Posts with the tag activism

Higher Education Act Supports Drug Abuse

Irina Alexander — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:05:49 EDT

    After a full 10 years of contacting representatives, gathering signatures, writing articles, and spreading the outrage, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, along with hundreds of supporting organizations was sure their determined efforts would finally pay off and that Congressional leadership would follow through with their pledge to repeal the counterproductive Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act. However, we have yet again been terribly deceived.

   If you’ve ever wondered why you’re asked about drug offenses when applying for federal financial aid through FAFSA, thank Representative Mark Souder (R-IN), who somehow managed to slip the AEP into the Higher Education Act in 1998 without any debate or vote. Since then, this amendment has denied over 200,000 students federal financial aid, and in turn access to education. While we assume the reasoning behind Souder’s action was that he thought it would decrease drug abuse, it’s done the exact opposite by forcing students to drop out of school, therefore increasing their risk of drug abuse and criminal activity.

    Regardless of the penalty's intentions, it has blatantly attacked hard-working students, people of color, and the lower and middle class. Since the FAFSA already requires satisfactory academic progress in order for a student to be eligible for federal financial aid, the AEP only affects hard-working students who have been doing well in school. While African-Americans make up a fairly small portion of the population, racial profiling leads to an absurdly disproportionate higher number of African-Americans arrested for drug offenses. And since middle and lower class families are depending solely on financial aid, it’s easy to see why wealthy families may not be too concerned.

   Many members of Congress who were on our side initially have informed us that they became terrified of facing negative attacks, fearing they’d be labeled as “pro-drug”. In reality,it is precisely the Aid Elimination Penalty they are supporting that continues to increase drug abuse and decrease education. Anybody who is against racial profiling, increasing drug abuse, and decreasing education should be against this penalty. Please fill out this pre-written letter and demand an explanation from your local legislators! Unless they hear from their constituents, they won’t realize what their people want and will continue to follow their misguided instincts.

Speaking Youth to Power

Eugene Resnick — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:35:37 EDT

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/speaking_youth_to_power.php

One thing that can be said about the current generation of young gays is that they are a smart and ambitious lot. Eugene Resnick, an openly gay candidate for National Membership Director of the College Democrats, definitely fits that mold. He's focused, savvy and "cliched as it sounds" committed to making a difference.

I had the chance to ask Eugene some questions about being openly gay, youth political involvement and why being a "gay Russian Jew from Brooklyn" can be an asset.

MC: There is more than a little hand-wringing from some older people over what they see as a lack of political involvement from younger people. You are clearly not living up to that image.

ER: I hope that I can make a difference in our society as cliché as that sounds. I want to raise the voice of those who have no voice. I understand what its like to be the one that's counted out. I see many young people who are very engaged and very much care about the society we live in and the changes we need enacted. Our generation understands the complexities ahead and the deep institutional problems that this country has faced.

For us, race, gender and sexuality don't really matter anymore as a factor in judgment of one's character. We are for the most part the first generation that transcends such superficial human traits and sees everyone on the same playing field. I hope to remain active, continue on by earning a higher education in law and public policy, and eventually serve the public by running for office. In the meantime, I hope to do whatever I can to engage my fellow young people in the political process so that they can be active members of our thriving democracy.

What Makes Eugene Run?

MC: Is that why you want to be National Membership Director for the College Democrats?

ER: I am running because I believe I have the foresight, experience, and passion needed to be successful in this position. The National Membership Director position requires an individual with an ability to build coalitions between groups and establish friendships and contacts with people that are not usual coalition partners.

With an election year this year that has so much Democratic enthusiasm for our candidate, Barack Obama, there is so much potential for massive growth in terms of membership in College Democrats organizations throughout the country. We can expand into all 50 states, forming local and state chapters at schools that have never had a College Democrats organization. There are many students across the country who feel ostracized for being a Democrat especially in more conservative regions, and this must end.

At a time with so much enthusiasm for change, there is much potential to be tapped into in terms of youth activism and involvement in politics that has not been seen since the 1960s. The role of the National Membership Director is to spearhead new chapters, get more students involved in College Democrats, and outreach to individuals of all backgrounds to ensure the Democratic Party grows and further diversifies. I believe I can help make that happen.

MC: What are some of the skills and experiences that make you qualified for that role?

ER: I served as Minority and Women's Affairs Coordinator at the University Democrats at the University of Virginia reaching out to various Black, Latino, Asian, LGBT and Women's groups on campus to get them more politically involved and have a voice within the Democratic Party. I formed the first ever statewide College Democrats organization in Virginia bringing together students from across the state to bring to the forefront the voice of college students in the Commonwealth.

