Detroit, MI – On October 28, 20 Wayne State University students and members of Students for a Democratic Society at Wayne State met for a study-in outside Wayne State Dean of Students David Strauss’s office to defend student visas and green cards in the wake of Wayne State's revocation of at least 12 students’ visas in spring 2025.

Students sat outside the office with signs reading “Defend student visas” and “Protect international students,” demanding that the Wayne State University administration stop the collaboration with ICE and the Trump administration, by creating real policies that protect international students.

Wayne State University administration has revoked at least 12 student visas as of April 2025, forcing them to self-deport under threat by the university of ICE violence if refused. Since then, student groups such as Students for a Democratic Society at Wayne State University have pushed for sanctuary campus policies and a defense of student visas. However, Wayne State’s administration so far has refused to address these concerns.

Wayne State students organized the study-in to make it clear to the Wayne State administration that the student body cannot be ignored, and that real change on campus is needed.

Around an hour into the study-in, Dean of Students David Strauss finally acknowledged students, asking if they wanted a university sign moved from the hallway, instead of addressing students' concerns over the 12 deported students.

Kimberly Perry, a Wayne State University student and member of Students for a Democratic Society, told the dean, “We’d rather talk about the 12 students that got deported than the sign in the hallway.”

Dean Strauss responded by saying that participants in the action should talk to the student newspaper about the deported students. Perry then said, “As a representative of the student body, to administration, I'm just curious on why you haven't done anything to represent the 12 students who have been deported.”

Dean Strauss proceeded to say that making a statement on behalf of the deported students was “above his pay grade” and then refused to talk further about the subject after realizing he was being recorded.

The fight for a sanctuary campus will continue.

#DetroitMI #MI #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS

Atlanta, GA – On October 29, Georgia Tech students, faculty and community members gathered outside Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) headquarters to protest against the use of Flock technology on campus. The rally was organized by Georgia Tech Students for a Democratic Society.

To start the rally, Georgia Tech Students for a Democratic Society (GT SDS) member Max Hill told the crowd, “This mass surveillance technology has been used by ICE in its attacks on immigrants, it has been abused by police officers who stalk and harass innocent people who were accused of no crime, and even been used to track women seeking reproductive care. We’re out here to show GTPD and admin that we, the students and community of Georgia Tech, want these Flock cameras gone from our campus!” They then began leading the group in chants.

During Georgia Tech student government’s “Ask the Chief” event on October 13, the Georgia Tech police chief, Robert Connolly, tried to assure students that Georgia Tech Flock data could only be accessed by police agencies in the state of Georgia and within 50 miles of campus. GT SDS member Joe Rutledge explained why this isn’t enough, “Every week brings new reports of how this technology is being abused. Agency after agency in Georgia are being caught misusing this technology and there have been at least 20 arrests statewide.”

Sofia DeRenzo, another GT SDS member, closed the rally by calling for students to sign the “Flock Off Georgia Tech” petition and to join SDS and YDSA next Friday, November 6 to deliver their demands to Georgia Tech’s administration.

#AtlantaGA #GA #StudentMovement #Flock #Police #Surveillance #GeorgiaTech

Tampa, FL – On Friday, October 23, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally near the University of South Florida (USF) against sexual assault on college campuses.

The rally was part of National SDS’s day of action to demand college administrators stand with women and survivors and put an end to sexual assault on college campuses. This comes as a result of university admin across the nation increasing repression on student activists while turning a blind eye to sexual assaulters.

At Cornell University, a student was drugged and brutally gang-raped by frat members in 2024. None of the seven students named in the sexual assault case at Cornell have been arrested. Only two of the seven have been expelled, and a number of them were assigned essays and workshops as part of their “punishment” for their participation in this assault.

At Florida State University, SDS members JJ Gluek and Kaiden Rosa faced punishment by their university admin for calling out and informing students about a known rapist who is able to live on campus. Meanwhile, JJ and Kaiden faced potential suspension and expulsion. Their conduct hearings resulted in JJ having to write one essay, while Kaiden had to write two.

“According to the American Universities campus survey, 26% of undergraduate women experience nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force or inability to consent during college,” said Jayce Solis of Tampa Bay SDS, in a speech about standing with survivors, “These are students trying to get an education and working toward degrees. Students who should be able to walk into a classroom without having to wonder whether their safety will be taken seriously.”

Protesters held signs with slogans reading, “End rape culture!” and “Expel rapists!” and chanted “Admin, hear us loud and clear, we believe survivors here!” and “We want justice, you say how? Start expelling rapists now!” Cars passed by, honking in support.

Tampa Bay SDS member Ryan Freymueller Jr. states, “It’s important for us to be out here rallying about rape culture because it is such a prevalent issue and because so many victims don’t speak out, out of fear or shame. Victims need to know that there are people who are going to stand up for them even if it isn’t the people who should, like admin. And us standing here and showing support puts pressure on those who should be doing something about it.”

Tampa Bay SDS will continue to fight against rape culture and stand in solidarity with the women and survivors who speak out against corrupt and misogynistic university administration.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #SexualViolence #Cornell

Baton Rouge, LA – On October 23, a broad coalition of student organizations held a rally and march to conclude a week of action against MAGA and sexual assault at LSU. Students protested the LSU administration’s handling of the rape case involving Damien Shanklin, the football player accused of raping Kendall Francis. They also protested the gutting of the school’s cultural centers and demanded reinstatement of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Office.

The student coalition included Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Feminists in Action, Tiger Prison Project, Injustice Reformed, Tigers Against Sexual Assault, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Their week of action included tabling by the various organizations, a sit-in, and concluded with the march.

