In January, millions of people are expected to flock to our nation’s capital for the inauguration of Barack Obama. This fete of our democracy means that DC residents and visitors can expect overcrowded public transportation, a massive influx of porta-potties, and spotty cell phone service, among other annoyances. However, the copious all-night parties and balls going on around town will make navigating the crowds worth it.
“The ball will be staged at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and will feature several leading artists, celebrities and government officials (to be named later), alongside hundreds of young people who've been chosen to attend based on their demonstrated volunteerism.
The "Be the Change Inaugural Ball" will be televised live across all MTV platforms, including MTV, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and MTV.com on the evening of January 20. Exact air times will be announced in the coming weeks.
The live television event will also include live broadcasts from other locations across the globe, where young people are completing major service projects. Leading up to the event, MTV will showcase stories of young people providing service within their communities on a daily basis, beginning on January 1.”
No word yet on whether or not the Presidential Inaugural Committee will grant the MTV ball status as the official youth ball (President-Elect Obama will only be making appearances at official balls) but we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Campus Progress is excited to be a part of this historic event -- keep checking back here for updates!
In response to a recent series of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, arrests and deportations in the Greater Lansing area, Michigan State University’s progressive student organization Amplifx hosted a screening of the documentary Crossing Arizona, and fundraiser for the newly-formed No Human Is Illegal Network (NHIIN).
The screening, sponsored by Campus Progress, was held on November 20th at the East Lansing Public Library. There was a good turnout, despite a sudden snowfall that took Michigan by surprise.
Crossing Arizona showcases what happens when border policy fails everyone, focusing on those directly involved. From local ranchers and humanitarian groups to the armed minutemen who patrol the border area, Crossing Arizona reveals the complicated web of failed immigration and border policy in the United States.
During the film, a representative from NHIIN explained objectives for local victims of raids. Families of those deported have been left extremely vulnerable, having lost their main breadwinner and in some cases not being able to communicate with them. Guests were invited to participate in a raffle, donate food items and donate directly to the over 70 individuals that have detained over the past few weeks.
Students with impossible-to-pay college costs are joining the ranks of distressed homeowners and CEOs in feeling the brunt of the economic collapse. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has proposed allocating part of the $700 billion bailout for private tuition loaning agencies that, with their high interest rates, have already ruined the credit of generations of students around the country who have amassed insurmountable debt before they even step foot in their first full-time jobs.
High risk loans are what got us in the trouble in the first place! Rather than supporting these companies, students need access to fair loans in order to help them make smart decisions abut college.
Alongside education and activist leaders across the country, Campus Progress has signed on to a letter to oppose Paulson’s support of these corrupt loaning companies that will hurt students and perpetuate the shortfalls in this economy. If you’re interested in learning more about this action, check out the letter on the website for The Project on Student Debt here, take action, and tell your friends!
On Sunday, October 26th Allied in Pride, with the help of Campus Progress, held a panel discussion on Islam and Homosexuality at the George Washington University. The event drew a very diverse crowd of over 250 people.
The purpose of the event was to bring together Muslims with differing points of view for an honest and open discussion about topics which are rarely discussed in Muslim communities. To that end, Imam Daayiee Abdullah (an openly gay Imam), Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (a well-known Imam at a local mosque), Dr. Amal Amireh (a professor of Women and Gender Studies and a feminist Muslim), and Hisham Mahmoud (an Islamic scholar) came together for the discussion. The panel was moderated by Zahir Janmohamed of Amnesty International USA.
The night began with Dr. Amireh who talked about two contexts for the conversation, islamophobia and homophobia. She cautioned against judging Islam as being unique, pointing out that all religions contain factions which are critical of homosexuality, at the same time she condemned the notion that homosexuality is a western construct citing the work of various gay and lesbian activists in the Middle East.
Her remarks were followed by Imam Abdullah who claimed that the message of Islam applied to all Muslims regardless of sexual orientation. Imam Abdullah cited the cultural contexts of many of the passages used to condemn homosexuality concluding that there was a place for gay and lesbians within the faith and endorsing the notion of same sex marriage within Islam.
Next was Mr. Mahmoud who provided a thorough and nuanced analysis of Islamic thought, rulings and scripture on the topic. He concluded that homosexuality was condemned by Islam and that those who resist same-sex attractions would be rewarded in the long run. He also made clear that it was not a Muslim's place to judge others and condemned anyone who would punish someone because they were gay or lesbian.