My tenure as President of the statewide organization resulted in the recent merger with the Virginia Young Democrats forming a massive young Democratic organization in Virginia poised to register large amounts of new young voters, have their voices heard by getting them to the polls, but mostly importantly have young people engaged in the American political discourse. I currently am interning in Washington, DC with the National Stonewall Democrats specifically working on field operations across the country, helping chapters build membership and outreach along with helping them target certain races this election cycle.

Being Gay Not What it Used to Be

MC: Has been openly gay hurt or helped you in taking on leadership roles with the College Democrats?

ER: Being openly gay has helped me in taking on leadership roles with the College Democrats. My first election was when I ran for Minority and Women's Affairs Coordinator at the University Democrats at the University of Virginia. I ran on the platform of not only being a fresh face, but also by taking ownership of my multiple minority identity. I was the "gay Russian Jew from Brooklyn" running in a race in a majority white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, institution in the South.

One might think I was tokenized into the minority leadership role, but I stood up as a voice for the LGBT community at the University on the Board of Directors. Now I have risen up the ladder into leadership statewide. I have a large network of friends and colleagues with whom I am politically and academically involved who serve as my support system. I have never felt hindered being openly gay and that is a reflection of how our generation is so vastly different from any other in American history.

MC: What do you say to other young people to help them realize their political power?

ER: Facebook is a powerful tool and it has proven to be an extremely effective way of mobilizing people to become involved in a cause. I tell other young people I meet who may be cynical or wary of politics if at all interested is that that they have a stake in society. Young people today are vastly different from generations before and there are a multitude of problems that this country is facing today that need to be fixed and we are the generation to make it happen. We are over the race divisions of the 50s and 60s and the gay baiting of the 80s and 90s. We grew up with gay Student Body Presidents, blacks and whites, Latinos and Asians sitting at the same table, and females occupying a majority of the education system. We are Generation Y.

I let people know that there must be an issue that affects them whether its outrageous gas prices, denial of their civil rights as gay or black or Latino or an immigrant, predatory student loans that haunt students for years to come, high college costs, difficulty getting health insurance as a young independent person, or having their friends or family member die for a war that was poorly executed and under false pretenses. I tell them that they have a stake in this election and in the future with all these issues that impact them one way or another.

More Coverage for Campus Progress 2008 Award winners

pdelatorre — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:12:14 EDT

The Missoulian just published a great article on the Students for Economic and Social Justice, a student group at the University of Montana (UM) that has received a Campus Progress Action Grant for several years in a row for its anti-sweatshop campaign.

The group has already convinced the UM to join the Worker Rights Consortium, and is currently attempting to get their campus to join the Designated Suppliers Program. After running into an impasse in negotiations with the UM administration, they occupied the college president’s office.

Here is an excerpt of the Missoulian article:

Eight of the students involved with the sit-in were arrested and later given three-day suspensions for trespassing and violating the campus student conduct code.

While their activities raised the ire of campus officials, the UM group also garnered national accolades.

Earlier this month, the group was notified it had been awarded the Action Campaign of the Year by Campus Progress, an arm of the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based nonpartisan progressive organization. […]

“We were all pretty pleased to get that sort of validation,” Newman said. “Not only for our work but for the cause in general. There are lots of schools working on these issues. The more attention we can bring to them is all the better.”

Giant Coffee Bean for Justice

pdelatorre — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:25:07 EDT

The University of Houston Students for Fair Trade, who have received a Campus Progress Action Grant, were featured in the Houston Chronicle yesterday for their long running and energetic campaign make all coffee sold on campus fair trade certified.

Check it out:

Students carrying a giant replica of a coffee bean stormed Chancellor Renu Khator's office at the University of Houston on Monday, the latest skirmish in their two-year campaign to force the school to offer only fair-trade coffee in a library kiosk. […]

The student government association last year approved a resolution supporting the proposal. Letters and other documents distributed by the student group indicated Aramark plans to install a Starbucks in the library, building the kiosk with $60,000 in student fees. (Starbucks buys some fair-trade coffee but not exclusively.)

Nominate a Friend for a Young Activist Award!

Katherine — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:11:43 EDT

One of my favorite things about being a young progressive living in DC is that I have met so many amazing young activists here.

Activists Making a Difference

Thomas Coen — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:23:03 EDT

Brave New Films and The Nation have teamed up to find young activists from around the country who are making a difference. Here are a few of the nominees for the Brave Nation Hero Award:

Student/Farmworker Alliance Victory in BK Campaign

pdelatorre — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:03:46 EDT

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the Student/Farmworker Alliance just announced another victory in their campaign to improve the wages, working conditions, and rights of tomato pickers and agricultural workers.

This Whopper™ of a victory must be even tastier (sorry - couldn’t resist) as it comes after the discovery that Burger King hired a company to spy on the Student/Farmworker Alliance.

The Future of Activism?

Kay Steiger — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:08:54 EDT

Mother Jones magazine is running a survey to figure out if young people like you think the future of activism lies in personal choices like buying environmentally friendly cleaning products or if activism is something else. Weigh in on their survey here.

Amazing conferences --sign up today!

Thomas Coen — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:17:28 EDT

Registration just opened for the 2008 Campus Progress National Conference. If you thought last year's conference was great, just wait for this year's event. Past keynotes have been Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi. And if one day of hearing from amazing speakers, networking with students activists from all 50 states, and building the skills you'll need to transform your campus into a progressive bastion in the fall aren't enough, then don't worry, Campus Progress has you covered.

On July 7th, Campus Progress is organizing with USSA and the Student PIRGs a Grassroots Training Day.

On July 9th, Campus Progress and The Nation present their annual National Youth Journalism Conference. Speakers already confirmed include Eugene Robinson, Asra Nomani, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and Mathew Yglesias.

All of these events fill up quickly so apply to attend today!

YP4 National Summit

Gabriela McCall Delgado — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:53:00 EST

I had the opportunity to attend the Young People For (YP4) National Summit in Washington D.C. as a 2008 Young People For Felllow. It was a great opportunity to meet other fellows from across the nation and a wonderful learning experience through the workshops and the speakers presented. A workshop that I found particularly interesting was the one on "elevator pitches". The term "Elevator Pitches" points out the reality that generally we have a very short time to make our point across, so we have to deliver our message as quickly as if we were to have a moment to talk to someone in an elevator. I also liked the session called "Fishbowl Reflections" which gave the YP4 fellows the opportunity to share their thoughts among each other about the sessions they had already attended. I learned a lot from Van Jones presentation about how to create jobs through the environment and how to present the environmental causes to marginalized communities in such way that the community can visualize the positive impact environmental causes may have on their community. The energy of the people at the conference was tremendous. From Elody Gyekis mural project to Haya-Abdel Latif's work with international students, if you had a particular area of interest you could find someone at the conference that could share his/her experience with you. I encourage people look at the website and learn more about this excellent event. http://www.youngpeoplefor.org

Gun control vs. Mental Healthcare

Annika — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:59:54 EDT

Inside Higher Ed has a piece up today discussing student gun control activism in the wake of last semester’s Virginia Tech shootings. The piece profiles student-led groups--Protest Easy Guns and Students for Concealed Carry on Campus--that rally around different ends of the gun control debate.

But is gun control really the issue here? I’m all for responsible gun purchase and registry guidelines, but students could better leverage their influence by lobbying for mental health care reforms on their campuses. Andy Guess notes that task forces reviewing the killings “faulted university policies and pointed to the effects of confusing mental health laws” in addition to loopholes in gun laws—but students don’t seem to be picking up that cause.

Universities have a history of distancing themselves from troubled students, sending them packing or to the margins instead of supporting and helping them. Shouldn’t progressives be fighting for effective, accessible mental health care on campus? It’s a more comprehensive solution that gets at the root of the Virginia Tech situation—a student who felt that violence was an appropriate outlet on campus—and benefits students with a variety of mental health needs.

Now online: "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week" response kits

Annika — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:08:22 EDT

Thanks to the quick work of our dedicated web intern, Guy, the "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week" response kits are now available online.

Download the kit and get ideas for action here.

Is Being Misunderstood for Being Racist the Same as Being Racist?

Chelsea Toy — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:27:02 EDT

Friday, Ohio University held a race issues forum to help students, faculty and community members come to terms with the racism that is far too prevalent in Athens and the world.
At the forum, I spoke up about how white activists at OU did nothing in support of the Jena Six. (See earlier post - Racial Divide in Campus Activism)
After I said I felt that we "sat that one out," and that white activists should be ashamed for not taking part, a black student from the back of the room spoke out against me. She said it hurt to hear me speak about the white activists, when the black activists worked so hard to raise money to send students to Washington, D.C., to protest.
Damn, did I feel bad. I didn't mean black students didn't do anything, I meant white students didn't help them. I suppose she looked at it as my white privilege allowing me to dismiss her efforts and think that black students needed white students' help. That was not what I mean at all, but I felt terrible.

