic stimulus legislation include short term assistance for students, who are facing significant trouble paying for college during the current recession.

So far, the only federal action to soften the blow of the recession on higher education has been to include providers of private student loans in the $700 billion dollar bailout. This action was counter productive, and will help few if any students while propping up high-risk, high-interest loans. You can read more about this here, or click here take action against the private loan bailout.

The letter sent to congress suggested four measures that Congress could include in the next stimulus package that would provide significant short term assistance for students, while investing in the most important asset for America’s economy in the years to come – human capital. Specifically, the groups asked Congress to:

Campus Progress Statement on the National Report Card on Higher Education

 
Washington, DC -- December 3, 2008 -- America has flunked on college affordability! That is the message sent by a report released earlier today by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education that grades states’ higher education systems by their affordability, participation, preparation, and completion. Every state in the US except California received an “F” when it came to college affordability. On average, college costs low and middle income families 25% to 55% of their family income after financial aid is considered.

This shocking reminder of America’s failure to invest in the next generation should spur students, families, colleges and policymakers into action. With the national dialogue focused almost exclusively on short-term measures to bailout certain sectors of our economy, Campus Progress believes that a strong case should be made for a significant, long-term investment in college access and affordability. An educated workforce is the backbone to any viable vision of working economy, but without a renewed commitment to college affordability America will continue to fall behind in the global market.

Bad news – despite letters from concerned taxpayers, students, and college affordability advocates, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced that he will be moving ahead with his proposal to spend part of the $700 billion dollar bailout to “save” providers of private student loans.

Campus Progress, along with the Project on Student Debt and many others, urged Secretary Paulson against this action, and asked the public to express their concern. We feel that this action is unnecessary, counter productive, and unfair. We should not spend taxpayer dollars to help CEO’s while students are denied the right to discharge their education loans in bankruptcy if they run into financial hardships.

Don’t throw up your arms and walk away - we need to demand that any government bailout for lenders making risky, high-cost loans is accompanied by common sense protections for borrowers.

Write to Secretary Paulson urging him not to sell out students while bailing out lenders.

While Campus Progress has been working on issues like global warming and college affordability, David Horowitz was busy planning yet another "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week." Instead of bringing a real discussion about national security and human rights to campus, this effort uses the threat of terrorism as a flimsy cover to fuel anti-Muslim sentiment.

If there are students participating in this national event on your campus, we have some resources that might help. Click here to check out the tool kit we put together for the original Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

Here is an excerpt of our original statement on this issue:

Terrorism and human rights abuses are serious concerns around the world, and there is much that can be done to improve security and human dignity here and abroad. The Horowitz Center’s “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” program, however, will only spread misinformation, create a hostile atmosphere on campus towards Muslim students and faculty, and obstruct needed debate about real solutions to terrorism and other pressing issues.

Campus Progress Student Representatives at American River College (ARC) in Sacramento, California are working feverishly along with other members of the ARC progressive community to make sure that their campus is not used to support anti-equality policies like California’s Proposition 8.

When the ARC’s Student Council decided to take up a resolution supporting the proposition, which would outlaw same sex marriage, students swung into action by packing the student council meeting to show their opposition. They also collected twice the number of signatures needed for the council members to be recalled. Unfortunately, the resolution was passed, but it is abundantly clear that the vote did not accurately reflect the will of the student body.

You can watch Nancy Dziuba, one of the two Campus Progress Student Representatives on the campus, on the local Fox station speaking about some of the intimidation that members of the progressive and GLBT community have faced at ARC recently:

Amid all of the debate on the $700 Billion bailout, the House of Representatives passed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights by a wide (312-112) margin. The bill represents one of the first times in many years that Congress has taken action on credit card debt and abusive practices within the industry, and passed despite strong opposition from both the White House and credit card companies. The Senate is not currently expected to take up the bill before the end of the legislative session, but Campus Progress will be joining consumer groups in calling on the Senate to find time to consider this important proposal.

The bill would, among other things, protect consumers from underhanded games that make it more likely that credit card payments would be considered late, require that credit card companies inform their customers at least 45 days before any interest rate increase takes effect, limit the ability of companies to increase interest rates retroactively, and prohibit certain kinds of predatory and “subprime” credit cards.

Check out how your representative voted!

Campus Progress has worked with partner organizations to advocate for strong protections for credit card borrowers, especially young people. We have testified before the House Financial Services Committee, issued action alerts to encourage young people to contact their representative, and signed onto letters to Congress with partner organizations.

We look forward to continue working with students, Congress, and partner organizations on this issue, and congratulate the House of Representatives for taking action on this issue.

Great news – we have heard from a very good source that the House of Representatives will be voting on the Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights sometime early next week! The credit card industry has been lobbying hard to kill this legislation behind the scenes, and so the support of strong consumer protections for borrowers by Campus Progress readers and activists have shown to Congress so far has been crucial.

We can’t stop now – we need to keep up the pressure until the minute that Congress votes. Check out the action alert below for more information, and to take action:

Tell Congress to Protect Credit Cardholders!

With the rising costs of college, gasoline, food, health care, and other expenses, credit cards are becoming the “safety net” for an entire generation. Unfortunately, credit card companies are using unfair and even predatory practices to increase their profits at the expense of the financially vulnerable or inexperienced. Luckily, the House Financial Services Committee has recently passed the Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights, which will create several important protections for borrowers, and the bill will be voted on by the full House of Representatives next week, so take action now!

Pressure is building to bring the Credit Card Holder’s Bill of Rights to the House floor. The bill would stop some of the worst abuses of the credit card industry (see below for more info). Consumer groups are working hard to make sure this legislation is considered, despite the opposition of the industry. They need your help, however, so take action:

Tell Congress to Protect Credit Cardholders!

With the rising costs of college, gasoline, food, health care, and other expenses, credit cards are becoming the "safety net" for an entire generation. Unfortunately, credit card companies are using unfair and even predatory practices to increase their profits at the expense of the financially vulnerable or inexperienced. Luckily, the House Financial Services Committee has recently passed the Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights, which will create several important protections for borrowers. We need your help to make sure that this issue is considered on the House floor before the end of this legislative cycle. 

Trouble in the twin cities - police have arrested, detained, and harassed many independent journalists covering the protest on the RNC, including Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! You can read more about what happened here and here.

 Free Press has just put out an action alert urging people to take action:

Stop the Arrests of Journalists. Sign the Letter.
Police in St. Paul arrested several journalists during protests of the Republican National Convention, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and an AP photographer as they were covering the demonstrations. Police also raided a meeting of the video journalists' group I-Witness with firearms drawn to arrest independent media, bloggers and videomakers. Arresting and detaining journalists for doing their jobs is a gross violation of free speech and freedom of the press. Journalists must be free to do their jobs without intimidation. Please click here to demand that press intimidation in the twin cities ceases immediately, and that charges against the arrested journalists are dropped.

Check out more action alerts here!