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

Flagstaff, AZ – After their September 4 “ICE out!” protest, members of the Flagstaff chapter of Students for a Democratic Society received identical Code of Conduct charges from Northern Arizona University. The charges meant the students were facing potential suspension or expulsion.

After holding a march, a sit-in, multiple call-ins, posting statements on social media, and sending a cease and desist notice from a lawyer, suspension or expulsion was avoided for all three students, and SDS Flagstaff declared victory over the university on September 28.

On Friday, September 11, SDS Flagstaff Vice President Sarah Rogala received an email informing her she was being charged with violations of the following Code of Conduct policies: “Other Rules,” “Failure to Comply,” and “Disruption.” Rogala was already on university probation due to similar charges stemming from SDS’s April 10 “ICE out” protest.

“Considering suspension was brought up as a possibility in that first hearing, when I had nothing on my record, I was thinking suspension was the most likely outcome of the hearing,” said Rogala.

On September 13, Claire Wagoner, president of SDS Flagstaff, received a notice from Jeffery D. McKay, NAU’s vice president for capital planning and campus operations. The letter stated that she is permanently trespassed from campus property for the repeated use of amplified sound equipment (megaphones) which were not registered with the university in advance. If Wagoner were to step foot on or drive through the NAU campus, she could potentially face several months in jail for trespassing.

“SDS is currently discussing our options with lawyers for rescinding this unconstitutional trespass order, which was served to restrict our First Amendment rights,” said Wagoner.

After Wagoner’s trespass order and the charges against Rogala, SDS Flagstaff organized a protest on September 18. Thirty minutes before the protest, two more SDS members, including Judah Francabandera, received the same charges as Rogala, with hearings scheduled for September 23.

The protest on September 18 started with a rally at NAU’s First Amendment Plaza and was attended by an estimated 80 to 100 people. At the rally, an SDS member read a speech written by Claire Wagoner, who could not attend due to the trespass given to her. Wagoner wrote, “Since the formation of our SDS chapter, we have been dealing with constant retaliation from NAU admin. They have made it abundantly clear they would rather target and punish student protesters than protect NAU students from ICE.”

Wagoner continued, “We can see clear as day that NAU is deeply afraid of the students rising together to demand better policies. They are doubling down in this fear, trespassing me for simply using a megaphone. They can and will arrest me and put me in jail for up to six months if I were to walk on campus, but we aren't scared!”

After the speech, the gathered crowd of students marched around the Student Union with the demands that the charges be dropped and NAU protect its students from ICE.

After being rescheduled multiple times, Rogala’s hearing was ultimately held on September 25. A sit-in and a call-in were held in support of Rogala. Lawyers were also contacted, and a cease and desist letter was emailed to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and NAU President Cruz Rivera. The letter was also emailed to the Center for Inclusive Excellence and Access, whose program director, Bernadine Lewis, filed the charges against Rogala. These actions culminated in Rogala being told in her hearing with Julia L. Czekaj that the school was not considering suspending or expelling her, which were two of the most severe possible outcomes.

After Rogala’s hearing, and the hearings of the other students, SDS Flagstaff released a statement on social media on September 28 declaring victory and reaffirming their goal of fighting for “sanctuary campus” policies at NAU, which would restrict ICE officers’ presence on campus and ensure that campus staff do not cooperate with ICE.

“We have faced many challenges in the last two weeks, but we have not let ourselves get demoralized, we have fought back hard, learned lessons from the struggle, and won! So please join us as we resume our fight for a sanctuary campus at NAU! Because when we fight, we win!” the statement said.

#FlagstaffAZ #AZ #StudentMovement #NorthernArizonaUniversity #ImmigrantRights #FreeSpeech #Featured

One sign read, “Barnard’s border wall construction has high costs to the environment and immigrants, and diminishing returns,” while another read, “Border wall construction has already had destructive impacts on the Big Bend national park.”

This protest occurred in the context of what SDS described as MSU trying to “Intimidate student free speech.” According to a statement put out by SDS hours after the protest, the day before, MSU’s Dean of Students Matt Caires called SDS leadership into a meeting where he told them, any “social activism inside the career fair will be considered disruptive behavior.”

In their statement SDS said, “This [Caire’s statement] directly contradicts MSU’s written policies, which state that a campus official must ‘reasonably determine’ that conduct ‘substantially interferes’ with a university event.” SDS went on to say, “By threatening students, MSU has shown that it has made a pre-determination that any conduct SDS would engage in would be ‘disruptive’, before actually seeing the conduct itself.”

In an article published by MSU’s student newspaper The Exponent, Caires stated, “I never said anything [like] that ‘If you do this, you will get that.’” However, an audio recording of SDS’s meeting with Dean Caires provided by the students records Matt Caires stating explicitly, “I’m in good faith warning you, if you do that [protest inside the career fair], you’ll be charged with – you’ll be removed, and then charged with a conduct code violation.”

