On Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 12pm at Morrill Hall on the U of M East Bank campus, there will be a march and rally to defend public education.  The protest was initiated in response to a call for a National Day of Action to Defend Education.  The call initially emerged out of struggles across California last fall against the 32% tuition increases and corporate administration there.  There are hundreds of protests planned at universities and colleges across the country tomorrow.  A list of protests by state shows them planned in at least 31 states as of March 3rd.

From the Students for a Democratic Society Blog: Since it was first launched in 2005, Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. Last year, more than 40 cities around the world participated in the week's activities, which took place in the wake of Israel's brutal assault against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. IAW continues to grow with new cities joining this year. This year Houston is one of these cities. UH SDS is excited to host a week of events from March 8th to the 12th as part of this global week of action in solidarity with the Palestinian Struggle.

IAW will feature lectures, film screenings, cultural activities, and demonstrations aimed at raising awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies toward Palestinians and to gather support for the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The demands of the BDS campaign are:
1. Ending Israel's occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
[Read Full Article with schedule and video]

Why is it that neoliberal banks and corporations are bailed out while students are squeezed of every last penny by predatory student loans amidst our financial feeding frenzy?

On March 4th, over 400 students, community members and professors protested on the Park Blocks of Portland State University in solidarity with a national call to defend public education. Several student groups in collaboration with student government organized the rally as a direct response to the proposed economic deregulation and restructuring of PSU.

Students feel that the state funded institution is augmenting corporate interests while diminishing the quality, affordability and access to higher education. Students demonstrated their bravery by walking out of class at 1pm to express their heightened level of disgust and indignation with administrative ineptness and bureaucratic subterfuge. Speakers discussed the financial mismanagement of the education system in order to keep those who might be agents of social change in debt and bondage.

Local drumming troupe; Powder Keg led students, faculty and the public in a rigorous display of resistance to the neo-liberal capitalist vision of 'education' presented by the administration and board. The crowd proceeded to march across campus, occupying the hallways of the administration offices. There they presented the following demands agreed upon by students at all three of the universities in the Oregon University System:

The UMass Boston Committee to Have Fun struck again this morning when a massive banner was dropped from the shiny new Campus Center building reading “STUDENT-WORKER SOLIDARITY – MARCH 4TH – TAKE BACK UMASS”.

from the open publishing newswire: On Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 12pm at Morrill Hall on the U of M East Bank campus, there will be a march and rally to defend public education.  The protest was initiated in response to a call for a National Day of Action to Defend Education.  The call initially emerged out of struggles across California last fall against the 32% tuition increases and corporate administration there.  There are hundreds of protests planned at universities and colleges across the country tomorrow.  A list of protests by state shows them planned in at least 31 states as of March 3rd.

Planning for the march and rally was coordinated by the University of Minnesota's Chop-from-the-Top Campaign and the Save our Schools Coalition which includes Staff, Graduate Students, Undergrads, Adjuncts and Faculty members concerned about the effects of the budget cuts.

Other Indymedia coverage nationwide: Crowdsourced news from LA Indymedia (photo source) | New York City | Indybay: California March 4 Resistance Heats Up Amidst Occupations and Riots | DefendEducation.org

Nationwide demonstrations took place on Thursday, as students and education workers rose up against budget cuts, layoffs, fee hikes, and the system that prioritizes war and prisons over schools. Demonstrations took place at over 100 campuses in at least 39 states. The most militant actions took place in California. In Oakland, over 200 people shut down Interstate 880, resulting in a mass arrest. In Davis, protesters also tried to take over an Interstate. Thousands rallied in Sacramento, and in Santa Cruz, the UCSC campus was effectively shut down by 5am.

Sizable demonstrations also happened in Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, Portland, Syracuse, Champaign, Baltimore and in Milwaukee, where 18 protesters were arrested.

See local IMCs for open-published coverage of all the March 4 actions: Southern California Actions: LA Indymedia (Crowdsourced Live Reports) | Northern California Actions: Indybay | Urbana-Champaign | Twin Cities | New York City (Pregame, Reportback) | Portland | Rochester | Santa Cruz

In anticipation for the statewide strike and day of action on March 4th activists have stepped up their actions with a renewed round of occupations in California. An occupation of a construction site at UC Berkeley resulted in a "mass riot" on Telegraph Avenue with hundreds of youth fighting the police. March 4th actions are planned throughout the Bay Area, California and beyond. In the East Bay strikes and walkouts are planned to converge in Downtown Oakland and an evening rally is planned for San Francisco.

