Chicago, IL,
26
February
2016
|
10:11 AM
America/Chicago

Why Rally

Summary

Graduate student Matt Gentry urges all students to attend the #HigherEdMatters Rally, Monday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m. The rally is sponsored by GSU student organizations and the Illinois Coalition to Invest in Higher Education.

 

Whether you like it or not the state budget crisis in Illinois will impact our education. While President Maimon has delivered a strong message that GSU will stay open for the next academic year, you should know that we could be affected in significant ways. Although classes may stay in session, tuition could increase, support services could be eliminated, and GSU employees that you rely on as a student could be furloughed. Nobody has a crystal ball, but one thing for sure is the status quo is unsustainable.

For this reason it is imperative that you join the rest of GSU on Monday, March 7th from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in front of the main entrance for a #HigherEdMatters Rally. We need our leaders in Springfield to hear your voice that public university higher education is an essential part of Illinois. We need a large GSU community presence to send a strong message to Governor Rauner.

Similar to your civic duty to vote, you should consider this your civic duty as a student at GSU. The gravity of the budget crisis for GSU is hard to understate, and the ramifications are especially real for those that expect to graduate after May 2017. All students makes sacrifices.Taking an hour out of your day on Monday March 7th is perhaps the smallest sacrifice for the most amount of gain you will make in your entire academic career.

There are a number of things that you can do RIGHT NOW to help the cause. Please post on social media using #HigherEdMatters and #SaveOurEducation and let the social media world know that you plan to attend the rally. Reach out to classmates and friends and encourage, coerce, bribe, or physically bring them on Monday to ensure a strong turnout. Are you part of any student groups or organizations? If so, reach out to your club president to find out if you can make it a club/group event.

Like voting, many naysayers say that rallying is not worth their time, but this misconception is blatantly false. Just like every vote counts, it doesn’t take a hard look at history to find proof that rallys are powerful instruments for change. The civil rights movement started as rallys and led to sweeping social changes. More recently, look at the strong statements protestors have made regarding police brutality. GSU will be turning out in force so please make every effort to be in front of the GSU main entrance on Monday, March 7th from 3:30-4:30 p.m.- your future education at GSU may depend on it. Stand with us. Stand with GSU.

#HigherEdMatters Rally

When: Monday, March 7, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Governors State University, main entrance

Who: GSU Students and Families, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Retirees, Legislative Representatives, and Business and Labor Leaders.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. WEAR YOUR GSU T-SHIRTS.

This event is co-sponsored by Governors State University’s Student Senate, Prairie Place Hall Council, the Graduate Professional Network, and the Illinois Coalition to Invest in Higher Education; a collection of business, labor, and student organizations representing public and private colleges and universities coming together to urge immediate action.