UNCG walks out for higher education

February 27, 2014

FREDERICK Douglass said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." History is riddled with stories of courageous marches, protests and too many martyrs. Most think that we don't make history anymore, and that the past is a "foreign country." This is not true. "We"--the youth, the students, the people--make history every day.

In line with that, a few of my friends, organizers and my organizing friends came out to the University of North Carolina-Greensboro to stage a walkout on February 19. At 1 p.m., we walked out of our classes and came together in order to fight back against the rising cost of higher education.

This walkout ended up being the talk of campus. People were clearly angry, or at least paying attention to their newsfeed. It was a dreary morning, but miraculously, the sun was shining bright when the rally was set to begin. Slowly but surely, students, faculty and staff started to gather on the lawn of the Elliot University Center, our student center.
"Money for students and education, not for expansion and administration"

Image from SocialistWorker.org

Our agenda was clear: We are tired of the rising costs of higher education when it should be free for everyone. Administrators' pockets are filled, students are being left in deprived conditions, and our faculty is being "left to wither on a vine." So we are sick and tired of this vicious circle of the capitalist system crippling us with insurmountable debt with zero guarantee of a decent-paying job. That is why we fight.

Speakers were mostly comprised of students, but we had two incredibly indignant faculty members that energized the crowd. Our topics ranged from cuts, to "marginalized" studies, to undemocratic university practices, to bloated administration. From the get-go, it was clear that regardless of what we talked about, people were angry, and it was going to stay that way.

A lot of people who criticized what we did said that we should work with the administrators and the North Carolina General Assembly to come up with solutions to fix these issues. We always have and will use the "proper" channels first, because we are told that it is effective, and it works. But when going to the administration does not work--when writing letters to our politicians, when going to listening forums doesn't work--what do we do then? We take the matters into our own hands. We no longer ask to be heard, but we demand it.

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A quick history lesson: when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, was that done because John F. Kennedy and then Lyndon Johnson invited the civil rights organizers to lunch to hash it out? No. It was done through years and years of mass civil disobedience, direct action and making uncompromising demands.

Not only was there anger seeping from the crowd, but the air was filled with solidarity. Students supported both the Portland teachers and University of Illinois faculty who have been involved in important struggles. Even going past simple student solidarity, most were excited to hear one of our speakers talk about the Fight for 15 campaign and worker-student solidarity.

Our walkout went to show that students are far from apathetic. Students are scared, feel hopeless and are left with illusions of the higher-education dream. Our generation is not the "lost generation," but the "revival"--because we are facing some serious issues that are not leaving folks too happy. With the undying, uncompromising passion that I know exists in every one of us, this world can become a more just place--it just has to start somewhere.

February 19, 2014, showed us a lot about the future of the movement, specifically the student movement here in N.C. It showed us that mass mobilization is possible, students are not apathetic, and that it cannot stop now--we have to keep going. So long as the capitalist war on students continues, so does our fight. You think we are giving up that easily? Not a chance. Don't believe us? Just watch.
Dhruv Pathak, Greensboro, N.C.

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