Tampa, FL- On September 1, the Tampa chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally, formally launching a sanctuary campus campaign. The call for a sanctuary campus at USF comes with demands such as “No collaboration with ICE,” “End 287(g) cooperation with ICE,” “Protect immigrant and undocumented students” and “No Customs and Border Patrol at career fairs.”

SDS member Ryan Freymueller spoke, “Immigrant, undocumented and international students are an irreplaceable part of this campus We are here today to tell USF administration that we see our peers, we value them, and we will defend them.”

The energy of the rally matched this sentiment with chants such as “Power to the people, no one is illegal!” and “USF, shame on you, protect your immigrant students too!”

For the University of South Florida, a sanctuary campus means enacting policies that protect undocumented students and staff from immigration and customs enforcement. The Trump administration has prided itself on its violent and aggressive tactics toward immigrant communities by utilizing ICE, police and the National Guard. Additionally, the University of South Florida currently has an active 287(g) agreement, allowing campus police officers to act as ICE agents.

Earlier this year, the Florida Board of Governors voted to ban undocumented students from the state college system. A proposal for the same policy in the state university system was passed this month. Meanwhile, federal law does not prohibit undocumented students from obtaining higher education.

The campaign for a sanctuary campus at USF is also supported by Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee (TIRC). The Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee is part of the national network Legalization for All. The students at the University of South Florida will continue this campaign through the fall semester.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #ICE #SanctuaryCampus #UniversityofSouthFlorida

Tampa, FL – On May 7, 80 students and community members gathered at the entrance of the University of South Florida (USF) Forest Preserve to demand that USF protect the preserve instead of selling it for development. The protest was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Save USF Forest Preserve.

On April 1, USF put out a Request for Information to receive business inquiries for developments on the Preserve, the USF Golf Course, and the Riverfront Park. Speakers at the event addressed the importance of the Preserve due to its environmental impact, but also because of its educational purposes.

The Preserve is also a home to several indigenous cultural sites. Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Florida Indigenous Rights and Environmental Equality (FIREE) spoke about the importance of preserving the land.

SDS spoke about their campaign to defund the university police. Last fall, USF announced $36.7 million in budget cuts that would mainly affect education and student services. The campus police department’s current budget is over $7 million.

Ben Braver, member of Tampa Bay SDS, stated, “USFPD is an inefficient, incompetent, discriminatory office that needs to be defunded. All they do is arrest protesters. Shield far-right extremists like Kaitlin Bennet, who come to this school seeking to provoke outrage, from the very students they should be protecting.”

Despite the school year being over, SDS plans to continue their campaign to defund the campus police into the summer. They also plan to continue to fight back against USF administration's attempts at cutting down and developing the Forest Preserve.

#TampaFL #PeoplesStruggles #EnvironmentalJustice #UniversityOfSouthFlorida #TampaBaySDS

Tampa, Fl – Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a 20-person protest outside the University of South Florida’s (USF) entrance on April 20 opposing the university’s budget cuts and a state bill restricting the Bright Futures scholarship. Bright Futures provides 75 to 100% of an eligible student’s tuition. USF is implementing $36.7 million in cuts to areas such as student success, financial aid and health services.

Senate Bill 86 initially restricted Bright Futures based on whether a student’s major would lead to employment. The current bill version requires students to complete modules on career outlook for their majors. Many students worry that data from these modules and graduation rates will become evidence to cut scholarships for non-STEM majors.

“This bill really exposes Florida’s true priorities, they only care about students when it’s profitable to them,” said Gia Davila, member of Tampa Bay SDS.

The funding of Bright Futures as a whole may also be subject to change. SB 86 would remove the strict 75-100% tuition coverage and have the