The march began in Free Speech Alley on LSU’s campus, where students gathered. Along with the students, journalists arrived, including local news station WBRZ and LSU’s student-led newspaper, The Reveille. Campus police also showed up.

Gabriela DeJean, president of LSU SDS, reiterated the demands of the student coalition to the press. “Today we’re here demanding justice. We think that there’s a pervasive rape culture at LSU that has yet to be addressed at all. We’re out here today to make our demands clear and to make sure LSU addresses that.”

SDS member Gabriela Juarez stated, “Sexual assault on this campus is common to an extent that I don’t even think it’s fair to say that it’s not allowed. It is allowed. It’s, at best, regulated.”

The shutting-down of the cultural centers weighs heavily on the students as well, depriving them of safe spaces. “We played board games and talked about our days. There were mentorship programs. They did a food recovery network, so people could get meals there,” N’khia Zachery, president of Injustice Reformed, stated on the importance of the African American Cultural Center.

Students then marched to the Athletic Administration Building, where outside they demanded the expulsion of Damien Shanklin, and justice for Kendall Francis and other survivors. Students shouted chants such as “LSU, you can’t hide! Protecting rapists is a crime!”

What began as only LSU SDS making these demands has formed into a growing student coalition, and its actions have only just begun.

#BatonRougeLA #LA #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #SDS #TitleIX

San Jose, CA – On October 22, students from San Jose State University rallied at the Smith and Carlos statues to demand an end to sexual assault, justice for Jane Doe, and justice for survivors. The rally was organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at SJSU as part of National SDS’s week of action.

The week of action was called in light of the Cornell 7 case, in which seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University gang raped Jane Doe. Protesters chanted, “Cornell is corrupt, expel the rapists, lock them up!”

Cici Liu from SDS noted, “Cornell can turn a blind eye when it comes to rapists. None of the seven students named in the sexual assault case at Cornell have been arrested. Only two of the seven have been expelled, and a number of them were assigned essays and workshops as part of their ‘punishment’ for their participation in this heinous assault.”

Ethan Maruyama from SDS stated, “A federal Title IX investigation also found that SJSU failed to properly handle reports of [Scott Shaw’s] misconduct dating back to 2009. You mean to tell me it took 11 years for a sexual abuser working at our university to be investigated and tried in court?”

Maruyama went on to expose how the university administration is complicit in sexual violence by inviting military recruiters onto campus. “In the Republic of Korea, where the United States stages 80 military bases, Korean women are being forcibly trafficked, prostituted and raped by U.S. military soldiers.”

“This morning, I got news that a military recruiter in Sunnyvale, just a few miles away from here, was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl,” Maruyama continued. “By allowing military recruiters onto campus, our administration is complicit in these crimes.”

Mateo Deal from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) ended the rally by highlighting how the Trump administration is weaponizing Title IX against students, which was used against a transgender women’s volleyball athlete at SJSU. “The Trump administration has further entrenched women’s and LGBTQ oppression by rolling back Title IX protections. The legal ruling now only relates to biological sex, making it effectively legal to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity on college campuses that don’t have statewide protections against these forms of discrimination.”

Deal noted how the rollbacks on Title IX harm LGBTQ students while protecting rapists, saying, “The ruling makes it impossible for there to be a real legal pathway to hold fraternities accountable, perpetuating sexual assault on campus and letting rapists know they can commit their crimes with little to no accountability.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #StudentMovement #TitleIX #SexualViolence #WomensMovement

New Orleans, LA – On October 3 and 4, the 20th National Convention of Students for a Democratic Society was held with great success. Over 240 student and youth activists gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana to say, “Keep up the fight on campus!” and “Build a movement against Trump!” Students from around 26 chapters across the country gathered to learn from seasoned activists, exchange experiences, vote on resolutions, and elect national officers.

Despite facing repression from their universities and the Trump administration, the organizers were united and steadfast in their drive to keep fighting. As SDS’ recently re-elected president, Erin Boyle, put it, “Before SDS, I felt pessimistic about what was going on. I don’t feel that way anymore!”

With the rampant and ongoing threat of ICE terror, SDSers spoke on their campaigns for sanctuary campus policies on the panel entitled “ICE Out Now! Sanctuary Campus Now: Immigrant Rights and the Student Movement.”

On that panel, Sasmit Rahman of the University of Minnesota recalled the noise demonstrations that SDSers conducted outside of ICE agents’ hotel rooms during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

“There's a deep-rooted collective rage that our noise demos tapped into. You're seeing the kidnapping of immigrants all across the cities, and the kidnappers and occupiers are in the building in front of you. Trying to control that rage, actually, is not our job at all,” Rahman said.

Earlier in the day, SDSers and other activists spoke on the “Money for Education, Not for Wars and Occupation: Continuing the Tradition of Anti-war Student Activism” panel. It was there that Navya Prakash of Together United Louisiana (TUL) SDS spoke on her chapter’s strong anti-war and anti-Zionist efforts in spite of the rabidly pro-Israel administration of Tulane University.

“We don't hold these rallies every week only for solidarity, although solidarity is an important part of it. We do them, because every time they call Tulane police, every time they put up barricades around our campus, it's proof that we are making a change in our campus,” said Prakash “We can't allow them to see that the students will just take whatever they do lying down. We have to organize at these extremely reactionary places, because these institutions can be won.”

At the end of the first day, students and community members rallied in the convention center at a protest to demand the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. The action was organized by New Orleans’ affiliate to the Anti-War Action Network, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP).

On the second day of the convention, organizers voted on resolutions for National SDS and demonstrated great unity as they passed resolutions to combat gender oppression on campus, honor those martyred by racist violence and police brutality, reaffirm their commitment to defending free speech on campus, continue solidarity with the people of Palestine, demand the freedom of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and ultimately to resist attacks by the Trump administration and the ruling class wherever they may appear.

