Occupy protest students at
Texas State University at San Marcos, set out to disprove critics that they are
lazy, unfocused and un-American. Movement attendees plan to attend city council
meetings and lobby for bills in Legislature. In addition, they want to work
with local businesses to create more scholarships for students and plan to
register more students to vote. So that “the People” have more of a say in
where their tax paying money goes.
Contrary to protests in other parts of the country, Texas State students
are attracting support from the local community. Their main goal is to raise
awareness of rising tuition and criticize the government for shrinking the
amount of state grants meant for low-income students. They claim the system is
to blame because it’s broken. As they marched from the Texas State campus to
the courthouse rally, they were heckled by onlookers and yelled at with obscenities.
One heckler stopped to discuss with the marchers what the whole “occupy” is about.
Once the person was enlightened of the movement, they picked up a sign and actually
joined the movement.
The Texas State occupy
movement is unique compared to other movements because it is organized and they
have a plan. In addition to a list of demands such as extending the six-month
grace period during which students begin paying back their loans; reducing
costs on textbooks; filling jobs with students rather than using marketing
firms; provide scholarships to students active in civic life; and getting more
students registered to vote they want to be part of creating solutions. They
want to first express their anger, get the attention of the media and
community, and contribute to achieve solutions.
Not only are the
protestors lobbying for more grants and scholarships from local businesses and
state government, the protesters want to make and sell their own clothing; the
profits will go into a fund for local kids to attend college. Protestors
complain that growing up having been told anything was possible – and working
hard to make sure it was – they now face nothing but obstacles.
“You have an economy with
no job market, you have a six-month grace period to pay back loans, you have to
somehow find a job in six months after you graduate that pays you enough
interest to not only take care of yourself and your basic needs, but to start
paying back your loans plus interest,” says Joshua Christopher Harvey, a Texas
State junior majoring in international studies, who served in the Air Force as
a Russian linguist, “We just want a movement for change.” Educate the community
and the people are what the protestors want to achieve; to turn a moment into a
movement for change.
Dion - thanks for posting about the ways students at Texas State are working to create change! I was intrigued initially by your blog having participated in a study at Texas State San Marcos a few years ago about Hispanic Serving Institutions. I distinctly remember the students at Texas State SM being very engaged and active in their university - they really seemed to have a voice and use their voice.
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that some have used this movement to further drive the "us versus them" discourse. I wonder what a similar movement might do in Colorado if it were led by students who could thoughtfully present their argument about the state of higher education in Colorado. Thanks for posting a positive article about students using their voice to engage others in this important conversation.
I am so excited for the student in Texas who has organized to share their voice and speak out about injustice. They certainly have a lot to talk about! I think it is great that they appear to be so aware of what is going on around then and how it is affecting them as students. It would be great to see a large group in Colorado pull together and organize themselves in a way that gained positive attention. Regardless of how one feels about the Occupy movements, it seems pretty fair to say that many are gaining media attention for the things that are going wrong- violence, lack of participation, etc. It is important for there to be some positive attention to the cause!!
ReplyDeleteAs you have heard this is a great addition to the protest and conflict blog. I found this blog to be refreshing after hearing and seeing not the best side of the Occupy movements.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that other comments mentioned what it would be like to see a group from Colorado. I began to ask myself - is there not one? I have seen a small group on the south end of College Ave but I really do not pay them much attention. Is it because all is well in CO? I would argue it is not. Occupy Fort Collins actually has a Facebook page and similar to the blog positing they seemed to be organized. They have moved from tables situated in one place to organizing office hours and demonstrations that will take them around Fort Collins.
There is the Penny Flats incident (a recent fire of condominiums in Fort Collins) that is being tied to an Occupy activist but this seems to be a separate issue.
When I first heard of Occupy, I was intrigued and excited for what the group was creating. Unfortunately, as time went on, it became apparent that it just became a "group" to just gripe about anything and do it anywhere. I wish they have stuck with a purpose, a goal and a coherency. I think the idea would have been much more effective had it followed a direct purpose and been more organized. So, I applaud the Texas State Students for defining their purpose and taking a stand! They did a great job of getting their point across and getting students involved.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that other occupy groups can learn a lesson from these students!
I think this article illuminates what can be right about the higher education experience...becoming aware of an issue, becoming part of a productive movement dedicated to change, educating people, etc. I wish these students all the best and hope they are able to move their passion into action in Texas.
ReplyDelete