On campuses across the country, students are taking the fight for their fair share of federal funding into their own hands.
It began in 2003, at Rutgers University in NJ, with students pitching a tent city to protest massive, unprecedented cuts in funding to higher education. Today, Tent-State has evolved into a combination of protest, teach-ins, workshops, and performances, all aimed at reinforcing the fact that every American has the right to an education. Today, there are tent cities like the one at Rutgers going up on over 20 campuses nationwide.
In my home state of NJ, budget cuts continue to be a huge problem. If the proposed cuts go through, tuition could rise as much as 31% at New Jersey's public universities. But as the Tent-State website points out, the issue here is not a "budget crisis". This is a crisis of values and priorities, and ultimately of leadership, that has led to a serious misallocation of our tax dollars. Every dollar spent on Dubya's misadventures overseas means that its that much harder for a deserving student back home to get an education.
This problem isn't just a New Jersey problem. As the spread of Tent-State shows, funding for education is a priority that people across the country are ready to fight for. If you feel the same, go to http://www.visi.com/... contact your Senators and Representatives, and let them know that every American deserves an education.
Are you a student? Bring the movement to your campus! Go to www.tentstate.com for info.