Above all, this convention demonstrated that the student movement continues to be strong and steadfast.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #SDSConvention #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement

Baton Rouge, LA – On October 16, students at Louisiana State University (LSU) mobilized at the Board of Supervisors meeting to demand an end to LSU’s recent attacks on Title IX. While students gathered inside to speak, other supporters held a rally directly outside the meeting.

The protest was organized by a coalition of organizations including Students for a Democratic Society (LSU SDS), Injustice Reform, Feminists in Action, Tiger Prison Project, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Tigers Against Sexual Assault.

During public comment, board members repeatedly interrupted Ziad Eissa, vice president of LSU SD. Eventually, the board had police forcefully remove him from the meeting. They also removed three other members of SDS who were waiting to give their comments. This meeting had a significant increase in police repression in comparison to previous ones, with officers from the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department, and even an undercover officer from the local sheriff’s department.

When supporters learned that their fellow students were denied the right to speak, the rally outside intensified. Students ensured that their voices could be heard from inside the building. Chants like “LSU you can’t hide! Protecting rapists is a crime!” “ Hey hey! Ho ho! The BOS has to go!” and “LSU what do you say, how many girls got raped today?!” could be heard from inside the building while the board met.

The rally raised demands for the cultural centers on campus to be restored to their full capacity. It also demanded the restoration of Title IX offices like the office of engagement, and that LSU expel Damien Shanklin and all other rapists on campus. Students criticized the LSU administration for escalating its clearly racist, sexist and homophobic actions under Trump.

“Across the nation, universities and police work hand in hand to protect rapists, bigots and racists, while punishing students who dare to fight back. Why? Because the capitalist ruling class feeds on oppression,” explained Enola Guyer, a speaker from Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Despite heightened police presence at the event, protesters made it clear that they will not quit fighting against the university administration’s repression.

“We want Landry’s lapdogs to know that we know who they are, we know what they stand for, and we will not stop fighting until our demands are met!” said Guyer as she closed out her speech.

The coalition has planned a week of action from October 19 to the 23, with a range of activities from an open mic night to a sit-in, closing out with a rally to demand that LSU expel Damien Shanklin. Shanklin is a rapist who was allowed on campus with no consequence, and permitted to play for LSU’s football team even after a LSU investigation determined he raped another student.

#BatonRougeLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #WomensMovement

New Orleans, LA – On October 22, the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) rallied as part of a national day of action against sexual violence and rape culture on university campuses. The day of action was called in response to the ongoing coverage surrounding the Cornell 57 and rampant sexual violence on college campuses in general.

At the rally, Loyola students expressed that their university had repeatedly failed to keep them and their peers safe and called for stronger systems of accountability from their administrators.

Speaking for LUNO SDS, Loyola freshman Jessica Monahan stated, “It is imperative that bodies of authority in our universities hear out and defend people like Jane Doe. Not only because it is their job, but because these people need to be and feel safe speaking out about their experiences.” Monahan continued, “What precedent does it set when sexual predators are made to pay for the trauma and dehumanization they've enacted with mere essays and suspensions?”

Incidents of sexual violence do not exist in isolation and are indeed a part of a wider systemic problem. Juleea Berthelot of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the Republican-led effort to roll back Title IX protections.

“The rollbacks put in place are being used to protect the status quo as it exists. The ruling makes it impossible for there to be a real legal pathway to hold fraternities accountable for perpetrating sexual assault on campus and lets rapists know they can commit their crimes with little to no accountability,” Berthelot said.

Berthelot continued, “The rollback lets schools get off the hook for refusing to come to the aid of victims. It defends rich and powerful students from even being accused of rape by demoralizing those who come forward.” Berthelot finished their speech by reminding the crowd that “more people are becoming conscious of the rotten corruption and injustice allowed on campuses,” and “the struggle for socialism will only intensify as more people in the United States are forced to realize it is the only way to truly end rape culture and anti-LGBTQ attacks on campus and in our communities.”

The rally concluded with the final demand to convict the Cornell 57 and for justice for all survivors.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #LUNO #WomensMovement #SexualViolence #LGBTQ

Chicago, IL – On October 15, students mobilized to the University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) University Hall to deliver an open letter demanding an end to UIC’s “open expression” form and a stop to the university’s restrictions on free speech for student organizations. The protest was put on by Students for a Democratic Society at UIC (SDS) as a part of the SDS’ National Day of Action and to fight back against recent attacks on progressive student organizations.

The “open expression” form requires UIC students to fill out paperwork through the dean of students when rallying or speaking out on campus.

“The administration thinks this university belongs to them but it doesn't. It belongs to the students! it belongs to the workers! To the community! To the people!” said Sanele Stewart, a member of SDS. Stewart continued, “The students of the past had to fight to make this university what it is now, and we aren't just going to fight to protect those victories, but to win new ones!”

“We should not have to fear consequences for peacefully challenging decisions made by those in power,” said Maria Perez of Mexican Students de Aztlan

Amir Hartt, a member of SDS and Students for Justice in Palestine at UIC (SJP), told the crowd, “If we face enough constant obstacles, admin thinks that we’ll either give up our organizing, scale it down, or something else that’ll shut us up for the semester. Our campaigns at their core are hostile to admin. Divestment from genocide is hostile to admin, it makes their investments into child-killing devices a sunken cost.”

In its open letter, SDS at UIC wrote: “We demand an end to the so-called Open Expression Policy, which has repeatedly been used by UIC to restrict the speech of political student organizations on campus. In particular we want an end to the policy of prior registration and administrative approval for free speech and assembly.” The letter also states: “We wonder what the point of being a registered student organization is if it only means handing over personal contact information which is then used by administration to discourage students from being active on campus?”

