The University of Houston Students for Fair Trade (UHSFT) are hitting the H-town airwaves and newspaper stands after winning one of two awards for best issue campaign of the year at the 2009 Campus Progress National Conference.

The group was featured in today’s edition of the Daily Cougar, and you can hear them live tonight at 7:30-8 PM CST on the Houston Independent Media show on KPFT 90.1 between 7:30 and 8:00 pm. Non-Houstonites can stream it at http://kpft.org/.

We recently posted about some of  UHSFT’s major victories here, and you can find out more information about the group at their website. Here is what we said about UHSFT:

While the University of Houston is traditionally a sleepy commuter campus with little political dialogue, UH Students for Fair Trade is working tirelessly to change this. They have received a Campus Progress Action Grant for several years now, and through their efforts, they have convinced the university to make the main coffee shop on campus 100% fair trade. They have helped to make fair trade coffee available in all dining halls, and educational literature about fair trade certified products in every coffee outlet on campus. When they reach an impasse in their negotiations with the administration, they utilize creative—and occasionally confrontational—tactics to draw attention to their cause and pressure decision makers to do the right thing. This fall they will be working with the Student Farmworker Alliance to make sure that campus food outlets are paying a fair wage to farm workers.

Quick note – The Daily Cougar article contained a small error, five coffee outlets at the University of Houston are now fair trade, not all of the outlets.

from Campus Progress Advocacy Intern, Ryan Lester:

On Monday, Obama’s summer service initiative, United We Serve, was officially launched. Obama called upon the citizens of the nation to volunteer in their local communities, and help to strengthen the nation in health care, energy independence, education, and community/economic renewal through activism, service, and organization:

“This summer, I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation. And when I say ‘all,’ I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across this country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort."

Campus Progress is excited to announce the most recent addition to our 2009 National Conference. We’ll give you a hint- he’s a two-time U.S. President and the founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation.

That’s right, President Bill Clinton will be addressing the progressive youth of America as a keynote speaker at the Conference!

There is still time to register for the Conference, so click here today to learn more.

Each month for our Progressive Focus newsletter, we highlight the amazing work of a student activist.  You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking here.

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Rachel Fauber
Public Relations and Environmental Studies
Towson University

" I chose to be arrested in a blockade of Congressman Boucher’s office because he has consistently neglected his constituents who want a clean and just energy economy. "

an Update from Campus Progress student Chris Hicks:

Wichita State University’s Campus Progress chapter held two successful and engaging events about student debt on April 16th with a “Student Debt Money Machine” and a panel entitled “Debt Hits Hard.”

At the money machine, students were encouraged to get inside of a glass case filled with fake money.  The air machine would kick on and while the fake money flew around the individual, they tried to gather as much as they could for 15 seconds.  After exiting the cash cube with fake money, it was added to an amount of “student debt”.  Each participant was given a blue Campus Progress nametag with “Hello, my student debt level is $______,” where they could write in how much student debt they accumulated in the money machine.

The second event, the “Debt Hits Hard” panel, was held in the evening with three speakers: Bill Shiebler, National Field Director of the United States Student Association; Lindsey McCluskey, Massachusetts Students Uniting; Pedro De La Torre III, the Advocacy Senior Associate from Campus Progress; and with moderator Tanya Paperny, Network Associate from Campus Progress.

Each speaker stressed the growing need for student debt relief with examples of Sallie Mae and other top companies that make extensive profits through private loans they offer to students.  Pedro De La Torre III presented several shocking facts about the rise of student debt, showing that the price of a college education has skyrocketed just over the past few decades.  Bill Shiebler outlined that while America likes to be the most competitive country in the world, we are one of the few that have invested heavily in education. In fact, because America does not invest in education like other countries, we are becoming less and less competitive intellectually and technologically.  Lindsey McCluskey highlighted that working with Administrators, Boards of Regents, and other decision-makers is how to Massachussetts group is working to make college affordable.

