the contra-antidisestablishmentarianist review

50 Groups Urge Senate to Invest in Education, Reform Student Loans

pdelatorre — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:28:25 EST

Today, a diverse coalition of 49 groups representing millions of Americans submitted the following letter to the Senate HELP Committee expressing its support for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The House passed the bill in late September, and it is expected that HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Tom Harkin will introduce his version of the bill in the coming weeks. The coalition was convened by Campus Progress, the United States Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG), the United States Student Association (USSA), and the Campaign for College Affordability.

The cooperation of these organizations, which include student groups, women’s groups, parent groups, African Americans, Latinos, college admissions officers and registrars, social workers and others, sends the clear message that this legislation is critical for the advancement of educational opportunity in America, and will finally prioritize the needs of students over those of banks and special interests.

Check out the letter below, then take action:

Protesting the Detention of Students in Florida

pdelatorre — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:46:47 EST

Many students across the country are faced with an almost existential challenge. Undocumented students, many of whom arrived as young children and barely remember their country of birth, must often contend with the threat of deportation, being separated from their family, and being forced to live in the shadows.

Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) is trying to do something about it. SWER Is a student led campaign affiliated with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. It works to both pass the DREAM Act, which would give young people who attend two years of college, or serve in the military for two years, a path to legal status, and challenges the deportation and detention of students that would be eligible for the DREAM Act.

SWER has done some amazing work this month. As part of a statewide day of action, student leaders from across South Florida held a protest outside of the Broward Transitional Center, where several DREAMers are being detained:

Students elsewhere in the state held film screenings and other events, asked their college presidents for endorsements of the DREAM Act, and held a statewide call-in day to urge their Senator to get more involved in this issue.

By the way, if you don’t know much about the immigrant detention “system,” then you should really learn more. The Obama administration recently announced some promising reforms, but there is much more to do.

SWER recently received an Organizing Grant through Campus Progress’s Action Alliance Program. Student and youth-led issue campaigns and movement building projects are eligible for up to $1,500 to organize for progressive social change.

Campus Progress Announces 2009-10 Progressive Partnerships

pdelatorre — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:37:46 EDT

Campus Progress, is happy to announce its Progressive Partnerships for 2009-10. Progressive Partnerships, part of the Action Alliance program, are year-long intensive relationships between Campus Progress and youth-led groups working on issue campaign or movement building projects.

Campus Progress will provide guidance, networking, strategic planning, and training for these organizations in order to help strengthen the progressive movement over the long term, and help young people make concrete change in their communities now. Click here to learn more about the 2009-10 Progressive Partnerships.

Check them out:

Want to do some Pell Raising on Your Campus?

pdelatorre — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:51:27 EDT

Campus Progress is working with partners like the US Students Association and the PIRGs to mobilize students across the country for the Raising Pell Week of Action, October 6th – 8th.

Students are taking action to ensure that their Senators support President Obama’s plan to stop funding government subsidies to banks, and instead increase the Federal Pell Grant.

Take a stand and organize an event on your campus. If you are interested in participating in the week of action to your campus, fill out our event request form, or contact us atorganize@campusprogress.org.

To learn more about the issue, visit Students Over Banks.

Want to do some Pell Raising on Your Campus?

pdelatorre — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:51:27 EDT

Campus Progress is working with partners like the US Students Association and the PIRGs to mobilize students across the country for the Raising Pell Week of Action, October 6th – 8th.

Students are taking action to ensure that their Senators support President Obama’s plan to stop funding government subsidies to banks, and instead increase the Federal Pell Grant.

To learn more about the issue, visit Students Over Banks.

Massive Walkout in the UC System

pdelatorre — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:34:34 EDT

Students, faculty, and staff at University of California system schools engaged in a massive walk out today to counter massive budget cuts to higher education, a 45% tuition hike, pay cuts and mandatory furloughs, and more.

Check out this video from UC Berkeley:

You can find the latest via twitter at #ucwalkout, and take action online by signing a national petition.

You can also take action on Twitter.

CP Statement on House Passage of Student Aid Bill

pdelatorre — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:06 EDT

Campus Progress Advocacy Senior Associate Pedro de la Torre III, released the following statement today in response to the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221) today in the House:

“Campus Progress applauds the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. This bill, the largest federal investment in higher education in our history, provides critical and carefully-targeted aid to young people. By prioritizing the needs of students over wasteful subsidies for loan companies, the bill will enable millions to pursue higher education.

Campus Progress Joins Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Miller in Fight to Pass Student Aid Bill

pdelatorre — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:13:04 EDT

Today, Campus Progress and other student advocacy organizations joined with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, to highlight the student debt crisis and rally support for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221), an unprecedented student aid bill that would boost grant aid by $40 billion. The House is expected to vote on the legislation this week.