Despite SDS carrying on with their protest as planned, no students were removed or given conduct code violations. In their statement, SDS commented on this, “It is clear to us that if our protest did actually violate the Code of Conduct, MSU would have enforced it. Knowing that we were within our rights, MSU did not do so. This makes it even more troubling that the dean of students had attempted to intimidate students out of protesting.”

SDS finished their statement saying, “We wholeheartedly condemn this behavior by MSU admin and will continue to stand for our right to free speech. Defend campus free speech! No border wall!”

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #MontanaStateUniversity #ImmigrantRights

Tampa, FL – Students at the University of South Florida held a protest September 29 against the Florida Board of Governors ban on undocumented students attending state-funded schools.

This protest was called by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society after the Florida Board of Governors voted to restrict the admission of non-citizens to the Florida College system; it now requires students to be “lawfully present” in the U.S. The Florida College system consists of 28 schools, including the University of South Florida.

Students at the protest demanded a sanctuary campus to protect immigrant and undocumented students.

SDS member Briana Beebe stated, “DeSantis and the Board of Governors’ recent policy that bans undocumented students from seeking a higher education at public universities in Florida is a huge blow to educational equity. We are here to say to hell with DeSantis and shame on USF for not standing up for undocumented students.”

#TampaFL #FL #USF #StudentMovement #SDS #RonDeSantis #ImmigrantRights

New Orleans, LA – Hundreds of student activists from across the country will arrive in New Orleans this Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, for the 20th National Convention of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). October 3 will also mark nine months since the United States shamefully invaded and attacked Venezuela, kidnapping President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), a partner of the national Anti-War Action Network, has led the local struggle against intervention in Venezuela. The intervention has accomplished nothing but more suffering. In particular, the June 24 earthquakes near the capital city of Caracas killed over 6000 people and injured nearly a quarter million more.

“Our city was also devastated by a federal policy of neglect. Now we have the Trump administration trying to cut off aid and resources to more innocent civilians experiencing a disaster. Here, we find that especially alarming and abhorrent,” said Charlie Schully of NOSHIP. “That’s why it is fitting that the largest rally for Venezuelan sovereignty this week may be right here in New Orleans.”

Schully pointed to the fact that the United States is freezing Venezuelan assets in the International Monetary Fund, preventing them from accessing their own funds, and the decades of sanctions which have grown worse. “We call for their leaders to be freed, particularly Cilia Flores, who is quite literally dying in an American prison. But we also demand an end to U.S. sanctions and freeing up their nearly $5 billion in assets!”

Silas Gillett, of Liberate and Unite New Orleans (LUNO) Students for a Democratic Society, said that “Students for a Democratic Society stands in full support of jailed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.”

“As students and youth, we remember the student movement’s history of fighting against U.S. interventions abroad, from Vietnam to Palestine,” Gillett added. “As young people, we refuse to sit by and allow this imperialist government to spoil our world’s future by starting chaos and crises in independent countries. We all have a stake in the fight against foreign interventions. Whatever rights the U.S. imperialists can take away from people abroad, they can take away from us.”

NOSHIP will partner with local chapters of SDS to bring the rally and march against U.S. intervention in Venezuela to downtown New Orleans right after the first day of the National Convention. The rally will begin on Saturday at 5 p.m. in front of Armstrong Park. Activists will march through the French Quarter and end on the steps of Jackson Square.

You can sign the Anti-War Action Network petition to free President Maduro and First Lady Flores at www.tinyurl.com/awanfreemaduro.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #NicolasMaduro #CiliaFlores #AntiWarActionNetwork #SDS

Tallahassee, FL – On September 22, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied at the Integration Statue and then marched to Wescott Fountain to protest the unjust firing of Tally SDS Vice President Mariana Guimaraes from the FSU Victim Advocate Program for her role in SDS’s anti-rape culture campaign and her public advocacy for a survivor.

Guimaraes called out this decision, asking, “When an advocate says publicly, clearly, and with conviction that the systems we have are failing, that we need better for students, and they are terminated without a real reason, what message does that send to survivors?”

Speakers from other community organizations spoke in support of Guimaraes and discussed the extent of rape culture on campus and administration’s repression of student activists, including conduct charges for flyering to raise student awareness of a rapist FSU left unpunished.

Protesters chanted, “Don’t punish flyers, punish crimes! Student safety every time!” and “Expel abusers clear the halls, answer when a victim calls!”