All three delivered animated speeches that encouraged students to speak out against problems with the monetary cost of education, with emphasis on how to make real changes on their own campus.  Finally, they informed the audience of the National Call-In Day that was held on April 21st where students could call in to their state representatives and senators to lobby for budget reconciliation in the first version of the Federal Budget to ensure that more money would go toward higher education and Pell grants.  And just a few days later, on April 29th, the Federal Budget passed in the House and Senate!

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, a Campus Progress Advisory Board member from 2006 and 2007, recently co-authored a book with well-known political strategist James Carville.  The book, 40 More Years, details the rise of a Democratic majority. You can find more info on the publisher’s website.

You can see Rebecca’s profile from her Campus Progress days here.  She's always been a superactivist and has done amazing work for women of color, reproductive rights, and healthcare. Rebecca is also a former Truman scholar and was profiled in Glamour magazine as one of America’s next top (role) models.

Congratulations Rebecca!

• Released a student government resolution in favor of California’s Proposition 8
• Opposed the national Day of Silence, a day meant to highlight anti-gay bullying and discrimination
• Refused to fund Earth Day celebrations and an annual multicultural-night event
• Attempted to cancel a campus-wide punk concert because they believe the music promotes “immoral behavior”
• Slashed funding for the Inter-Club Council where all student groups get their money
• And much much more.

Congrats to ARC Students for Change, and many thanks to Brad Cleveland and everyone at the Campus Progress chapter for all their hard work.

The fight isn’t quite over yet – Popko is not conceding and claims that the election was in violation of some campus guidelines.

However, as you can tell from the photo below, the Campus administration has already posted the results as final. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Last weekend, Campus Progress Student Representatives gathered in Washington, DC for the first annual Campus Progress National Student Network Retreat.

Students met in DC to receive training on starting issue campaigns, recruitment and retention, planning events, grassroots lobbying, utilizing the media, and more. They also started planning some great ideas for the 08-09 school year in issue-based committees, which are new to the Campus Progress Student Network, and in regional break-out sessions.

Student Reps headed back to Campus on Sunday ready to fight for social change. They are working on issues as different as climate change, capital punishment, college affordability, poverty, civic engagement, and LGBT rights (to name a few), but are united by a strong vision of better future and a commitment to fight for justice, equality, and opportunity.

Check out some pictures from the retreat:

 If you are having trouble loading the slideshow, click here!

If you would like to get involved in the student network, click here!

Alex Cornell du Houx, a friend of Campus Progress, an Iraq War veteran, a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, and an outspoken leader for progressive causes, has just been featured in Newsweek Magazine. 

He has spoken at the last two Iraq Action Camps sponsored by Campus Progress, and the students in attendance loved his passion and frankness when speaking about his experiences serving as a Marine in Iraq.

Read his story and watch a video here. We're thrilled that he's continuing his activism and getting recognized for it.

Get involved in our Iraq Campaign to bring a safe end to this war by clicking here. 

Want strengthen the progressive movement on your campus, bring engaging speakers and films to jumpstart dialogue, and engage in activism on local and national issues?

Then join the Campus Progress Student Network for 2008-2009!  We’re currently still accepting applications to join the 100-student team of Student Representatives from the across the country who work with the staff and resources of Campus Progress to advance progressive causes at the local level and make their voices heard on the issues they care most about.

Campus Progress Action, the sister organization of Campus Progress, has been working hard on our I'm Voting For campaign.  Many of you have already heard of it or even submitted your own video online or filmed a testimonial at our national conference. For those who haven't, check out our website here to learn more about I’m Voting For.

 We launched our first "Best Of" press releases this week, emailing the best I’m Voting For videos in each issue category to a huge list of reporters, bloggers, and journalists.  We'll update you with any press hits, but we thought you guys might like to see the videos that were selected as the best ones!

Some award-winning Campus Progress students have been in the news again recently, woohoo!

So let’s recap the last few weeks.

This coming weekend is the annual National Conference for Media Reform, held this year in Minneapolis, MN.

I attended last year, and had the amazing opportunity to meet some incredible youth media producers, activists, and journalists all working to reform the mainstream media or create alternative media channels.