After hearing speeches from SDS and MeSA, the students headed inside University Hall to deliver their open letter to university administration, specifically UIC Chancellor Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda.

While the group of students planned on taking the University Hall elevator to the 28th floor and delivering their letter, administrators from UIC’s dean of students, without reason, told the students that they could not take the elevator up. The students pushed back against this, and, after negotiating, two students took the elevator up to Chancellor Miranda’s office and delivered the letter, not to the Chancellor herself, but to Elizabeth Fulmer from the chancellor’s office.

Students for a Democratic Society at UIC and their allies were able to successfully deliver their letter, but the students are not planning on giving up the pressure. Keep an eye on @sdsatuic on Instagram for more updates.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #MeSA #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – Thursday, October 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota (SDS), and Women’s March MN Action Fund organized a rally and march starting at Van Cleve Park in Minneapolis to call attention to the prevalence of sexual violence on college campuses and to demand justice for survivors.

Around 300 people gathered to hear organizers and community members speak on the prevalence of sexual assault against immigrant and Native American women, about their own experiences with their own sexual assault, and in support of Title IX. Speakers also condemned the actions of the Cornell 7, the entire Chi Phi fraternity, and Cornell’s administration, emphasizing that while the spotlight is currently on Cornell, they are the rule, not the exception.

Nationwide, one in four women (and one in 14 men) experience sexual violence while attending college.

MNAAC organizer Ashley Taylor-Gouge stated, “In 1989, the UMN campus abruptly shut down the sexual violence center on campus after publishing group-specific sexual assault statistics on campus.”

Taylor-Gouge continued, “The university president said fathers won't want to send their daughters here if they know these numbers.” Eventually, through militant actions like sit-ins and demonstrations, the students fought and won those services back, demonstrating how harshly victims are silenced and what lengths they must go to in order to fight for justice.

Jana Williams, the aunt of Allison Lussier, spoke about her niece’s death in 2024 at the hands of an abusive partner, as well as the inaction of the Minneapolis Police Department in both preventing her death and investigating it, a fate disproportionately common for indigenous women like Allison. Williams declared, “Our bodies are not public property, our bodies are not prizes, our bodies are not something a man gets to claim because he wants them. We are all human beings and we all deserve to be safe.”

Outside of the University’s Athletic Center, MNAAC organizer Envy Matisse told protesters “Back in 2016, ten Gopher football players participated in the gang rape of a female student on this campus. These players were suspended, but no criminal charges were ever brought against them. To make things even worse, the rest of the Gopher football team threatened to boycott one of their games to stand in solidarity with these rapists. The head coach at the time, Tracy Claeys, supported this boycott.”

The march route took protesters past several frat houses on the University of Minnesota’s Fraternity Row, while attendees shouted chants like “We believe survivors! The rapists are the liars!” and “Survivors united will never be defeated!” Instead of joining or chanting with the crowd, members of these houses retreated inside and closed their doors, further proving the necessity of the protest.

The Cornell investigation arises at the same time that the Trump administration is gutting the Title IX protections that are crucial for prosecuting discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual or gender identity. While the Trump administration has targeted transgender people in the name of protecting women, studies show that women’s safety is inextricably linked to the safety of trans people, and that improving the safety of trans and gender non-conforming college students reduces overall sexual violence on campus. Trans people are also more likely to face sexual violence than their cisgender peers and deserve the same protection and paths to justice.

“Freedom to provide or deny consent is an intrinsic part of bodily autonomy, and for too long sexual violence has been overlooked and tolerated—by colleges, governments, and society at large,” said MNAAC member Isabelle Wattenberg. “The bravery of survivors to bring their stories into the spotlight is powerful, and we owe it to them to expose, shame, prosecute and bring their perpetrators to justice.”

MNAAC is a reproductive justice organization that fights for reproductive and trans rights, including abortion access, bodily autonomy and gender-affirming care. SDS is growing the student movement at the University of Minnesota, from protesting for Palestine to fighting for a sanctuary campus. Women's March Minnesota fights for women’s liberation, and Thursday night’s action was part of a National Day of Action to stop sexual violence called by the national Women’s March organization, with over 150 actions across the U.S.

The organizers of the Minneapolis event called for perpetrators, who are almost always men, to face consequences commensurate to their crimes.

Beth Miller is a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC)

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #StudentMovement #Cornell7 #SexualViolence

Detroit, MI – Wayne State University students and community members gathered Wednesday, October 7, to defend Palestine’s right to resist on the third anniversary of Israel-United States’ genocide in Gaza.

The demonstration was organized by WSU Students for a Democratic Society. Endorsing groups in attendance included WSU Students for Justice in Palestine, College Democrats at WSU, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Beginning the rally with chants, students defended the right of Palestinians to resist Zionist occupation, as well as demanded WSU divest from war profiteers. Protesters could be chanting that no more of their tuition money should go to funding genocide.

FRSO member Jackson Robak told the crowd, “We are here today to stand with the Palestinian Resistance, who, on October 7, looked death in the eye and bravely fought back against Zionist occupation, showing the world that the Israeli occupation forces could be defeated.”

A member of WSU SDS stated, “History has shown the world that the Palestine movement is an inalienable part of the student movement, that the oppressed people of the world have an ally in the student movement, and that even though Palestine has taken up less and less space in the headlines, we are still here and still fighting.”

A march around campus was led by a banner reading, “Wayne State cut the ties,” and Palestine flags were held high. While protesters were in route, a professor and class of approximately 250 students joined the march in support.