"Islamo-fascism Awareness Week" response kits

Annika — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:03:51 EDT

Inspired by our recent blog discussion about David Horowitz's latest crazy campaign against decency, reason and open dialogue? Want to speak out against the divisiveness of "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week"?

Request an "Islamo-fascism Awareness Week" response kit, which includes press statements, a fact sheet debunking the conservative smear that is "Islamofascism," ideas for action and more.

Remember when birth control wasn't universally legal?

Jenny Odegard — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:40:10 EDT

I don't! But activist Bill Baird certainly does, since he was jailed for distributing a condom to an unmarried woman. Years later, the Boston jail he was placed in is a hotel, that, ironically as ever, has free condoms provided in each of their rooms.

The Boston Globe has the full story.

Darfur Activisim: Over-Hyped And Overblown?

Justin Elliott — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 02:02:04 EDT

Ken Silverstein is, for my money—or time, as the case may be—one of the best D.C. journalists working today. A rarity in the blogosphere, his “Washington Babylon” at Harper’s regularly provides original reporting along with the standard interesting commentary. Yesterday Silverstein put up an important post on “Facts and Darfur,” touching on an issue that has animated American campuses more than perhaps any other in recent years. Even amid the heady successes of the campus-based divestment campaigns, it seems like a lot of us, myself included, knew very little about what was going on in Sudan beyond the stray terms like “genocide” and “Janjaweed.” I’ve tried to educate myself about Darfur. But I have to admit I’ve always regarded those campaigns with a measure of skepticism. One simple reason:

NARAL Wins Text Message Battle with Verizon

Kay Steiger — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:03:26 EDT

In possibly the quickest stint of activism I've recently seen, Verizon reversed its decision yesterday to block text messages from NARAL Pro-Choice America. The alerts were something that people could sign up for voluntarily and weren't considered spam-style text messages. Verizon's policy prohibits "controversial" or "unsavory" text messages. Within a matter of hours, Verizon reversed the decison, allowing the text messages to be sent to those who elected to get them.

Antiwar Rally Pregame

Zach Marks — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:24:47 EDT

Tomorrow is the big anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. which you’ve hopefully by now seen signs for on your college campus. The protest, organized by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), begins with a rally near the White House, continues with a march to the U.S. Capitol, and concludes with a “die-in” that organizers estimate will involve approximately 1,000 people lying down near the Capitol in a symbolic effort to represent dead U.S. soldiers and dead Iraqis.

To get you pumped for the action, I thought I’d belatedly share some photos from the last anti-war event I attended, a “Take A Stand Town Hall” co-sponsored by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq and MoveOn.org. The event was targeted at Senator Specter who “chose to stand with President Bush and his reckless Iraq war policy instead of his constituents” by failing to attend. (The organizers left an empty chair on the panel to remind the audience of Specter’s absence.)

If You Hate Mountains…

pdelatorre — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 02:03:23 EDT

Then don’t do anything on the 31st. Otherwise, you should check out the national day of action aimed at pressuring Bank of America to stop helping companies who engage in mountain-top removal.

From the friendly folks at It’s Getting Hot in Here:

Between 2005 and 2007, Bank of America facilitated nearly $1 billion in loans to Massey Energy and Arch Coal, two of the largest companies responsible for the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. This form of mining literally blasts the tops off of mountains to get at thin seems of coal that lay beneath. Mountaintop removal coal mining has permanently destroyed over 500 square miles of mountains and buried over 1,200 miles of streams in West Virginia alone.

Do Something Productive

Thomas Coen — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:44:07 EDT

As we can all see from the pages of this great blog, there are many problems in the world, many terrible government policies, and too many things that we should all work towards changing.

Yet, don't get depressed by them, don't be apathetic, DO SOMETHING. If there's one thing about Campus Progress that's always impressed me it's that they are always looking for ways to help students out and have the resources to do so. Take the first step and apply to be a CP student representative today.

As a CP student rep, you can do everything from planning events such as film screenings, panel discussions, and debates to working on issue campaigns including global warming, college affordability, Iraq, and free exchange on campus.

Being a CP rep gives you some pretty cool opportunities and let’s you stop being just another liberal hypocrite who complains constantly about things being messed up in the world yet doesn’t lift a finger to do something about it.

Don’t be that person. Apply here today.