UTexas Student Speaks Out for College Affordability

pdelatorre — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:50:18 EDT

Hooman Hedayati, a government and Middle Eastern studies senior at the University of Texas-Austin, just published an op-ed in the Daily Texan in support of cutting wasteful subsidies to student loan companies and using the savings to make college more affordable and accessible.

Here is an excerpt:

Under the current plan, Sallie Mae and other student loan companies are getting rich from wasteful — but totally legal — government subsidies. A few weeks before the start of this semester’s classes, the U.S. Department of Education’s inspector general released a report claiming that Nellie Mae, a subsidiary of loan giant Sallie Mae, improperly received $22.3 million in taxpayer subsidies.

Luckily, there is now a plan in Congress, originally proposed by Obama, that would end wasteful subsidies to student loan companies by lending directly to students, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will save taxpayers $87 billion over 10 years. The loan companies have already spent millions of dollars lobbying against this reform.

Hooman is a member of Campus Progress, and receives an Organizing Grant for his work with the Students Against the Death Penalty.

You can learn more about current efforts to make college affordable--and take action—at Student Over Banks.

Another Win for UHSFT

pdelatorre — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:11:35 EDT

The University of Houston Students for Fair Trade (UHSFT) won yet another victory last week when one of the more popular coffee shops on campus expanded its offerings of fair trade products. They will now be offering fair trade certified hot chocolate and chocolate bars, as well as posting additional signs about fair trade products around campus.

Check out UHSFT member Brendan Laws talking about UHSFT’s efforts, as well as growing up in Texas, at a panel during the 2009 Grassroots Training day:

UHSFT receive a grant from Campus Progress for their campaign through the Action Alliance program. You can learn more about the program and submit an application by clicking here.

Student Profile: Celia Segel

pdelatorre — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:07:22 EDT

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.

Celia Segel

School: Carleton College, 2008

Degree: Religion, Education

Groups/Publications/Organizations Involved with Interfaith Social Action Group, DNC, Campus Progress, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, J-Street

How did you become politicized? What got you to where you are today?

I became politicized when I learned about the power of organizing. In high school, I watched my rabbi lead the charge towards equal marriage, low-income housing, and eventually, health care in Massachusetts. Rabbis, priests, and imams stood up in front of a chorus of ‘Amens’ and ‘Allahu Akbars’ and together they represented 70 plus religious congregations across the metro Boston area—bridging mosques, churches and synagogues throughout the city and the suburbs—to unify over 50,000 voices (a number significant enough to influence elected officials), and at the same time, break down racial and cultural barriers, build community, and create lasting change.

Victory for UH Students for Fair Trade, a CP Action Grantee

pdelatorre — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:46:58 EDT

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.

CP Student Reps in TX: Impeach Judge Sharon Keller!

pdelatorre — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:44:16 EDT

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:

Credit Card Bill will Help Young People & Students

pdelatorre — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:49:16 EDT

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.

To read the full statement, and see the attached factsheet on young people and credit cards, click here.

CP Student Rep Takes On David Horowitz

pdelatorre — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:26:06 EDT

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:

Campus Progress Joins USSA at National Student Lobby Day

pdelatorre — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:08:16 EDT

CP's Advocacy Intern Adam reports:

On Tuesday, March 23rd, students from around the nation marched to Capitol Hill for a rally in support of the DREAM Act, the Employee Free Choice Act, and President Obama’s budget plan. The morning’s speakers included a unique combination of student activists and elected officials. United States Students’ Association Vice President and former Campus Progress Student Advisory Board Member Gregory Cendana served as emcee for the event and was representative of the crowd’s enthusiasm and optimism. He led thunderous chants of, “Can’t stop, won’t stop” and “Money for higher education, not for bankrupt corporations.”

Students from as far as Arizona and California were on hand to demand lower student loan debt and increased Federal financial aid. A junior from UCLA spoke passionately about her experiences commuting daily to school two hours each way because she cannot afford housing. Although her family moved to this country when she was six years old, she still cannot receive any college loans. Her comments were understandably emotional as she argued that education is a right and that the DREAM Act is a necessity.

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.

Another Victory for Campus Progress Action Grantee

pdelatorre — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:13:16 EST

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.

Campus Progress Action Grantees in the News

pdelatorre — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:51:13 EST

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.

Students & the Stimulus: Good News and Bad News

pdelatorre — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:44:36 EST

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.

Amy Goodman to Speak at the Southern Regional Conference

pdelatorre — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:01:41 EST

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.