A small group of five Zionists attempted to counter-protest the rally, trailing behind marchers. Police stood in front of the Zionists; however, the size of the march showed that WSU students stand with the Palestinian people, and chants of “From Wayne State to Palestine, resistance is justified” drowned out those in opposition.

On their way back to Keast Commons, marchers passed the patch of grass where an encampment was set up in 2024 to demand WSU divest from Israel. Since the genocide began, students have mobilized to support the Palestinian people’s struggle for liberation, and, three years on, the fight for a free Palestine is still alive at Wayne State.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Palestine #October7

New York, NY – On October 9, students gathered at Garibaldi Plaza in Washington Square Park for a rally organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at NYU, to launch a new campaign by SDS demanding the NYU administration do more to better the Black student experience at NYU.

The rally was endorsed by the NYU Black Student Union, NYU Brown Sugar Brilliance and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) at NYU.

The campaign, with the slogan “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white! Increase Black enrollment now!” was launched publicly on October 2 and has garnered over 125 signatures. The campaign demands are: Increase Black enrollment at NYU to 20% within the next five years to match the demographics of NYC; publicly release enrollment and admissions racial data so that students can keep track of progress; create a Black space on campus within a year; release demographic data on faculty, and hire more Black faculty.

Oko Kangnigan, a member of SDS, was the protest emcee. He led protesters chants such as, “We want justice, you say how? Increase Black enrollment now!” “Black enrollment’s through the floor! We won’t take it anymore” and “Hear us admin you can’t hide! We can see your racist side!” Several people walked by taking fliers to sign on to the petition, staying around to take videos and listen to chants, and expressed their support by pumping their fists.

Several speakers talked about their experiences as Black students at NYU and called out the failure of the administration to make them feel welcomed on campus. They highlighted the necessity to organize and fight for a place on campus and to better the Black student experience through these demands.

“I started by asking ‘Do I really belong here?’ but I want NYU to start answering a different question: ‘What is the admin willing to do to make sure Black students know that we belong here?’ Not just a statement, not just a website, not just in a diversity brochure. But in the classrooms, in the faculty, in the enrollment numbers, the resources and the spaces we are given. As Black students, we do belong here,” said Raoul Estinvil, who is a Black student at NYU.

“We deserve community and the opportunity to take as much space as we possibly need here. It is simply not enough for them to include us in their pedagogies. We must be the ones to tell our own stories. To take back the pens and data used to talk about us as though we have no mouths for ourselves,” said Tapuwanashe Hightower, who spoke for YDSA, adding, “We are not asking, we are demanding for the increase of Black enrollment at NYU.”

“Black students have received threats on our lives that were not properly addressed by the administration, we have watched individuals try to bring white supremacists onto this campus, and we have had our university’s systems hacked, with our intelligence slandered with racial slurs, and our achievements dismissed with the lie that we only got in due to affirmative action. These are realities we have lived through, and the administration’s response has too often been silence, delay or half measures. So yes, we want more Black students at NYU, but we also want a campus where those students can thrive, not just survive. Administration needs to be held accountable, and answer for the harms that have been done and to commit to real, structural change,” read a statement from the Black Student Union, which was read aloud by Jolin Wu, a member of SDS.

“Black students have worked hard for their position at NYU, and we have had to overcome barriers within education and it won't stop now. We will not stop until NYU gives in to our demands! So, my fellow classmates and peers, I implore you. Get out! Come to protests, come to rallies, come to speak-outs because NYU cannot silence your voice!” said Kangnigan in his speech to end the rally.

After speakers, protesters marched through Washington Square Park. Police followed them from behind, in an attempt to intimidate them. Protesters marched to Bobst Library and stopped right in front. To end off the rally, Kangnigan led the crowd in doing a chant, “Dare to struggle! Dare to win!”

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #SDS #NYUBSU

New York City, NY – Over 100 students rallied at Garibaldi Plaza in Washington Square Park on October 7 to demand NYU cut ties to Israel after three years of genocide in Gaza. The protest was organized by the NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Protesters chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” There were several journalists with cameras taking video and photos of the rally. Police officers stood off to the side of the protest to keep watch of demonstrators. Many people who walked by expressed support by joining along in chants. A few Zionists yelled at protesters but were largely ignored by the crowd.

The SJP, the representative for student activists from the Student Government Assembly, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at NYU and Law Students for Justice in Palestine all spoke to the devastation that Israel has brought onto the Palestinian people in Gaza in the past three years and the continued occupation of Palestine for the last 78 years. They highlighted NYU’s complicity in the genocide and occupation through its investments in weapons companies, its campus in Tel Aviv and its suppression of pro-Palestinian speech on campus. They demanded that NYU shut down its campus in Tel Aviv, disclose and divest a its funds in weapons companies and Israel and end its crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech on campus.

After the speakers, protesters marched around NYU campus chanting, “One, we are the students! Two, we won’t stop fighting. Three, until Palestine is free, free, free, free!” and “NYU what do you say, how many kids did you kill today?” Police once more followed close by.

After marching, SJP invited people to attend a vigil, their last event for their week of action for Palestine to start the semester.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #October7 #NYU

Atlanta, GA – On October 7, Georgia Tech Students for a Democratic Society led a march to demand Flock technology be removed from campus. About 40 students, holding signs against mass surveillance, gathered on Tech Green and marched to each gunshot detector and automated license plate reader camera on campus.

Speakers discussed Flock’s specific connections to Georgia Tech and the harms of mass surveillance in the U.S. as well as in Palestine. Chants at the march included “From Palestine to USA, mass surveillance go away!” and “What do we want? Flock off campus! When do we want it? Now!”

