Here are links to news coverage of the event, to which we will add as more articles become available:

“Students hold funeral for scholarship benefitting low-income people” – Asheville Citizen-Times
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091110/LOCAL/91110030

“National Day of Protests for Education Rights” – Fight Back! News
http://www.fightbacknews.org/2009/11/13/national-day-protests-education-rights

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2009
CONTACT: Katie Sue Cambell – (814) 482-0775, Sarah Buchner – (828) 674-4928

Students to hold funeral for scholarship benefitting low-income people

On November 10, 2009, Students for a Democratic Society will hold a “funeral for the EARN scholarship” on UNC-Asheville’s campus as part of a national day of action for education rights called by the newly-formed Network to Fight for Economic Justice.

Students will assemble at 12:20 PM in front of the dining hall to begin the event. Sarah Buchner, the chair of the UNC-Asheville chapter of SDS, explained what will happen. “We’ll have pallbearers carry our mock-casket, with a few stops along the way, to the final destination on the quad where a tombstone will remain for the rest of the week to mark this scholarship’s short life struck down by the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen.” SDS will also circulate a petition at the protest, collecting signatures that it intends to take to the North Carolina General Assembly.

The EARN scholarship, cut at the state-level due to ‘budget shortfalls’, was received by 10,700 students across North Carolina and was for persons that made less than 200% over the poverty line. The EARN scholarship was particularly for working class and low-income students.

According to a petition circulated by SDS about the scholarship, “Today, in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, when millions are being put out of work and even out of their homes, we cannot let working class and low income students be put out of school while the government spends trillions on wars and occupations all over the world and while the rich continue to get bailed out here at home. We believe that education, like housing, a job, or healthcare, is necessary to live in the United States, and is therefore a right for all people, not a privilege only for those who can afford it.”

SDS member Viviana Moreno said, “We want to send a message to North Carolina General Assembly that youth, students, and workers will not stand for this. Working people will not foot the bill for this economic crisis which has been created by the rich. We don’t want the budget balanced on our backs.”

“The U.S. is fighting two unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, costing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. Why can’t we use some of that money here at home to take care of people’s needs?” commented SDS member Angela Denio.

Students for a Democratic Society is demanding that universities “chop from the top” by cutting the pay of top administrators who make more than $100,000 rather than cutting scholarships and programs that benefit low-income and working class people.

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EARN-pressrelease-FINAL1.doc

~featuring DJ Anwar Brown

You can win fabulous prizes for:

“best dressed”
“best moves” and
“most genderific”

• Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009
• Time: 8:00pm – 11:00pm
• Location: UNCA Alumni Hall (In the bottom of the Highsmith Student Union)

Party starts at 8pm, but we’ll be bending genders all night!

*come as you are, from fabulous to frumpy–bend your own gender or someone else’s!

Check out the facebook event!!!

Come out for this radical gender-bender dance party sponsored by UNCA Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Alliance!

On October 3 in Chicago, IL, the We Say Fight Back! Conference drew hundreds of trade unionists, community organizers, leaders of housing struggles, students, and many others to talk about how to fight back against the savage cutbacks now afflicting workers, students, the poor, women, and oppressed minorities across the United States.

A student and youth workshop was held with folks from campuses and communities across the US. We passed a resolution calling for a national protest for education rights on November 10, 2009 (text of the resolution below). The purpose of the day of action is to help build the movement to demand education as a fundamental right, not a privilege. While we are all facing particular battles in our local situations, having a unified day of action can help us spark a broader movement by demonstrating our solidarity with all those struggling for education rights.

We are meeting via conference call weekly to help make this action a success. If you are interested in getting involved, sign up for the listserv to get call information!

UNC-Asheville students: Come to SDS meetings, Wednesdays @ 8pm in the Highsmith Boardroom (HU235)

Proposal for a National Day of Protest for Education Rights: November 10th 2009

As the U.S. continues to try and bail out the failing banks with billions of taxpayer dollars, universities across the country are in crisis. Many universities are responding to economic shortfalls by cutting vital university programs such as scholarships, women’s centers, and even jobs. These administrators are rising already skyrocketed tuition and fees, while forcing staff to take furloughs. Meanwhile, many administrator positions are increasing, and administrators are making more money than ever. All this, while the U.S. government wages two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, supports apartheid in Palestine, and continue to fund death squads in Colombia.

We as students and youth need to rise up and say: enough is enough! We will not stand by while the rich are bailed out on the backs of students and workers. The brave students in the University of California system have been fighting against these cuts with walk-outs and occupations that have united students, faculty and staff alike. We need to carry this momentum forward with a united, national student day of action where campuses across the country can rally against unjust cuts to needed programs, against cuts to staff, and against tuition hikes that would make college access even more challenging for poor, working class, immigrant and oppressed nationality students.

Therefore, we are asking that this workshop passes a proposal for a National Day of Student Action for Education Rights – to happen on November 10th – where campuses take action against cuts and tuition hikes and for education rights.

