The National Day of Education is coming up this Thursday, March 1. Students from all across the country will converge in their respective cities and towns to participate in a day of direct actions targeted toward the severely broken state of our current education system.
Here in D.C., a broad coalition of students from Maryland, Virginia and the District are coming together for a march to the Department of Education. The students, primarily composed of undergraduates, graduates and high school students, will be converge at McPherson Square at 3 p.m. to begin the action.
In addition to an array of speakers who will speak out about their horror stories with student debt, students will present a list of grievances and demands to the Department of Education in an effort to publicize their sentiments and affect change in education policy.
On this campus, Occupy AU has been actively involved in the process of planning this action and drafting the declaration of grievances and demands. If you have read any of my past columns, it is no secret that I am also actively involved with Occupy AU and, consequently, organizing for this action.
I have such a deep level of involvement because I firmly believe in the need for us, as students, to take back our education out of both corporate and bureaucratic hands.
Ultimately, education is a fundamental human right that should be accessible and empowering to all who seek it. Those most affected by the way the system functions, including students, faculty and parents, must have sole authority over all decisions and policies, as well as the general direction of education as a valuable institution in a progressing society
I have developed a sort of selective hearing for education issues. Right here at AU, I have noticed a trend of students consistently frustrated and dejected about everything from the Financial Aid Office’s un-kept promises to the University’s annually rising tuition rate.
In his column last week, Douglas Bell, my fellow Eagle columnist, eloquently captures some of the student body’s direct frustrations with the administration and how it handles (or doesn’t handle) students’ finances. He writes, “I still feel every day as though my ability and my family’s ability to afford an AU education are hanging by a thread.” Such feelings are not limited to Douglas’ column.
So, I ask why? Why should anyone ever have to feel this way when it comes to claiming the fundamental human right to an education? Why should we be coerced into accepting an increasing drainage upon our own and our families’ pockets? Why should we feel overwhelmed rather than prepared or confident at the prospect of graduating college?
On March 1, our list of demands will focus upon the following areas: democratizing education and its related decision-making processes, improving students’ access to higher education, granting pathways to citizenship for immigrants completing a postsecondary degree, de-privatizing student loans and removing corporate influence and advertising from education.
If you haven’t already seen them, many of the fliers we have used for promoting the march on Thursday use the words “student uprising.” We have chosen to use such strong language for a reason. Although we are led by essential ideals, our cause cannot be categorized into baseless idealism. Rather, our demand for a well-functioning education system becomes a matter of practicality.
As students, we are the consumers. Thus, we are the force that sustains education as an institution. We must realize and exercise our power to the full extent of its potential. Otherwise, if we don’t demand the best possible form of this system that we can imagine, then why are we invested in it in the first place?
March 1 is only a beginning. I hope you will consider joining your fellow students and voicing your concerns about your education. I am increasingly convinced that we all should do so if we ultimately hope to reap the benefits of our lifelong investment in the education system.
For more information, please consider attending our last general assembly meeting before the action this Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in the School of International Service Lobby. Also, check out Occupy AU and Students Occupy DC on Facebook and Twitter.
Mana Aliabadi is a freshman in SPA.