“The CEO and founders of Flock, Garrett Langley, Matt Feury and Paige Todd, are alumni, and the headquarters are right here in Atlanta. We were the first university in the state to use Flock’s drone first responders,” explained Andrew Sarphie, a member of SDS. “We don’t know who can access the data they collect. Over 4000 agencies in Atlanta were able to conduct millions of searches from these cameras last year alone, and Flock can share that data with agencies around the country.”

Sarphie continued, “We know this technology has aided ICE kidnappings and is being abused by police officers to stalk and harass community members. We want Flock, and any other AI surveillance, off Georgia Tech’s campus for good.”

The speaker from the student group Jackets for Palestine stated, “Israel has subjected Palestinians to relentless surveillance and inhuman study. Surveillance cameras turn the survival instincts of Palestinians under genocide into data points. The field is the horror of the genocide that Palestinians themselves live through. Their suffering becomes part of the process through which these technologies are developed and given market value. Once their algorithms are developed and their data is refined, they are then sold off to the highest bidder.”

She added, “Here in America we cannot look at all the advancements of this technology with naivety. Because before that technology reached us, it was tested and its producers have always known exactly what it was capable of.”

At the end of the march, YDSA called for students to attend Georgia Tech PD’s “Ask the Chief” event to increase the pressure on Georgia Tech to protect students’ privacy rights.

Georgia Tech students are not satisfied with the campus police’s vague promise that this technology increases safety on campus. SDS will continue to demand Flock’s removal until every camera is gone.

#AtlantaGA #GA #StudentMovement #FlockCameras #ICE #Surveillance #GeorgiaTech

Chicago, IL – Over 50 students and community members mobilized at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Wednesday, October 7 to demand a free Palestine. The protest, organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UIC, marked three years of Israel's genocide against the Palestinians and 78 years since the Nakba. After the program, students marched through campus chanting.

Speakers connected the struggle for Palestinian liberation to the violence of the U.S. to its own people and the struggle against imperialism globally.

“It has been 78 years since the Nakba, the violent and mass displacement of the Palestinian people all in the name of Zionism. Yet the rabid attack dog known as Israel was not satisfied with their brutality and are now at three years of genocide towards the Palestinian people,” said Dani Espinoza of New SDS.

Sarah Ahmad a member of SJP said, “The ruling class, who has authorized a $21.7 billion payment abroad to Israel since October 2023 and ignored all domestic calls for humanitarian relief, does not act in the interests of justice or humanity – they act in the interests of imperialism, colonialism and capitalism.” Ahmad continued, “But it is the people who have the power to transform society. It is the people, organized in solidarity, who can tear down these systems of oppression and build something new, something just, and something free.”

Ángel Naranjos, reading a statement from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “It is right to rebel and the struggle continues now. We demand an immediate and total end to all U.S. aid to the apartheid state of Israel, the right of return for all Palestinian refugees, and the release of political prisoners.”

Naranjos continued “Of course, October 7 did not happen in a vacuum, but was the legitimate and righteous response to 75 years of ethnic cleansing, of Nakba, of the daily reality of occupation in the form of military violence, land and water theft, demolition of homes, of people trapped under apartheid.”

Rania Salem of the U.S Palestinian Community Network said, “They do not want us speaking on Palestine, they don't want us educating and mobilizing the masses, they do not want us unifying together under one powerful movement that works and fights together. They do not want the students organizing against their institutions in support of Palestine; they fear our movement, because they know that we are winning.”

Graeme Eble, a member of New SDS, said, “So we stand here today as students and community members to continue to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. The U of I system is still invested in genocide. We must show our administration that the students will never back down. We will not be silent in face of genocide, and we will always demand the liberation of the Palestinian people.

Valeria Muñoz Gonzalez of MeSA said, “Our state Illinois invests millions into Israeli bombs, which is investment into a genocide. Instead of investing in the genocide, our government officials in Illinois could choose to invest within our communities. That's right. We must continue to call for UIC and Illinois to divest. We must call for the liberation of Palestinian people for the liberation for all.”

Gonzalez continued, “What's happening in Palestine isn't far from our country. The same violence being unleashed on Palestinians is taught to the FBI, CIA, and ICE in trainings in which the U.S. and Israel collaborate with. That's right. These trainings teach tactics of police violence, mass surveillance, racial profiling, and suppression of descent from protesters. U.S. law enforcement has participated in exchange programs to learn from the violence the IOF uses on Palestinians to unleash in our brown and Black communities. The killings committed by ICE are connected to the IOF senseless killings of Palestine.”

The crowd chanted things like “Up, up with liberation. Down, down with occupation” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

The protest was organized by SDS and SJP in response to UIC's continued complicity in the genocide being committed by Isreal and the United States against the Palestinian people. A few of UIC’s acts of complicity include inviting an Israeli ambassador to campus, organizing a study abroad trip to Israel, and leaking the names of SJP members to the Israeli government.

Endorsing organizations include US Palestinian Community Network, Anti-War Community Chicago, SJP, Anakbayan UIC, JSC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Latinos Unidos, Sanctuary for all, Housing Staff United, Mexican Students De Aztlán.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #SJP

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, October 6, around 30 students and community members held a rapid response pro-Palestine rally outside Tulane Chabad to protest an event held there. Inside, three students who served in the Israeli Defense Forces gave a talk on the three-year anniversary of October 7.

The rally was organized by Together United Louisiana Students for a Democratic Society (TUL SDS). The student organization has protested IDF events held by Tulane all three times they have taken place in the past year. The event was not publicly advertised anywhere. Students learned of it only hours before via a mailing list.

