Reclaiming the Ivory Towers: Students Achieving Access and Affordability

As democratic socialists, we believe that education is a human right, and that all citizens should be entitled to free public education from preschool to graduate study. This panel focuses on American youth's diminishing rights as students of higher education. Public universities are transforming into privatized institutions as state and federal education funding approaches historic lows. The resulting dramatic increases in college tuition directly affect student's burden of debt. This high cost precludes egalitarian access to public higher education, therefore it is up to students themselves to take control at the university administrative, state, and federal legislative level. Strategies are shared for raising students' awareness about the disenfranchising effects of rising tuition and deepening debt. These include tactics for networking, engaging in dialog with administration, and building the political pressure necessary to secure public funding for higher education. We also explore current models for mobilizing students to enact change. It is our civic duty to remove the monetary barriers of privatized education in order to achieve universal access to higher education regardless of socio-economic standing.