Once the students arrived at Westcott, they were told they could not stand on the main steps because they had to make room for an event letting out of a nearby building, where FSU was hosting far-right former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Despite following those orders and making room for those exiting, they were told again to move because the fountain was reserved for pictures. Protesters continued to confront admin, including Brandon Bowden, an FSU administrator who has been placed in charge of the Title IX process at FSU and has refused countless survivors justice. Protesters joined together in chants calling out admin and the role it plays in upholding rape culture.

Tally SDS president JJ Glueck spoke on admin’s attempt to move the protest saying, “Admin claimed that we couldn’t protest by Westcott because Boris Johnson’s speaking event would be letting out in the same area. We knew this was a flagrant violation of our right to gather and make our voices heard. They tried to argue with us, but we stood our ground and held the protest in front of the administrative building like we planned to.”

The protest continued late into the evening, until admin said that SDS had to leave because they couldn’t be protesting on campus after sunset. Nevertheless, the crowd kept chanting for an additional ten minutes before moving across the street and kept the energy going.

Guimaraes’ firing and the attempt to move the protest by admin are yet more actions by FSU to stifle the student movement and repress SDS during its anti-rape culture campaign. The campaign arose in response to the failings of the Title IX process at FSU and the refusal to expel rapists unless serious physical bruising or injury is present. As FSU admin refuses to hold rapists on their campus accountable, SDS will continue this fight until survivors get justice and there is an end to rape culture on campus.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #TitleIX #PeoplesStruggles #SDS

Madison, WI – On September 16, the anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn set up on Madison’s Library Mall, harassing students as they passed by. By 2:30 p.m., a group of students gathered in opposition. Bradley Keenan of Madison Students for a Democratic Society led chants with the student body to drown them out. A band had also joined, drowning out the group’s speakers.

Frustrated at student opposition, the group's speeches devolved into baseless arguments with students, claiming that evolution and abortion are “what Hitler believed in.” Students did not back down, instead they voiced that anti-science claims have no place on campus. As students continued to protest, members of the anti-abortion group became increasingly agitated until they attacked a student, ripping his shirt off. At that point, members of the crowd stepped in and separated the agitator.

Twenty-four hours later, the Missionaries to the Preborn arrived in Milwaukee on the UW-Milwaukee campus. Near 1 p.m., the agitators started to assemble around Spaights Plaza with signs of bloody, fake fetuses and began to try and agitate the student population passing by, which grew a crowd. Members of the Student for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee responded to the scene, and began to drown out the agitators, led by SDS member Alejandro Acosta, by chanting, “Our bodies, our lives, our right to decide.”

Other members of SDS Milwaukee, Hannah Grotto and Lauren Sroka, discussed with students who passed by about the frustrations of dealing with a group that was clearly harassing students as they walked through campus. Grotto stated, “I am extremely disappointed with the university allowing an anti-abortion group onto campus utilizing such graphic imagery. She added, “More needs to be done to protect students from these outside groups, especially if they were violent at other schools in the UW System, we need to hold these agitators accountable.”

This impromptu rally was the first for UWM-SDS to have this fall semester as it continues to create a safe and progressive space on campus for all students.

As Trump’s policies against the education system continually turn college campuses into a battleground for student rights, it is also a call to action for all students on UWM’s campus to call for its administration to end its complicity with Trump’s anti-education, anti-student and anti-reproductive rights policies.

#MadisonWI #WI #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion

New York, NY – On Friday September 24, thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York City as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Protesters gathered around the United Nations and throughout Manhattan to oppose Netanyahu’s presence in New York and demand his arrest for crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The demonstrations demanded an end to U.S. military and political support for Israel.

NYU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined the mobilization, bringing a student contingent to the protest outside the UN. NYU SDS members marched alongside other organizers and participated and led chants condemning Netanyahu and the genocide against Palestine.

SDS members, including Zaara Ahmed and Ebtesham Ahmed, helped lead chants throughout the demonstration, including: “Netanyahu, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?” and “There is only one solution: intifada revolution!”

The protest continued as Netanyahu delivered his address inside the UN. Protesters outside continued chanting and demonstrating, making their opposition to his presence known throughout the day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #Palestine #UN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Netanyahu

Both the city and university have funded a technology district called the Innovation Campus, which houses tenants that specialize in technology marketed to the U.S. Defense Department. The city of Bozeman entered a contract in 2022 to reimburse the infrastructure costs to the developer of the land. Now, after three buildings have been built, the city must take out bonds to pay back this developer.

To take out these bonds, the city must extend the duration of the technology district being a TIF district as well. TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funding means that as more buildings are built in a district, the tax revenue that would have gone to the city’s general fund from these buildings instead goes into a special account where it can’t be touched until the end of the TIF time period.

