(Facilitator: Tent State University )
Education not War!
Higher education is a right!
Tent State University (TSU) was launched in 2003 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Its purpose was to stop drastic budget cuts to higher education in the wake of the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. A broad coalition of student groups, faculty, staff unions, and community-based organizations came together in defense of the right to an education. For five days, hundreds of students built and maintained a tent city at the center of campus, symbolizing the displacement of Higher Education in NJ. During the event, students were organized to place thousands of calls to state and federal legislators in opposition to the dismantling of higher education and impending tuition increases. This legislative strategy was complimented by a wide array of activities, including alternative day-time classes, direct actions, as well as live bands and a variety of other performances every night.
This year, TSU is going national. Universities, high schools, and youth groups around the country are building tent universities, linking the destruction of public higher education to the ever-rising costs of war. Students and youth groups are encouraged to join in and create their own version of TSU. Visit www.tentstateuniversity.com and download a toolkit for youth organizers to help hold a successful event on your campus.
Geographical Scope: National Added on 03-29-2005 Updated on 03-29-2005 |
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