SDS organizer Keenan Gray spoke about their rapid response, stating, “Even though Tulane tried to hide this event and we only found out about it three hours in advance, SDS knew we had to quickly organize a protest to show that the genocidal IDF is never welcome on this campus.”

Students and community members gathered outside the building, banging drums and chanting, “Tulane hear us loud and clear, IDF’s not welcome here!” And “We want justice, you say how? IDF off campus now!”

“Tulane knows they are monsters. That’s why this is happening off campus. That’s why these cowards didn’t even advertise their event until three hours ago. That’s why last year they tried to arrest us for protesting the IDF, why they retaliated so violently against the encampments, and why they constantly shut down pro-Palestine activism,” said TUL SDS member Jai Thombre. “Tulane treats its own students like we are the threat yet welcomes the IDF with open arms.”

Attendees of the event came outside to shout at protesters, but passersby cheered the crowd on and honked in support.

SDS organizer Rory MacDonald, who Tulane Police attempted to arrest at a similar demonstration in November 2025, spoke about the student movement at Tulane, “We are still here, we are still fighting. The anti-Zionist movement at Tulane has only grown. It’s only gotten stronger, and the Zionist movement is cowering!”

Students ended the rally with a promise to continue fighting back against Zionist forces on their campus.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS

Denver, CO – In the afternoon on October 6, more than 30 people, led by Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the protest band Notes of Dissent, rallied and picketed outside the Tivoli Student Union building on Auraria Campus.

After over a year of campaigning for a sanctuary campus and a ban on ICE on campus, the Auraria Board of Directors still refuses to listen to the student body’s concerns about immigrant student safety if ICE were to come onto Auraria campus. While the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board initially collaborated with Denver SDS on drafting a popular policy, Policy 7.7, to ban ICE from Auraria, they backpedaled and decided to no longer support the modified Policy 7.7, which would have banned ICE from being anywhere on campus.

“Thus far, the Auraria administration has taken the cowardly approach,” said Meadow Dunne, a faculty member of the Community College of Denver (CCD) located on the Auraria campus. “They refuse to stand up for what is right. I am calling for the administration to immediately pass and enforce an anti-ICE policy here on campus. None of us deserve to live in fear.”

Despite the board of directors’ and the student advisory committee’s resistance to protections for the student body, Denver SDS is not backing down. On September 16, they marched inside the Tivoli Student Union building up to the Auraria Higher Education Center offices and chanted outside their door for almost an hour before being forced to leave by the Auraria Campus Police Department.

Two weeks later, on September 29, Denver SDS hung banners on the Tivoli’s third floor safety railings displaying a “Wanted” list of faces for Auraria administrators.

And a week later, SDS was joined by Notes of Dissent, a protest marching band, which played songs while the crowd chanted, “Say it once, say it twice! We do not fuck with ICE!” and “We want justice, you say how? ICE out of Denver now!”

“Denver SDS has been working hard on this campaign for over a year, and we still haven’t gotten our demands met!” stated Mel Medina, a member of Denver SDS. “They keep on trying to ignore us, but we keep on getting louder, bolder. The students are the backbone of this campus, and, if it weren’t for us, [administration] wouldn’t be here. So today we are going to make them hear us, whether they like it or not!”

On-campus support for Denver SDS’ campaign to ban ICE on Auraria is growing with each protest.

#DenverCO #CO #Auraria #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #ICE #SanctuaryCampus

Tallahassee, FL – On Thursday, September 17, FAMU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and vigil honoring the life of Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant in Ohio who took his own life after being forced by ICE to wear an ankle monitor. Nearly 50 students gathered in front of Lee Hall to demand an end to the terror from ICE that Haitian immigrants are facing and to demand that Florida A&M University’s administration revoke the 287(g) agreement that puts students' lives at risk.

This protest comes after the recent attacks on Haitians after the revocation of their Temporary Protected Status on July 2 by the Trump administration, putting the lives of over 350,000 Haitian immigrants in jeopardy. Bel, a neuroscience student at Ohio State, was one of many Haitians fitted with an ankle monitor that tracked his every move and created the perception that he was a criminal. It also stopped him from being able to participate in his daily activities that brought him joy, like soccer and ROTC, because he was not allowed to participate in them while wearing the monitor.

Florida A&M University is the only HBCU in the entire country to have signed a 287(g) agreement. This agreement requires the FAMU Police Department to have a number of officers participate in a task force to perform immigration enforcement or work collaboratively with ICE agents. In response, FAMU SDS launched its inaugural campaign to end the agreement.

Other groups in attendance included the Haitian Cultural Club, FAMU Dream Defenders, Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance, Voices Poetry Group, Tallahassee SDS, and the Tallahassee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Protesters pointed to the connection between 287(g) and the revoking of TPS status for Haitian immigrants. They also expressed concerns regarding immigration enforcement.

Jayla Jones, vice president of FAMU SDS, stated, “It is embarrassing to be an HBCU that was built upon generations of Black struggle and resistance fall into the trap of hunting its own people. Students should not have to worry about being profiled or surveilled, or potentially dying at the hands of ICE. This is where we come to learn, share our cultures, and be Black and proud. We must not be complacent within this system. ICE is not welcome here.”

A common sentiment among students is outrage about the legal ability of ICE to racially profile and discriminate against immigrant communities. The court decision by the Supreme Court, in Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security et al. v. Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, et al., allows ICE to detain people based on perceptions that individuals may be immigrants, such as skin color or language. Black Americans have been repeatedly racially profiled and detained by ICE, and that danger has now intensified as Haitian immigrants face more hatred from the GOP.

Considering ICE's long history of mistakenly identifying U.S. citizens for deportations and detention, uprooting the lives of thousands of people, and leaving devastating impacts on individuals who face these unlawful arrests, many students are fearful of what may happen to them.