Money for Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupation!

The following article is from Fight Back! News:

In a day of action organized by Students for a Democratic Society, October 7 saw dozens of protests across the country against the Afghanistan war on the 8th anniversary of the U.S. invasion. Students marched, conducted die-ins and skits, and some were arrested as they demanded money be spent at home on education and healthcare, instead of two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Students Take Action

Hundreds of students marched in Washington, DC in a “Funk the War” event organized by DC Students for a Democratic Society. The demonstrators stormed the lobby of a building that houses Chevron, Shell, Blackwater’s lobbying group, United Technologies, and Clear Channel, demanding U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Gainesville, Florida, 40 people rallied in the Plaza of the Americas at the University of Florida to protest the war in Afghanistan. The protesters then marched to Turlington, chanting “Fund education, not occupation” and “What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!” The demonstrators held a “die-in” during a class change to symbolically represent innocents killed in war. Protester Fernando Figueroa said, “I think the demonstrations in both Gainesville and across the United States showed that students are willing to fight back against imperialism and demand that funding be used for education and not occupation…what we have done today doesn’t end here. We will keep building the movement to end the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.”

In Asheville, North Carolina students shouted “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!” across the quad on the University of North Carolina at Asheville. UNCA Students for a Democratic Society member Angela Denio said, “The people of Afghanistan have the right to self determination. Eight years of unjust U.S. occupation in Afghanistan has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, and displaced too many families that are now living in extreme suffering and poverty.” The SDS chapter in Chapel Hill, NC also had 30 people protesting the war, with hundreds more stopping to listen to speeches.

A “Funk the War” protest by Rochester SDS that drew dozens into the streets demanding an end to the occupations and an end to militarization of schools ended violently, when almost 30 police cars interrupted the peaceful protest and began shoving students and community members, threatening them with batons, and spraying them with pepper spray. The police arrested 12 protestors, 2 of whom had to go to the hospital for injuries caused by police brutality. The first person arrested by the police was the only African-American student in the vicinity, and protestors quickly called the police out on this obvious racism. This protest was part of a larger campaign by Rochester SDS to end budget cuts and demilitarize their schools.

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee SDS had a protest of 50 people including members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The protest led to SDSers starting a new campaign for education rights and to fight cutbacks on their campus, as well as a campaign against a racist student senator.

University of Houston SDS held a teach-in with 70 people in attendance. Afghanistan war veteran Matt Dobbs spoke about his experiences in two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and how he has come to oppose the war on a civilian population that is fighting a battle of self-defense against the U.S. occupation.

University of Minnesota SDS held a protest of 30 students that included a skit to demonstrate the need for funding to go to education and not the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Grace Kelley of SDS linked the war to sexism at home, saying “It has been argued by many people, politicians, and even feminists, that the war in Afghanistan is in fact going to liberate the women of Afghanistan. This argument reveals a prejudiced belief that we Americans are in a culturally superior position to help, which is both bigoted and untrue. How can our military forces help the women in Afghanistan overcome their own cultural oppressions when we can’t even eliminate sexism within the military itself, with one in three female veterans reporting sexual assault while in service? How can we claim that we are creating a better world for Afghan women when our superior military force continues to widow them and maim their children? How can we say we are helping the people of Afghanistan when our bombs murder Afghan civilians everyday?”

An Unjust War

The war in Afghanistan is becoming more and more deadly as it continues. 311 coalition troops were killed in the war in 2009 alone, bringing the total of dead soldiers to 869. U.S. and NATO occupation forces do not keep track of civilian casualties, but many estimate that U.S. air strikes and gunfire have killed tens of thousands of Afghans. Just last month, U.S. air strikes killed over 90 Afghan civilians in the northern Afghan village of Omar Kheil. A similar strike in Farah province on May 4 this year killed 147 civilians.

Troop levels have increased from 5,200 in 2002 to 68,000 in 2009, with no talk of de-escalation or ending the war. The war is costing American taxpayers millions of dollars everyday – $228 billion overall, $60.2 billion of which was spent in 2009 alone.

There will be no justice for the Afghan people while U.S. and NATO forces occupy their country. Only full U.S. and NATO withdraw will give the Afghan people self-determination, their right. It is the continued responsibility of activists in the US to demand an end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to insist that the hundreds billions of dollars being used to pay off the banks and wage war on peoples around the world be used for social needs at home, like education and healthcare.

This statement is in response to the elimination of the North Carolina EARN Scholarship.
by UNC at Asheville Students for a Democratic Society

Description of the Scholarship:
EARN was established by the 2007 North Carolina General Assembly to provide grants to eligible students to enable them to obtain an education beyond the high school level at community colleges, public universities, and private colleges and universities in North Carolina without incurring student loans during the first two years of their postsecondary education.

