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IRAQ
CLIMATE CHANGE
COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
OTHER ISSUES

IRAQ UPDATES

We’re less than one month away from the fifth anniversary of the war, and it’s about time that congressional opponents of the war do something about it. Senators are set to vote on two cloture motions on February 26 to force Congress to vote to set a timeline for withdrawing combat troops and to require the administration to limit repeated deployments of troops.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that the Iraqi medical care system is in peril, as scores of doctors have been killed or displaced, drug supplies are dangerously low, and hospitals are often dirty and lack electricity.

Iraqi infrastructure isn’t the only thing that is in bad shape. According to a survey of military officers, 88% believe the demands of the Iraq war have “stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin.”

March will be a huge month for student antiwar activity: Campus Progress is sponsoring an Iraq Action Camp; Students for a Democratic Society are mobilizing student days of action against the war; Muhlenberg College, Columbia University, and American University are all hosting antiwar teach-ins [links to come]; and numerous events around the country are taking place on March 19^th, the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.

CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATES

January ended with a bang! As 1,900 institutions organized teach-ins to focus the nation on climate change, people throughout the country voted on their solution of choice. Renewable energy, clean cars, green jobs, and green buildings were the winners of the straw poll. Dead last were biofuels, possibly because The New York Times nicknamed them “greenhouse threats.”

Washington’s only response to this outburst in grassroots climate action is the deeply problematic Lieberman-Warner Global Warming Bill. With its nuclear subsidies, insufficient targets, and permit give-aways, the bill fails environmentalists… and the planet. Unfortunately, the likelihood of a veto is making efforts to strengthen the bill futile.

Since we’re about to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, “No War, No Warming” environmental activists plan to swarm the capital to remind our representatives of the connection between these two issues. Still don’t agree that the war and climate change are related? Scientific American begs to differ—check out their Solar Grand Plan.

With spring coming up, keep in mind that greenhouse gasses will not be taking a break. Drink responsibly, offset your travels, and learn how to organize climate campaigns in sunny Santa Barbara with Campus Progress’ Alternative Spring Breaks!

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY UPDATES

The House of Representatives passed its version of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the law that regulates nearly all federal efforts to make college affordable. The bill included some great provisions. For example, the bill calls for students to be eligible for Pell Grants throughout the year, helps stop the conflicts of interest and misleading advertisements that have rocked the student loan industry in the past year, and encourages schools and states to control tuition costs and invest in higher education.

The bill is not ideal, however. The House rejected the Davis Amendment, which would have undone a provision in the infamous 2005 Bankruptcy Bill that keeps borrowers from absolving private student loan debt during bankruptcy. This provision has left many who find themselves in dire financial straits with few options to deal with high-risk, high-interest loans. The House also failed to repeal the “aid elimination penalty,” which keeps people convicted of drug offences from receiving financial aid. An estimated 200,000 students have been denied financial aid because of non-violent drug convictions. The legislation will now be sent to conference committee, where it will be reconciled with the Senate's version of the bill.

In other news, Stanford University joined Yale, Harvard, and a handful of other schools by announcing a big tuition discount program.

Finally, Tuition Relief Now, an effort by California students to pass a ballot initiative that would freeze tuition and tie future increases to inflation, has released a cool new video. They are looking for volunteers, campus organizers, and donations; if you are in California you should get involved!

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION UPDATES

Not much has changed in the past month with the proposed anti-affirmative action ballot initiatives that Ward Connerly has taken to Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Students in several states are gearing up for the fight to come in November.

Last Wednesday, the WE CAN coalition in Missouri, a state embroiled in a legal battle over the initiative’s deceptive language, held a public hearing to save affirmative action at Harris Stowe State College. Local advocates spoke about what affirmative action is, why St. Louis needs affirmative action, and the projected local impact that the so-called “Civil Rights Initiative” would have on higher education and jobs.

Thankfully, students aren’t the only ones paying attention to affirmative action and equal opportunity. All over the country, people are taking notice that women- and minority- owned businesses are being awarded a disproportionately small amount of contracts. Just last week, the Small Business Association announced plans to expand assistance to minority-owned businesses.

Click here to find out what Campus Progress is doing in Colorado to help save affirmative action!

OTHER ISSUE UPDATE: LABOR

From March 28 - April 4, students across the country will be hosting events and taking action to highlight the right to organize, green jobs, ending sweatshop labor, and other labor issues as part of the Student Labor Week of Action. We want to help you plan an event on your campus, or help you with your campaign. There is also a new video contest highlighting the need for Card Check Neutrality – check it out here.

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