Higher education is at a crossroads. Across the United States, colleges and universities face mounting political attacks on free expression, academic freedom, and constitutional values. At the same time, these schools increasingly fail to live up to the standards of democratic accountability and openness that make the U.S. higher education system a pillar of healthy democracy. Students, faculty, and staff are caught in the middle of these struggles, balancing learning and building their futures in an environment that feels increasingly uncertain.
In times like these, it’s more important than ever for our communities to connect, share strategies, and take bold action as we chart a path forward. My name is Turner Van Slyke, and I’m a sophomore at Stanford University. I work with Education & Democracy United (EDU), a nationwide network of students, faculty, and staff organizing to defend our campuses and build a better, freer future for higher education.
This past October, EDU brought together driven, visionary student and faculty leaders from across the country for a strategy retreat on Stanford’s campus. We spent several days building skills, sharing ideas, and developing plans for an important year ahead. Our team is now poised to train new organizers, start new campus chapters, and run winning campaigns nationwide.
Our ongoing projects include:
-Distributing a campus start-up handbook that gives prospective organizers a blueprint to unite peers and build power on campus
-Sharing a set of draft student government resolutions that clarify student expression rights and fiercely stake out the right to protest as a core tenet of academic freedom on college campuses
-Filming engaging educational materials that teach our peers about the stakes of the current antidemocratic moment in higher education
-Hosting direct organizer trainings to help students build relationships of trust between campus constituents in the face of powerful opposition
-Connecting student groups working in the pro-democracy sphere to expand and fortify nationwide organizing efforts
-Advising chapter-level event planning for rallies, concerts for democracy, “State of the University” sessions, know-your-rights trainings, and more
For our work to remain effective, we face one major hurdle: our team lacks the money to make these efforts sustainable. Our organization is operating on a shoestring budget as we pour our limited resources into building capacity. Unfortunately, many of our most talented organizers can’t afford to continue this work without compensation.
That’s where you come in. As Giving Tuesday approaches this December 2nd, our team humbly asks for your donation. Every dollar you give will directly fund EDU organizer salaries, media production, or chapter operations.
These are scary times, but students and their educators have always stood at the forefront of social change. By supporting this work, you’re not just funding urgent work at a pivotal moment in higher education. You’re investing in the next generation of leaders fighting for a freer and fairer world.
Learn more about our mission here.
Thank you for believing in our students, our future, and our shared democratic promise.