Eligibility

To be considered for funding:
• The student must qualify as a legal resident of North Carolina and the United States and must qualify as a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes.
• The student must enroll full-time for the first time, exclusive of any college credits earned while in high school, at an eligible North Carolina college or university within seven months of graduation from a North Carolina high school or home school or receipt of a GED from a North Carolina institution.
• The student must be classified as “dependent” for Federal Title IV programs or is a ward or dependent of the court.
• The student must demonstrate total family income not exceeding 200% of the applicable federal poverty guideline.
• The student must meet all other eligibility requirements for the federal Pell Grant.
• In order to retain eligibility for a grant for a second year, the student must meet the satisfactory academic progress standards established by the eligible college or university in which the student is enrolled.
• The student may not receive a grant through this program for more than the equivalent of two academic years.

Value
The maximum grant for which a student is eligible is $4,000 per academic year. The EARN grant plus other financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance established by each college or university.

UNC at Asheville Students for a Democratic Society believes that college should and can be a reality for everyone. Unfortunately, some individuals have serious financial limitations which negatively affect their access to higher education. Scholarships like EARN allow students in such situations to have a more equal chance to succeed in school and ultimately in life. North Carolina has eliminated this scholarship thus possibly eliminating the chances of 10,700 students statewide, including 96 here at UNCA. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, a student’s income or his or her family’s income must fall within 200% of the poverty level. For several reasons, including public policies and how they affect minoritized people, many individuals who qualify to receive the EARN scholarship belong to marginalized racial and ethnic populations. North Carolina is therefore turning its back on not only its impoverished, but also its outnumbered, outvoted, oppressed population.

UNC at Asheville must take this statewide aid cut seriously and come up with alternative ways of providing this aid to students who would otherwise qualify for this scholarship. If not, the public and the campus community have no reason to believe that UNCA cares about diversity and equal opportunity. On its website, the school claims: “UNCA brings together faculty, students, and staff of diverse cultural backgrounds to interact closely in a supportive community.” Ignoring the effects of the elimination of this scholarship is the exact opposite of providing a supportive community.

On the website, UNCA also claims that “the ultimate aim of the university is to provide students the best possible opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to pursue their goals, to find meaning in their lives, and to take their places as contributing citizens of a changing society.” UNCA cannot ignore the fact that if those in charge cannot come up with a way to replace these lost funds, we will only be providing the “best possible opportunity” to achieve all of these things to those individuals who already have the opportunity.

On the 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, voices shouted “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!” across the quad on the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Over 50 students and members from the Asheville community gathered to speak out and rally against the war.  UNCA Students for a Democratic Society member Angela Denio said, “The people of Afghanistan have the right to self determination. Eight years of unjust U.S. occupation in Afghanistan has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties, and displaced too many families that are now living in extreme suffering and poverty.”

UNCA SDS member Katie Sue Campbell ended with the cry, “What do we want?” and everyone demanded “Troops out now!”

See also the national SDS Antiwar Working Group: On 26 Campuses, Students Demonstrate Against Afghanistan Occupation

For Immediate Release
October  — 2009   
                  
For more information, contact:
UNC-Asheville Students for a Democratic Society   
UNCASDS@gmail.com       

Asheville  – October 7th, 2009 will mark eight years of U.S. military occupation in Afghanistan.  Originally initiated by the administration of George W. Bush, this brutal war is based on lies. While having virtually nothing to do with fighting terrorism, it is instead a ploy for the long-term control of strategic resources in Central Asia for the benefit of the U.S. ruling class and its allies. 

“This war has brought nothing but misery for the Afghan people,” says UNCA SDS member Sarah Buchner. “It is a failed and hated occupation that should not be escalated but should end, like every other U.S. military occupation.”

Organizers are calling for the billions that are wasted on empire-building abroad to be used for providing jobs, health care, and education at home instead.  “With the current economic depression and the university budget in crisis, we demand that the billions of dollars currently being spent on ongoing war and occupation be brought home,” says UNCA SDS member Katie Sue Campbell.

At the 2009 National Convention of the Students for a Democratic Society, a resolution to mark the 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan was passed unanimously.  On October 7th, SDS chapters around the country will be organizing protests, actions and educational activities to raise awareness on campuses about the continuing war in Afghanistan.  Students for a Democratic Society is urging students and youth across the country to participate in whatever way they can.

To raise awareness about the ongoing occupation both on campus and in the larger Asheville community, the UNC Asheville chapter of Students for a Democratic Society will hold a speak-out against the war on the quad at 11:30am on October 7th.  Members of the campus and larger community are invited to assemble, voice their opinions, and sign anti-war petitions.  This event is designed to resist widespread apathy towards U.S. military aggression abroad and to offer the community options for activism at home.

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For more information on the SDS National Day of Action visit the SDS Antiwar Working Group, read the call to action, and check out the list of endorsers and participants!

Click for October 7 Poster PDF File

The videos are available online here: http://rethinkafghanistan.com/videos.php

UNC-Asheville Students for a Democratic Society is organizing this rally as part of the national day of action called by the national SDS Antiwar Working Group