The last speaker was Imam Johari. He reiterated the belief that it was not a Muslim's place to judge others claiming that one's sexual orientation did not define who they were. He continued that there are and have always been gay and lesbian Muslims and that it does the community no good to deny this fact. Imam Johari also stated clearly that he believed that within Islam sexual relations must take place within the context of marriage and that he did not believe Islam allowed for same-sex marriage. He ended by saying the in much of the Muslim community there has been a reluctance to deal with the issue of HIV/AIDS due to the stigma that it is a "gay disease," he pledged his support to work on the issue and asked for anyone who was interested to join him in his efforts.
Following the remarks there was a brief question and answer period. Among the many questions, Imam Johari was asked about his view of gay marriage in light of the principle of separation of church and state. He replied that while he believed that marriage is between a man and a women the country was based on the fundamental principal of separation of church and state and that if people in a state want to legalize same-sex marriage, as long as he isn't being forced to marry someone of the same sex, they should be allowed to do it. In other responses, Dr. Amireh spoke of the importance of not judging Islam and of working within the faith to advance a gay rights agenda, Imam Abdullah spoke of the difficulties of coming out for many gay and lesbian Muslims and of the conflict facing their parents, and Mr. Mahmoud spoke about the difficulties of presenting the perspective of his faith in a climate that is increasingly critical of those who do not approve of homosexuality.
The panel served to bring forth topics and perspectives that are not often discussed in open spaces. By hosting this panel, all who participated helped raise the dialogue and provide a space for informed discussion and thought about Islam and homosexuality.
On November 7th, 2008, a panel gathered at the Center for American Progress to discuss the results of the 2008 election. The impressive lineup included Campus Progress Action’s own Policy and Advocacy Manager Erica Williams, and also featured Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Anna Greenberg, Senior Vice President, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, and Gene Sperling, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund.
The event began with a presentation by Teixeira during which he broke down the voter turnout data from November 4th. While the nation saw a 62.2% overall turnout, the highest since 1964, the most interesting changes were seen in the massive numbers of youth and minority individuals who turnout out to vote. 17-18% of all voters were ages 18-29, and 26% of the total was African American. These numbers show a marked up-tick in turnout for these two groups who have been historically absent at the polls. From his data, Teixeira concluded that not only do Americans want change, but America itself is changing.
Anna Greenberg and Gene Sperling then reflected on the outcome of the election and emphasized a very interesting and important point: both argued that the recent downturn in our economy was not the deciding factor of this election as many conservatives claim. Rather, they argue, the desire for a more progressive administration has been developing for years. As Greenberg explained, a confluence of factors (including the poor response to Hurricane Katrina, multiple lobbying and corruption scandals, and the growing disdain for the war in Iraq) led Americans to lose confidence in their government. According to Greenberg, it was largely this erosion of democracy and feeling that the democratic nature of government had been undermined that led to Obama’s victory on November 4th.
Williams built on the theme of long-term issues being decisive factors in this election by relating it to the youth vote. As she said, this election was different in that there is a “distinct generational identity based on the economy” that may not have been as prevalent in past elections. With social issues taking a back seat to our failing economy, the youth today were (and are) concerned about college affordability, unemployment rates, and their basic ability to survive in a country with a very high standard of living. This focal point led the youth to align, organize, and turn out in record numbers this election.
Although many statistics were shared, the respective campaigns were critiqued, and many questions were asked, the overarching theme of the event was clear: On November 4th, the American people came out to the polls and voted in favor of progressive candidates. In order to arrive at their decision, Americans took many substantive, long term issues to heart and voted to see a change in the current system. Thus, the speakers asserted, this election was in fact a mandate for change, a demand from the people to reform the government, restructure our broken institutions, and attempt to create a better country than the one we see before us today.
In this momentous time of unprecedented voter turnout and the election of the nation’s first black president, Campus Progress Action celebrates the defeat of Proposition 46 in Colorado, preserving equal opportunity programs in that state, and mourns the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which will rewrite the state Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
Through the efforts of numerous youth-led organizations on the ground and nationally, such as Rock the Vote, Energy Action Coalition, and others, young voters turned out on election day in record numbers to demand a mandate for change. This year, young voters between the ages of 18-29 comprised 18% of the electorate, while voters 65 and older counted for 16% of the electorate. Not only were young voters a larger part of the electorate than seniors, an estimated 23 million young people cast their vote in this election -- 3.4 million more than in 2004. To engage young people around the election, Campus Progress Action partnered with non-partisan efforts such as Trick or Vote, Video the Vote, and the Twitter Vote Report, encouraging students on campuses all across the country to remind their friends to vote and report problems at their polling place and in their communities.
Today, we’re taking pride in the fact that for the first time in its twelve year history, Ward Connerly’s deceptive anti-equal opportunity ballot initiative in Colorado, Proposition 46, has been voted down in a statewide election. Losses in California in 1996, Michigan in 2006, and Nebraska this year have finally been matched by a victory, and Colorado will preserve its equal opportunity initiatives in higher education, employment, and contracting. Campus Progress Action staff, student representatives, and friends worked to defeat this initiative through tireless phone-banking, emailing, press outreach and peer-to-peer interaction. The defeat of this proposition not only ensures the protection of vital programs in the state of Colorado, but stems the tide of challenges to diversity and equal access to education nationally.
Of course, while there is much reason to celebrate right now, the decisions by voters in California, Arizona, and Florida to ban marriage equality, and in Arkansas to deny unmarried couples the right to adopt children (widely seen as a way to prevent gay couples from adopting) create cause for concern. Proposition 8 was a particular loss for the progressive community, as it represents the first time the state repealed a previously-recognized right. In order to bolster efforts by young people to combat Proposition 8, Campus Progress Action provided an action grant to students to help them sponsor events on their campuses. The Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) at UC-Berkeley used their grant to host a fundraiser to defeat Proposition 8. The event was a great success, bringing in more than $5,000 from over 70 people who attended, and an additional $1,200 from other sources. Members of the Queer Student Union at UC-Santa Barbara used their grant to raise awareness about Proposition 8 by staging mock marriage ceremonies for 50 couples. Notably, Santa Barbara was the only county in Southern California to vote NO on Proposition 8.
Although the passage of Proposition 8 was disappointing, it is important to note that the No on Prop 8 campaign raised record amounts of money, and mobilized one of the largest grassroots and volunteer networks in history to build a strong coalition for the future of civil rights. Young people (who according to a CNN exit poll, voted against Proposition 8 by a 61% margin) overwhelmingly support equality and justice for the LGBT community, and will continue to be an essential part of the grassroots effort. Visit Equality California for the latest news and information on how to help the ongoing fight for equality in California. Also, check out videos from the I’m Voting For campaign that show young people talking about their support for LGBT Rights:
Campus Progress Action applauds the hard work of staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to defeat Propositions 8 and 46, but recognizes that there is still much work to be done to ensure equality for all, and expand the scope and impact of the progressive movement. Campus Progress Action encourages young people to remain engaged in progressive work post-election through our programs in activism, journalism, and events, and to connect to the larger progressive community so that we can make sure our elected officials are held accountable. For more information, please visit our website at www.campusprogressaction.org.
On November 4, 2008, more young people voted than in any election since 1972, marking the third major election in a row in which youth voter turnout increased. Two days after the election, Campus Progress hosted an event looking at the role young voters played in this election cycle and exploring ways young people can use this momentum to build upon their political power and influence. The event was a discussion between panelists and the audience members, moderated by Campus Progress Policy and Advocacy Manager, Erica Williams.
In the discussion, the panelists agreed that the high youth voter turnout and participation in campaigns during this election was impressive and game-changing. As panelist Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of the Hip-Hop Caucus put it, young voters “smashed the kiddie table mentality,” and proved that young people have political power and will continue to exercise this power.
The panelists also commented on the idea that youth turnout on Election Day was the culmination of a “perfect storm of events” over the past few years. Panelist David Madland, the director of the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress, noted that the economy was one of the most important issues in this election for young people not just because of the recent financial crisis, but because the economy has not been working for young people for a long time.
Kat Barr, Deputy Political Director at Rock the Vote, explained that the increasing involvement of young people in politics is a trend that has been occurring over the past four to five years. The number of young voters has been on the rise since 2004 and young people are becoming increasingly aware of political issues such as the war in Iraq, the climate crisis, the economy, health care and college affordability. While groups like Rock the Vote and Campus Progress helped students become more involved with the election this year, these efforts were bolstered by an overall feeling among young people that the country is headed in the wrong direction, and they could be the ones to change it. As Rev. Yearwood explained, “This became [young people’s] moment, and we saw that if we don’t do it now, we aren’t ever going to do it.”