On September 22, the Bozeman City Commission held a public hearing to extend the life of the TIF district for 25 years. Students Against Genocide brought 30 concerned students and community members to give public comment at city hall to show the city that there was strong public opposition to them continuing to fund this campus full of war profiteers.

Many people brought up their own ways they would be personally affected by continuing to fund the Innovation Campus, when the money could be going towards services in the city,

One student stated they wished the land had stayed “a field of dreams” instead of becoming what it is now. Another said that the students who showed up tonight were the real representatives of Montana State University, compared to the representative that was sent by the university to state their support for the Innovation Campus.

After three hours of discussion, all the commissioners voted yes to taking out bonds and extending the TIF district. Some of their choices were due to the contract having already been signed in 2022 – if they decided not to pay the developer now, there would be fear of litigation.

The commissioners went back and forth on what other steps could be taken to ensure that companies tied to war could not continue to have space on the Innovation Campus. Some believed that it was unnecessary, while other commissioners were willing to continue to fight against war profiteers coming to Bozeman. Whether there is support from the city or not, Students Against Genocide will continue to speak out against the university funding these companies until they are gone.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #MontanaStateUniversity #AntiWarMovement #BDS #WeaponsManufacturers #Palestine

Chicago IL – Over 150 students, faculty and community mobilized at the University of Illinois at Chicago Quad on Wednesday, September 23, to protest the UIC administration for inviting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to recruit at the Business Career Fair and to demand that UIC declare itself a sanctuary campus.

The protest, organized by Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) with the support of multiple campus organizations, forced CBP to quietly withdraw from the event.

The action came after students received Handshake (a university jobs board) notifications inviting them to meet with border patrol recruiters at the career fair.

MeSA issued a call for the UIC community to demand that Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda, the UIC administration and the College of Business revoke the invitation and make a public statement to the community. Within hours, the administration shut down phone lines as students, staff and community members flooded the chancellor's office with calls and emails. CBP announced it would not attend, but the administration refused to formally revoke the invitation.

MeSA speakers made it very clear that CBP's backing out from the event was a victory won by student organizing. And that the administration is at fault for it.

“The only reason those pigs aren't here right now is because of our efforts, your efforts,” said Lupe Lara Guzman, a co-lead of MeSA's ERA Committee.

Guzman continued, “Chancellor Miranda was perfectly fine with their attendance as long as they followed proper guidelines. Chancellor Miranda: was CBP following proper guidelines when they murdered Silverio Villegas González last September? Or when they abducted two women off of our campus last October? Have they been following proper guidelines as they continue to terrorize our communities every single day? You cannot hide behind protocol, Chancellor Miranda. Your neutrality and silence is complicity. More than that, it is disgusting, morally abhorrent, and shameful.”

Kalin Daniel of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) told the crowd, “The harm was done the moment that invitation was sent. The fact that CBP declined does not erase the fact that UIC administration wanted them here. It does not erase the fact that they viewed an agency of state violence as a 'suitable employer' for our students.”

Kayla Nguyen, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “As a rapid responder myself, I see the on-the-ground impacts of these racists on Chicago's streets every day.”

Nguyen continued, “We see CPD allowing ICE to stage in the 17th District police department parking lot. We see CPD racially profiling and targeting Mexican families celebrating Independence Day. We see them handing snacks and water to ICE and CBP at Broadview. This system is fucking broken, and we fucking know it. This an empire in decline. Donald Trump and his racist capitalist cronies are just a symptom of it!”

Karime Beltran, another co-lead of MeSA's ERA Committee, stated, “As a Mexican American student, it is deeply disturbing to see UIC prioritize an employer relationship over the safety, dignity, and sense of belonging of its own students. We are demanding more than statements. We are demanding action. UIC should take meaningful steps toward becoming a sanctuary campus, including cutting institutional ties with CBP and ICE and prioritizing the safety and well-being of the students who call this university home.”

The protest was organized by MeSA in response to UIC's invitation to CBP and the administration's refusal to formally rescind it. The action builds on the prior organizing work of MeSA's sanctuary campus campaign, which has demanded that UIC cut ties with immigration enforcement agencies and invest in protections for undocumented students. The ever-increasing demand for a sanctuary campus comes after a federal court struck down the Acevedo Act, Illinois DREAM Act, and Illinois RISE Act in July 2026, severely restricting educational access for undocumented students in Illinois. It also follows the abduction of two women by immigration agents on UIC's campus during Operation Midway Blitz last October.

Endorsing organizations for the September 23 rally included Students for a Democratic Society at UIC, Anakbayan at UIC, Fearless Undocumented Alliance, Jewish Student Collective at UIC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Sanctuary For All.

Organizers called on people to join organizations and continue the fight for a sanctuary campus and to hold the administration accountable.

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #MESA #UIC #CBP #ICE #Chicano #OppressedNationalities