Related: UCSC Banner Drop to Mobilize for March 4th | Banner dropped at Umass Boston | March 4 Crowdsourced News

On January 25, a banner was placed on the Humanities 2 building at UC Santa Cruz displaying support for the upcoming March 4th strike. The banner reads "Strike March 4. Stop Privatization!" and criticizes the trend the UC has taken of prioritizing building construction over student instruction. The action also serves to mobilize protestors for March 4th, the statewide day of action against the privatization of public education.

The Buffalo Chapter of the United Socialist Movement of the Americas will present “Power of the People Week” in the Student Union from Feb. 22 through Feb. 26. The week’s events aim to celebrate left wing and progressive history, and raise awareness to its causes.

“UB has had a history of political action,” says William Richardson, president of Buffalo USMA. “In the last 15 years, it’s kind of ebbed. We thought it would be good to remind students of political history of UB and the nation.”

The group organized the event in conjunction with other organizations like UB Students for Justice in Palestine, UB Students Against Sweatshops, the LGBTA, the Buffalo International Action Center and the WNY Peace Center.

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From the Students for a Democratic Society Blog: Students for a Democratic Society at UH would really like to thank everyone who came out this Friday to catch the dynamite speakers we hosted at the University. Dozens of Coogs and folks from the community came to hear both Ali Abunimah speak about the Situation in Palestine and the prospects for a one state solution, and to hear Ashanti Alston talk about the legacy of the Black Panther Party and Black liberation struggle as part of a struggle that continues against the systems of oppression that impact our communities.

For those who could not make it, we wanted to let you know that SDS and our friends were able to record both talks and encourage you to listen up:

From the Houston Indymedia Open Publishing Newswire: Ali Abunimah Speaks at University of Houston | Ashanti Alston Speaks in Houston | Radio Interview With Ashanti Alston From the Houston Indymedia Radio Show

Disappointment with Obama Administration reinvigorates national student antiwar movement.

The Campus Anti-war Network invites faculty and students from all schools in the U.S., and their supporters, to its winter conference on February 27th and 28th. Hear speakers give context to the history and motivations of U.S. foreign policy, and activists engaged in ongoing struggles against the wars relate their experiences. Participate in workshops on war and the environment, divestment campaigns, the situation in Gaza, the AfPak conflict, and more. Discuss how to build a democratic anti-war movement in this country from the grassroots, one focused on mass action to force politicians regardless of party to accede to the demand for an end to illegal U.S. backed occupations.

We the student and faculty members of the Center for Social and Environmental Justice and Social and Environmental Justice Club on the campus of Washington State University Vancouver are now meeting in our building of work and learning.

We are here today as a direct response to the police, sheriff and SWAT training that has been scheduled to occur in our building concurrent with the campus's prescheduled Martin Luther King Day events happening elsewhere on campus.

We feel that this training is in direct opposition to the strategies and philosophy of Martin Luther King. We know that if he were here with us today Martin Luther King would challenge the claim that this type of militaristic civil drill is an effective avenue for addressing acts of violence. Read More

Related: Workers Call on Starbucks to Honor Dr. King with March and Rally

Students are being forced to pay more for less. Government bureacrats have slashed the higher education budget for the second straight year. And the cuts are only getting worse. Our tuition has ratcheted up 10% and the Post-Secondary Education Review Commission is discussing as much as a 30% increase next Fall.

While most of the city administration and the administration of the school district of Philadelphia, meet and plan and meet, no one told them the full story. Who would believe in this fair city drug lords and Asian gangs imitating the west coast gangs. The nationality of one group (Chinese)has carried a posture of eliteness that youth dislike.

Students at UC Berkeley re-grouped Friday evening to protest an early morning raid on the Open University at occupied Wheeler Hall. A rally at Wheeler was followed by a concert and a march on the north side of campus. Police dispersed the march and arrested eight people who face multiple felony charges. Among the eight was an Indybay photographer covering the event.