precarious life & times: October 7th Action, Press Release

Thursday, October 7, 2010

October 7th Action, Press Release

... #oct7, #oct7th, #pubed, #publiced

All Out for #October7th! Final Press Release via Defend Public Education by wcstrong on 10/6/10

Word Document Located Here: http://wiki.defendeducation.org/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=22

Contacts: See Attached Sheet, visit http://www.defendeducation.org/?page_id=1073 for local listings
Email: fall_action@defendeducation.org

Website: http://www.defendeducation.org

On Thursday, October 7th, students and workers will participate in the second National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. This is part of a growing movement coming out of California last fall, and on the back of March 4th, the first national day of action for public education. As students are returning to classes for the beginning of another tumultuous school year expected to be wrought with more massive cuts, it is clear to many that the struggle to defend public education has only begun.

from Stand Together Now

Students at the University of New Orleans (UNO) took action on September 1st to call into question the policies of the university. On September 24th, students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shutdown a Board of Trustees meeting after the trustees refused to answer the questions regarding minority under-representation and the proposal that the UI system adopt a tuition freeze. On October 7th, students throughout the country will follow the lead of these students and take action to defend public education. They will be joined in international solidarity by students from outside the United States.

Students are also joined by teachers and communities throughout the US. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a higher education faculty union, has encouraged their members to join in actions October 7th and distributed to their membership a list of several different actions over the past week as part of "Higher Education is a Public Good" week.

Students are also faced with massive program cuts and racist attacks on Ethnic Studies programs. Organizers throughout the country conducted a week of actions since October 1st, culminating with unified actions for public education and ethnic studies on October 7th.

As public funds that once made the US the best education system in the world disappear, private investors seek deform public education for their purposes, adjusting education to meet the market. The private sector wants to take over education and leave working people with nothing but a shell of the public education system, profiting along the way.
This is not changing – we must take action to make change. The October 7th National Ad-Hoc Organizing Committee to Defend Public Education calls on students, teachers, youth, faculty, staff, workers, and parents to participate in October 7th – the National Day of Actions and Strikes to Defend Public Education, and call for an end to the privatization of education.

Links and Contacts:

http://www.defendeducation.org/?page_id=1073
Information on Ethnic Studies Week or One Nation for Public Education: http://www.defendeducation.org/?page_id=979
AAUP Higher Education is a Public Good Week Information: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/GR/onenation.htm
National Press Contacts for October 2nd One Nation for Public Education: Wes Strong – 860-916-2761 – fall_actions@defendeducaiton.org; Larry Hales – 720-979-9491 – hcrazycat@yahoo.com
Local Press Contacts for October 7th National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, (List in Development):

East Coast

Midwest, South, Maine): Marie Follytar, mariefollayttar@yahoo.com, 1 207.899.9498
New York: Larry Hales, 720-979-9491 hcrazycat@yahoo.com
Washington DC: Linsay McCluskey, mccluskey.lindsay@gmail.com 508-446-6133; Hayden Smith, haydensmith225@gmail.com, 703 489 5401
University of Minnesota: Stephanie Taylor, 605.261.9178 or Tracy Molm 612.432.4766
Ohio State - Will Klatt, will.b.klatt@gmail.com, 614-915-8896
University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign: Ben Rothschild, 847-363-6317, rothsch2@gmail.com
University of Oklahoma: Matthew Bruenig, 817-437-1223
Tahereh – Georgia: 678-755-3686