Chicago, IL – On Thursday, December 15, around 50 students and staff from progressive organizations and unions at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) rallied outside of the quarterly University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting to demand that the board fund diversity measures.

Orlando, FL – On January 14, University of Central Florida (UCF) Students for a Democratic Society rallied more than 100 students to march on Millican Hall, the campus’s primary administrative building, to demand UCF President Alexander Cartwright meet with student leaders about making UCF a sanctuary campus.

Chicago, IL – On January 13, over 40 students rallied on the University of Illinois Chicago campus in response to ICE’s murder of Renee Nicole Good, and to demand justice for all victims of ICE terror. Students responded to the national week of action by the National Students for a Democratic Society.

We’re ready to fight back

Gio Araujo, from New SDS at UIC, spoke on the importance of taking the lessons of 2025 into the new year. “We’re not going in blind, we’ve experienced a 2025 of ICE terror in our communities and have learned the tactics and strategies.”

Tampa, FL – On January 13, approximately 70 people attended a rally at the intersection of USF Palm and Fletcher to demand ICE off campus and justice in the wake of the killing of Nicole Renee Good in Minneapolis.

The protest was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society as a call to action against ICE.

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, January 7, students at the University of North Florida gathered for a banner-drop demanding the school be declared a sanctuary campus. The demonstration, organized by the Jacksonville chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was the latest in a long line of protests against the university’s cooperation with ICE.

Fight Back! News is circulating the following statement from the New Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Illinois Chicago (New SDS at UIC).

New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC is proud to announce that we’ve successfully pushed UIC administration to commit to increasing funding for all seven cultural centers on campus! In the era of Trump 2.0, this is an important victory in the struggle to defend diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. When we dare to struggle, we dare to win!

New Orleans, LA — On Friday morning, December 12, students rallied outside Tulane University while a member of Together United Louisiana Students for a Democratic Society (TUL SDS) met with administration. The meeting was scheduled after students’ hand-delivered letters in November demanding Tulane reject Trump’s compact for higher education.

New Orleans, LA – On December 3, students at Loyola University New Orleans showed up to oppose the second attempt at chartering a Turning Point USA chapter on their campus.

In October of this year, a small group of conservative students attended a student senate session to propose a TPUSA Charter at Loyola. At that meeting, over 100 students packed the room to show their opposition to a chapter on campus. When the senate denied the charter, the pro-TPUSA students appealed to have their proposal heard again.

New York, NY – Students attended a teach-in about the NYU board of trustees, December 3, led by members of the Students for a Democratic Society at NYU. The teach-in talked about what the board of trustees were, their interests as a body, specific members of the board of trustees and the necessity to organize and take action.

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, November 20, students gathered outside the Fire and Safety Building, demanding that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee administration and the UWM Police Department stop its repression against student and community activists.

Austin, TX – On November 20, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a speak out against a U.S. war on Venezuela. A group of students and faculty gathered for speeches at the George Washington statue on the University of Texas campus

Tampa, FL – On November 20, students and community members, including members from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied near the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa campus to demand no war on Venezuela. Slogans and speeches included demands including “Stop the missile attacks now!” “No more U.S. wars for oil!” and “Lift the U.S. sanctions off Venezuela now!” The energy was high, with students passing by taking fliers from the rally, and cars honking in support of the anti-war event.

By Jake Holtzman

Austin, TX – On November 19, a group of around 30 UT Austin students and alumni rallied at the UT Systems Building during the UT board of regents meeting. Students are demanding that UT deny Trump’s Compact on Higher Education, which would slash gender and ethnic studies programs, lower international student enrollment, and limit academic freedom.

Chicago, IL – In the early morning of Thursday, November 13, dozens of student and union activists demonstrated outside of the UIC Dorin Forum in Chicago to demand that the University of Illinois (U of I) System Board of Trustees increase funding for cultural centers and divest from the genocidal state of Israel. The U of I System encompasses three universities – the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of Illinois Springfield.

New York, NY – On November 13, members of the Students for a Democratic Society rallied in front of the Kimmel Center at NYU, the building where the University Senate meeting was taking place. They rallied to demand NYU do not comply with Trump’s attacks on higher education.

Baton Rouge, LA – Louisiana State University (LSU) students marched from the Student Unioin to the president’s office on Monday, November 10, to deliver a petition demanding that the new LSU president reject Trump’s compact agreement.

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, November 6, students gathered at Spaights Plaza on the UWM campus, demanding that UWM and all other universities, reject Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence, which includes demands to terminate DEI initiatives, a crackdown on free speech of students and faculty, and calls for repression against student activists.

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, November 8, over 100 protesters gathered at Tampa City Hall to call for the immediate release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian American from Palm Bay, Florida, who had been illegally detained by Israeli forces since February, while visiting family in the occupied West Bank.

New York, NY – On November 7, over a dozen students joined a rally led by the NYU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), with endorsements from several other student and faculty organizations. The rally was called in as a part of the National Day of Action called by the Students Rise Up coalition, a coalition of the Sunrise Movement, SDS, and others to fight back against Trump and his attacks on higher education.

Chicago, IL – On Friday, November 7, New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) rallied with 30 students to demand that UIC administration fund the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) and reject Donald Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that attempts to take control of higher education.