The second part of the discussion focused on how young voters can use the momentum they have gained in the past few years to increase their political power. Both Amanda Carpenter, National Political Reporter for Townhall.com, and Rev. Yearwood agreed that the best way to increase involvement of young people in politics is by making government more transparent. Barr suggested that even though young people have spoken in this election, it is easy for politicians to ignore their voices, so now, more than ever, young people need to keep making their voices heard.
Most of the discussion during the question-and-answer portion of the event focused on how to get young people more interested in smaller, less-exciting issues. The panelists agreed that the most successful way to generate interest in smaller issues is by repackaging the issue as one that young people can directly relate to and understand.
The high youth voter turnout and participation in the 2008 election clearly answered any lingering questions about political apathy of young people. Regardless of the political role young people play in elections to come, this year they proved that they have the power to shape the future, and that their votes and voices should be recognized and respected.
On October 15th Campus Progress teamed up with the University of Maryland Baltimore County Freedom Alliance to show the film The Education of Shelby Knox. Meeting at the University Cabaret, about twenty people showed up to watch the film and to discuss the role of sex education in the United States.
Following a fifteen year-old girl in Texas, Shelby Knox displays how the lack of comprehensive sex education in our school systems often leads, as it did in Texas, to high rates of STDs and pregnancies. It accurately portrays the real-life consequences of implemented policies that are often written hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Staying after the screening, attendees said the film made them think about other parts of the United States, and the diverse difficulties they face. Most colleges provide an environment where sex, sex education, and protection are talked about without objection. This film reminded students that there are parts of the country where people refuse to teach sex education because they want everyone to only have sex within marriage.
This week, Campus Progress launched a national ad campaign to encourage students to check their registration before they head to the polls. With a record number of new registrations this year, Campus Progress is concerned that students may have questions or concerns about their registration status, or that they might encounter obstacles that prevent them from voting. The ad, “Don’t Fall Through the Crack,” will be appearing in college and university papers, and is inspired by the “Joe the Plumber” phenomenon. It targets young voters in key states and states with same day registration and voting – including Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania – providing them with the resources they need to answer their questions and help ensure a smooth registration and voting experience.
Along with Campus Progress, a coalition of national young voter groups, including the Fair Elections Legal Network and Rock the Vote, has come together to monitor the polls on Tuesday and prevent any attempts to suppress the youth vote.
For one-stop answers about your registration status and all your other election day questions, visit www.govote.org.
Inspired by PowerShift 2007 when 6,000 young people stormed Washington D.C. to demand a clean and just energy future, many states and regions have been organizing their own PowerShift events to share strategies and enthusiasm with neighboring schools and communities. In Campus Progress’ growing commitment to supporting students organizing against the planetary crisis, we took on a leadership role in helping the organizers of Virginia PowerShift bring in great speakers, recruit students and attract media.
The event was a resounding success, bringing over 400 students to Virginia Tech for a weekend of trainings, panels and fun activities dealing with climate crisis. Two main themes repeatedly came up that shape climate activism in Virginia: coal and the presidential elections. Virginia’s Democratic governor has been playing lip service to the coal industry for years, but things are starting to change. Students and impacted community members are becoming progressively more organized to fight new coal power plants and the scourge of mountaintop removal, and the Governor is starting to take notice. Furthermore, coal has recently gained importance due to the $40 billion spent by King Coal to convince Americans about the benefit of ‘Clean Coal’, a marketing term on par with ‘Healthy Cigarettes’. All political candidates on Virginia ballots routinely talk about ‘clean coal’ as the panacea to our environmental problems, but few mention its many shortfalls.
Virginia’s position as a battleground state that will likely determine the outcome of the elections in November is encouraging many students to be involved in Get Out the Vote drives and in making the climate crisis one of the most important issue of this election. The importance of Virginia both in the battle against coal and in deciding which candidate will get to inhabit the White House caused the perfect storm of excitement and all attendants left energized and ready to etch out their place in history.
On Friday, October 17, students from the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) at UC-Berkeley teamed up with Campus Progress to host a fundraiser to defeat Proposition 8. Proposition 8 (Prop. 8) is a ballot initiative in California that would amend the state constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
Students listening to the pitch.
The fundraiser was a great success, bringing in more than $5,000 from over 70 people who attended the event. An additional $1,200 was donated from other sources. Beverages and snacks were served at the event and attendees also enjoyed delicious treats from Cesar, a Spanish Tapas restaurant.
At the encouragement of GSPP student Jeff Pertl, many attendees also volunteered their time to the campaign to defeat Prop 8 in the days leading up to, and on Election Day.
The hosts would like to thank Campus Progress for supporting this event and helping us make it enjoyable for all our guests!
On Friday, October 17, the Center for American Progress hosted an event entitled "Disconnected Youth and Working Adults: Meet the 21st Century’s Newest College Grads." The panel of speakers, including the authors of two reports recently released by the Center, presented their policy suggestions to tap into the talent and build the skills of high school dropouts as well as improve federal access policies for adults wishing to attend college.
A recurring theme in the discussion was the increasing price of college tuition and the insufficient funds given to adult students through Pell Grants. According to Derek Price, co-author of Federal Access Policies and Higher Education for Working Adults, an independent single adult making $30,000 per year who wishes to attend college is expected to contribute $8,940, or one third of their yearly earnings, to his or her tuition. Price noted that when confronted with this expensive decision, most adults are rational and would thus do the rational thing and not go back to school. To remedy the issue of unaffordable higher education for working adults, Price’s study suggests an increase in the average Pell Grant given to working adults enrolling in school part time, equalization of Pell Grant Eligibility rules, and the alignment of state and federal workforce education programs so low-income adults who complete the programs are then eligible for postsecondary financial aid benefits.
A second study by Linda Harris and Evelyn Gazglass was also presented at the event. Creating Postsecondary Pathways to Good Jobs for Young High School Dropouts focuses on high school dropouts and what can be done to improve their value in American society. The speakers emphasized that there is no such thing as a spare American and that the “lost” population of high school dropouts can be utilized and trained to aid in a time when the job market is changing. Between 2006 and 2016, an estimated 15.6 million new jobs will be created in the U.S. However, half of these jobs will require more than a GED. To address this changing reality, Harris and Gazglass’ study makes a series of recommendations that emphasize the importance of pushing disenfranchised youth to not only earn their GEDs, but move on to postsecondary education and thus be eligible for more lucrative jobs that will lead to higher paying careers.
The event was informative and raised some very important points. As our country enters a recession, the government is intervening in the student loan market to free up capital. Despite this hit on student loans, the panel still had hope for the future of their policy recommendations. With the election of a new President, the speakers hope a new meta-framework will be set, with more young people being trained for green jobs shifting the paradigms of the American workforce.
On Thursday, September 26th, Campus Progress brought a dynamic panel of speakers to the Commons at Vanderbilt University to discuss Hip Hop and the 2008 Election. “Rap Sessions,” which focused on issues important to the hip hop generation, drew a great deal of interest from the student body and provided insightful dialogue, engaging conversation, and questions from the crowd that further enriched the content of the forum.
The panel was moderated by Bakari Kitwana, co-founder of the National Hip Hop Political Convention and author of The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. The panelists were passionate and energized as they spoke about their belief in the power of youth in the upcoming election. They saw the potential for youth voices to have an impact on key issues, such as civil liberties and reproductive rights, the economy, and global poverty.
This election, there has been much talk on both sides about the need for change, but one of the panelists, Dr. Vijay Prashad, emphasized that Americans need to completely re-imagine the world in order to gain a new perspective. He went on to say that true change can come about through increased education, mobilization, and action by younger generations.
M-1 of the group Dead Prez provided insight about the impact of activism and advocacy in our political process and recounted his experiences at both the Democratic and Republic National Conventions last month. Although he has never voted in an election, M-1 focused on why young people should become politically engaged, noting that freedom of speech is critical to democracy.
Dr. Maya Rockeymore touched upon key policy issues that impact the hip hop generation including abortion and healthcare and discussed the manner in which presidential candidates discount the voting bloc by refraining from talking about substantive issues when addressing communities of color.
Overall, the panel encouraged the involvement of a generation that has previously been ignored as an influential voting bloc in presidential elections. Now more than ever, it seems that the mobilization of the hip hop generation will have crucial importance on the outcome of an election. Most importantly, the students at Vanderbilt left the thought-provoking forum energized and excited about their stake in the 2008 election, making Rap Sessions a great success.
Last Friday, Campus Progress Action traveled to the University of Mississippi, the site of the first presidential debate, to participate in Issue Alley, an all day pre-debate event where a variety of nonprofit organizations tabled and talked to students and the press. We collecting over 50 testimonials from young voters for our I’m Voting For campaign, and while there was clearly a diversity of opinion among the participants, one thing was clear: these young people were passionate, engaged and most importantly, informed about the issues.
He further posited that young people’s use of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace leads to rampant self-absorption. This last claim was particularly interesting since only a few minutes earlier, Mr. Bauerlein acknowledged the rise in civic participation by young people in the presidential primaries. Many would argue that this increased engagement is, at least in part, linked to the candidates’ use of social networking sites as organizing and information-gathering tools.
The counter-argument was presented by Neil Howe, the author of “Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation.” Mr. Howe did an admirable job of debunking much of the data presented by Mr. Bauerlein, mostly by pointing to a rise in intelligence test scores over time, and using other examples such as the increased difficulty of the winning words at the National Spelling Bee. Regrettably, his only substantive defense of new technology had to do with video games – specifically the increased use of video games by the military and major corporations as training tools – which did little to debunk the myth that young people only care about themselves.
During the Q&A, there were many questions I wish I could have asked:
“Mr. Bauerlein, wouldn’t you agree that the weakened economy – which is impacting drop-out rates for high school students, and impeding young people’s ability to go to college – might provide one explanation for the decline in intellectual pursuits, such as reading novels for pleasure? Because really, who has time to read War and Peace when they’re working two jobs just to cover rent and student loans?”
“Mr. Bauerlein, can you explain to me the apparent incongruity of a decline in generational intelligence and a rise in political knowledge and engagement? Are you saying that young voters are voting, but it’s because they’re stupid?”
“What do your ‘dumb’ students think of your book?”
Unfortunately, time ran out before I had the chance. Note to self: get to events early…there’s a better choice of food and you’re more likely to get a seat in front so you’ll actually be called on. So, instead, I’d like to pose a question to our friends at the American Enterprise Institute: The next time you attempt to find out whether or not young people are “dumb,” why not let us speak for ourselves instead of having two middle-aged men, however well-intentioned, answer the question for us?
On September 17th, Campus Progress’ Erica Williams appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss one professor’s web posting criticizing Sarah Palin (check on the video on our front page.) The question posed by a Fox host: “Should university professors make their extreme political views public?” spurred a debate between Erica and Jason Mattera from the Young America’s Foundation.
Mattera began his tirade by calling Professor Wendy Doniger of the University of Chicago a “blabbering buffoon” and an “abject moron.” He said that Doniger’s negative remarks against Palin are “everything that is wrong with academia and the American Left,” and went on to call the scholars in women’s studies departments “she-hims.” Erica, on the other hand, discussed the importance of free speech and robust dialogue in our society. Although Mattera paid lip service to the right to free speech, he provided no reason for his distaste with professors speaking on politics outside of the classroom other than that their views that do not align with his own.
We believe that the free exchange of information on university campuses is vital to the development of a young person’s beliefs and character. Thus, should professors want to share their views in a public way, they have every right to do so. The Young America’s Foundation has repeatedly denied Campus Progress from attending their annual conference, displaying further their inability to see the benefit of the exchange of ideas across ideological boundaries. It’s time to stop yelling and start talking.
Check out a blog post on Erica’s interview from Free Exchange on Campus, one of our coalition partners here.
Friend of Campus Progress Ted Leo, who totally rocked our National Conference this summer, has a new digital EP, Rapid Response.; It's a very rapid response to the official violence doled out by authorities during the Republican National Convention.
Ted explains, "The surveillance, pre-emptive detention, arrest, and beating of journalists, protesters, and watchdogs by the St. Paul police department, the Ramsey County sheriff's department, and the FBI was so egregious that it couldn't be allowed to pass without comment."
It's passionate music for a good cause -- your $4 donation, or more if you want, goes to to Democracy Now! radio/TV and the Minneapolis chapter of Food Not Bombs. Check it out!
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