SDS member Ora Brodie commented, “This could be you, we’re all Black. When ICE comes on this campus, they’re already racially profiling. They don’t care that we’re Black Americans. They just want to kill us or put us in jail.”

FAMU SDS is fighting to revoke the university’s 287(g) agreement and protect their HBCU from ICE and Trump’s attacks. To join, attend a weekly meeting every Thursday at 6pm on the first floor of the Coleman Library. To keep up with what SDS is doing, visit @famusdsofficial on Instagram.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #TPS #PierreDamasBel #FAMU #287g

San Jose, CA – At noon, October 7, two dozen students rallied at San Jose State University to commemorate three years since the escalation of Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people, and to honor Palestinian martyrs. The rally was led by the San Jose chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Other organizations in attendance included the Muslim Student Association, MEChA, Students for Quality Education, and Students for a Democratic Society.

The slogans attacked SJSU admin’s complicity with genocide, campus war profiteers like Lockheed Martin, Alphabet and others, and commemorated the sacrifices the resistance throughout the three years of the Zionist entity’s brutal onslaught against the Palestinian people. The action also called for attention to a recent important campaign victory for SJSU SJP, which managed to secure disclosure of university investments from the SJSU non-profit Tower Foundation.

SJP member Salam Ramahi said, “When I think about Palestine, I don't just think about a place on a map or something I see in the news. I think about my family. I think about the people who know my family and the generations of memories connected to that place. Our lives didn't begin on October 7. We had families, traditions, memories and communities long before them. And those things continue to exist despite everything that has happened.”

The march circled around campus, stopping near the fountain before progressing to its endpoint next to Clark Hall, where campus administrative offices were located.

Muslim Student Association member Moses Ali stated, “If we let our fear control us, the Palestinians may never be free. If we let our fear control us, we let the innocents continue to be oppressed. If we let our fear control us, we stand with the oppressors. To be silent in such a time is siding with the oppressor and giving them your seal of approval.”

Ali continued by calling out SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matison, stating, “And going to SJSU, we must not remain silent, because our university president is on the side of the oppressors. She not only traveled to Israel, but she befriended some IDF soldiers and thought it was cool enough to post. Shame!” An online post resurfaced of President Teniente-Matison praising IDF soldiers several years ago, which many students and organizations on campus have been publicizing.

Hady Barghouti, SJP member and journalism student, told the crowd, “We have seen [journalists] and public figures face consequences for speaking about Palestine. We have seen people lose opportunities and face backlash simply for expressing what they believe.” He also spoke on his personal connection to the displacement and violence Palestine has faced, sharing the story of his grandmother.

Barghouti stated, “It goes back generations. My grandmother was only 14 years old when she was forced from her own home in 1948 and fled to Syria. 14 years old. At 14, most of us are worried about school, friends, sport, or whatever we're doing that weekend. My grandmother was forced to leave her home and start over somewhere else. That history is part of my family. is part of who I am. And that's why, when people tell Palestinians to simply move on, I don't understand how we're supposed to do that.”

The march ended with SJP leadership speaking on their recent success in securing disclosure, while also affirming their commitment to continuing to pressure administration until divestment in apartheid Israel is fully achieved.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #October7

Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement from the Women’s & LGBTQ Work Team of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s LGBTQ and Women’s Work Team strongly condemns the Cornell 7 and the university leadership and police department responsible for protecting the rapists involved since 2024.

This case is just one example of the deeply embedded legal and cultural tools used by universities across the country to protect rapists. While fraternities, reactionaries, racists and bigots are given slaps on the wrist or not held accountable at all, students across the country are facing the threat of expulsion, suspension, or some other form of punishment simply for calling for a Free Palestine or holding a protest on their campus with a megaphone.

The ruling class isn’t satisfied with just maintaining the current system that protects rapists and punishes revolutionaries, they want to take things further. The Trump administration has further entrenched women’s and LGBTQ oppression by rolling back Title 9 protections. The legal ruling now only relates to biological sex, making it effectively legal to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity on college campuses that don’t have statewide protections against these forms of discrimination.

The Title 9 changes also affect how schools must respond to sexual misconduct reports on campus, requiring colleges to have courtroom hearings and requiring an even higher standard of proof for sexual assault and harassment. Sexual misconduct was already difficult to discipline students on campus. This ruling makes survivors even less likely to report their attempts. In practice, sexual misconduct and assault are legal on the majority of campuses in the United States.

The Republican party-led attacks on Title 9 are more than a personal vendetta. They aren’t just a tool to use LGBTQ as scapegoats on campus. The rollbacks put in place are being used to protect the status quo as it exists. The ruling makes it impossible for there to be a real legal pathway to hold fraternities accountable, perpetuating sexual assault on campus and letting rapists know they can commit their crimes with little to no accountability. It lets schools get off the hook for refusing to come to the aid of victims. It defends rich and powerful students from even being accused of rape by demoralizing those who come forward. It keeps LGBTQ students in a state of fear and gives chauvinistic university leadership the opportunity to make their lives hell on campus.

In the long term, the rollbacks on Title 9 and the increasing attention on the Cornell 7 case spell doom for the billionaires and multimillionaires who pressure politicians and universities to protect and defend rapists and LGBTQ discrimination on campus. More people are becoming conscious of the rotten corruption and injustice allowed on campuses, and the struggle for socialism will intensify as more people in the United States are forced to realize it is the only way to truly end rape culture and anti-LGBTQ attacks on campus and in our communities.

Justice for Jane Doe! Convict the Cornell 7! End Trump’s attacks on Title 9!

#WomensMovement #LGBTQ #StudentMovement #Cornell #SexualViolence