Defending Public Education In Dalton!

This past Tuesday we were invited to meet with members of Dalton State University student group, Students United for Peace, about the current crisis facing publicly funded education and ways that Dalton State students can plug into the campaign to defend public education in Georgia.

We've been planning on making as many of these trips as possible in an effort to make Georgians aware of the impact that cuts to education have already had and the looming threat of even more threats.

Our Trip to Dalton provided us with another exciting opportunity. Dalton State has the highest percentage of Latino students in the state, and while the recent Board of Regents decision to bar undocumented students from attended several publicly funded colleges does not yet apply to Dalton State, It certainly looks like it eventually will if there's not some serious push back from students and community. Eva Cardenas, with the Georgia Dreamers, was able to connect us with local Dalton organizer American Guner with Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights(GLAHR). America talked about the recent Board of Regents ban and ways that GLAHR and student groups in Dalton can support each other. By the end of the meeting it seemed clear that future collaberation between GLAHR and Students United for Peace is enevitable.

So members of Students United for Peace committed to get at least 100 report cards signed to be delivered to the Georgia house and senate and continue to brainstorm ways to build a base at DSU in defense of public education.

If you or your cmmunity/student/church group is interested in exploring ways that you can pressure the power holders to make education our youth a priority lets us know! We'd love to schedule a visit!


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Dalton Organizers Witness Board of Regents Enactment Of Racist Policy

I Met Eldon Baines this week at the first stop of the Be The Change Tour. During the talk back session Eldon purposed that student join him in Atlanta for the Board of Regents meeting where one of the agenda items was a purposed ban on undocumented students at several publicly funded Georgia colleges. Eldon wrote up his experienced and gave me permission to put it on the blog.

Eldon's words:

We had very short notice that this policy change was going to come up for vote
so soon. Even without much time to prepare, we gathered a few people together
who could afford to miss a day of their classes to help us speak out against
this discriminatory policy. We made it to the meeting on time, but when the time
came to vote on this issue, we were shocked. Nobody, not students, not
professors, not representatives from the ACLU, nobody was allowed to speak. The
facts discovered by the committee were put forward in a direct manner before the
policies were voted upon. Every single item in the list reiterated the same
basic facts: There is no need for policy change in this area and the
unreasonable fears of undocumented students somehow obstructing the education of
documented students were false. Despite this, all four recommended provisions
were voted in with little further discussion.
Our group was appalled at the blasé attitude the Board of Regents adopted
during these proceedings. They appeared unconcerned with the real effects of
blocking deserving students from an education and totally unfazed by the
numerous protesters against this proposal. It’s really very disheartening to see
how inattentive the system seems to be toward those people who need its
protection and encouragement most.

Be The Change Tour: Day One Dalton

So day one! We all met at my place to load in our shuttle bus, which we've been lovingly calling RosaII, and hit the road to Dalton

When we were putting together Be The Change Tour we wanted to go out of our way to reach out to rural schools that often get passed over by other tours. Dalton State has about 6,000 students and only 15 active student groups and many of those groups are not very active or engaged in any sort of community service. I've honestly never seen a school that is more difficult to organize on. Most of the students are working one of two jobs, it's the most economically depressed city in the state, close to 30% of students who enroll don't complete, and on top of that there is a extremely rigid bureaucratic procedure for student groups to post do anything.

That being said we were amazed that the rather small group, Students United for Peace, was able to secure an auditorium and pack over 100 people in to see the tour! Our hats are off the SUP! AAC really brought it, they honestly exceeded my expectations and I'm sure each stop will inspire a slightly different performance. Many in the audience we there for the extra credit points offered for attendance with is both exciting and risky.
Exciting because it's a chance to create dialogue with new faces, to really plant a seed.
Risky because if you don't reach folks or turn them off it could your stuck with a totally unresponsive crowd.
The crowd was reponsive, and he talk back session went very well. Students were able to identify a number of issue that need to be addressed in the community including climate change, bicycle lanes, extreme poverty, and immigration reform.
AAC's performance is impossible to ignore, no one has the option to disengage. If the tour is anywhere near you this week, go! If you're been feeling burnt out of disempowered lately you must make it a priority to come! If you have a friend that's expressed a desire to create change in the community but never does anything, grab their arm and drag then to one of the tour stops this week!

So Dalton was an amazing experience for all of us. Thank you again Students United for Peace, thank you Dr Kenneth Ellinger for providing so much support for students motivated to organize and buying us dinner!!

Oh, and check this video I shot of a the president of SUP Eldon Baines literally being the change



Photos by,
John Reynolds
www.curiousjohn.com



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee