Gainesville, FL – On March 14, students from across the U.S. and Canada will demand an end to all fees and cuts to higher education. At their fall national convention, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) published an “Education Rights Call To Action.” It is a response to the never-ending hikes in tuition and growing cuts to education, as well as the large amount of student debt burdening students. SDS chapters and student groups are setting up protests and teach-ins from as far north as Quebec, Canada to as far south as Tampa, Florida.

Tuition hikes and budget cuts threaten the future of youth on campuses and in communities. With each new cost hike, thousands of students and youth are either priced out of an education that rightfully belongs to them or are forced to incur thousands of dollars of student debt. With each cut more teachers lose their jobs, fewer students get the knowledge they deserve and more and more young people are forced to take on a lifetime of debt. The future of this country resides in the opportunities given to the youth. However, there is shrinking opportunity for many students and they are struggling with debt upon graduation.

Students feel the pinch of overpaid administrators' and legislators' tuition hikes. Low-income students – many African-American, Chicano or immigrant – are finding it difficult to afford college. Big administrators give themselves raises while they close down cultural centers for Black and Latino students, end funding for women's and LGBTQ organizations and expect rising tuition and state taxes to pay their bloated salaries. Students are demanding that politicians and administrators start to “Chop from the top!”: Cut administrators’ salaries and bloated management layers.

With each hike in tuition or cut to higher education, the student movement grows stronger. On March 14, students will organize demonstrations, protest at board of trustees meetings, host a sit-in or a teach-in, conduct a walkout or take other actions that challenge the administrators and lawmakers. Students are taking back their right to an affordable and accessible education. Education is a right! Something worth fighting for!

March 14 marks the 4th annual Spring National Day of Action for Education Rights. Join Students for a Democratic Society, take up the call to action and take back your campus!

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