SDS Demands LGBTQ Rights!

Whereas: Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures in 2022 alone, including the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (HB 1557), which was passed in Florida in March this year. HB 1557 bans public school teachers from teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation. In Tallahassee, FSU SDS held campus protests against this bill. UNF SDS (Jacksonville) marched with hundreds to the downtown courthouse twice and also brought the fight to campus via rally with the lgbtq center.

Whereas: In February, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services investigate minors seeking gender-affirming care, deeming this “child abuse.” Although the Texas directive was struck down by some judges, conservatives in power have vowed to continue to push for this and similar anti-trans orders. Austin SDS tied demands for trans rights into their campaign, and other local Texas chapters have had speak-outs and actions against these legislative attacks on trans youth.

Whereas: Hundreds of other bills were introduced this year in many other states, including bills criminalizing gender-affirming care, anti-trans bathroom bills, bans on LGBTQ-themed literature in schools, and bans on trans youth participating on school sports teams.

Whereas: Roe v. Wade was overturned in June this year, setting the stage for conservatives in power to launch a slew of other attacks against LGBTQ people, with the rights to gay marriage, contraception, and more very likely to be under attack within the next year.

We resolve to:
• Call upon national SDS to have a national day of action to defend and advance LGBTQ+ rights;
• Keep watch of the court system and their decisions surrounding state laws concerning LGBTQ+ rights and any challenges to Obergefell v. Hodges;
• Call upon local SDS chapters to demand that their university's health clinics provide student health insurance plan cover gender-affirming care where possible;
• Call upon local SDS chapters to demand that their universities protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students and thoroughly investigate hate crimes;
• Call upon local SDS chapters to organize in opposition to any legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights;
• Call upon local SDS chapters to fight for more gender neutral bathrooms on campus in the places where that is needed.

FREE ALEX SAAB! Venezuela’s Diplomat, Prisoner of U.S. Empire

Whereas: Alex Saab, a diplomat for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is currently jailed by the United States government and awaiting trial in Miami, Florida. Saab is a skilled negotiator who makes trade deals to benefit Venezuela’s people and economy, but now the Biden administration is retaliating against Saab for his success in beating illegal U.S. sanctions. President Biden is attempting to criminalize Alex Saab and the Venezuelan government’s efforts, and

Whereas: The U.S. government illegally detained and then kidnapped Alex Saab, first on June 12, 2020, in Cape Verde, Africa, and for a second time on October 16, 2021, in Miami, Florida, U.S., and

Whereas: The U.S. government dropped seven money laundering charges, leaving only a conspiracy charge in a Federal Court in Miami, Florida where no justice is to be found, and

Whereas: The U.S. government suffered a major defeat in September 2022 when Alex Saab was ruled in a U.S. court to be a Venezuelan diplomat,

Whereas: The Biden administration and U.S. State Department continue to economically sanction, militarily threaten, and conduct a low level dirty war--including failed assassinations and a coup d’etat against President Maduro of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Therefore, be it resolved by the Students for a Democratic Society,
Action 1: We call on the U.S. Government to “Free Alex Saab”, political prisoner of the U.S. Empire, and all other political prisoners. We further call upon the Biden Administration to immediately release Saab to the country of his choosing.
Action 2: We stand in solidarity with Alex Saab and the Bolivarian Revolution, inspiring victorious people’s movements for democracy and independence across Latin America, the Caribbean and in the U.S.A.
Action 3: We demand an end to the U.S. sanctions and acts of aggression. We call for the normalization of U.S. relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Respect the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.
Action 4: We denounce this sham trial as an outrageous act of aggression against Venezuela and Saab himself.

A resolution for SDS To Endorse Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 in Milwaukee

Whereas: Organizers with the Coalition to March on the RNC are planning a major march and rally at the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, summer 2024.

Whereas: A national coalition of groups and unions will come together to:

“March on the RNC: Stop the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda! Defend Reproductive Rights! Demand peace, justice, and equality!”

Whereas: The Coalition welcomes the opportunity to host a huge demonstration with people from across the country opposing the Republicans and their backward agenda. We will bring the fight right to the front door of the national convention here in Milwaukee. The George Floyd Rebellion taught millions of people to take to the streets to demand justice, and we will continue that spirit here in Milwaukee during the summer of 2024.

Whereas: Donald Trump and the Republicans continue to represent the worst and most dangerous elements in this country, so even though he's no longer in office it's important that his presence in Milwaukee be met with popular opposition,

Whereas: The Coalition is seeking to unite as many groups and organizations as possible. Over the course of the next 18 months, in the buildup to the March on the RNC, leaders will make plans together for the mass demonstration where everyone is welcome, along with their loved ones and families.

Whereas: The Coalition to March on the RNC led protests in St. Paul 2008, Tampa 2012, and Cleveland 2016 when Trump won the Republican nomination. Many of these organizations served as the core of the Coalition to March on the DNC in 2020 when the Democrats faced protests from seven families whose loved ones were wrongfully murdered by police in Milwaukee and other parts of Wisconsin.

Whereas: Students for a Democratic Society at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an active member of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.

Therefore, be it resolved that Students for a Democratic Society,
1) Endorse the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024
2) Actively organize other student groups from across the U.S. to endorse and mobilize for the March on the RNC 2024
3) Attend the organizing conference being called by the Coalition for next year 2023
4) Organize SDS workshops prior to the march to teach organizers to be safe and effective during the march as well as to inform them of their legal resources and rights.
5) Organize a New SDS contingent to attend and volunteer for roles at the March on the RNC
6) Prepare to have a speaker at the March on the RNC rally
7) Hold a National fundraiser to help chapters with travel and housing

Anti-War Resolution

Whereas: Over the past year the US government and corporate media has been pushing for war on every front, from The Russian Federation, to China, to Iran and Cuba. SDS has, both on a nationwide level and in its local chapters, pushed back hard against these efforts to expand American influence through bloodshed and aggression. While billions of dollars worth of untraceable weapons have been shipped to Ukraine, the US heads deeper into a recession. Activists from all over the country have fought back against this warmongering in Ukraine and demanded an end to NATO expansionism. All over the country SDSers took a principled stand against US intervention in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and mobilized with other activists despite a rabidly pro-war consensus in both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Whereas: From the CIA signature school program’s aggressive recruiting and surveillance to the ubiquitous ROTC programs on campuses across the whole US, schools have been steadily turned into an arm of the US war machine. While students are funneled into the military and intelligence agencies, universities rake in profits with lucrative contracts, both with military contractors like Boeing and with the Department of Defense. Universities rake in massive profits from lucrative contracts, both with the government itself and with corporations like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. This year SDSers in Chicago successfully pressured the university to end the CIA signature school contract at UIC. At other chapters these contracts are still in place and still being struggled against.

Whereas: In 2022, the zionist, settler-colonial regime, otherwise known as "Israel”, once again launched unprovoked attacks on Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, including children. The continuing assault on the existence of the Palestinian people and their right to self determination has been wholeheartedly supported by the Biden administration. An additional billion dollars of funding for the “Iron Dome” was added to the federal budget with the full cooperation of corporate Democrats. SDSers have, from Florida to Washington, stood in solidarity with Palestinian activists and have continued to demand their respective universities sign on to the BDS campaign.

Whereas: The Philippines has continued to move closer and closer to fascism with the fraudulent election of Bong Bong Marcos and Sara Duterte. President Biden has continued to support and legitimize the Marcos-Duterte Regime by meeting with Marcos in September and by continuing to send the regime military aid. A new wave of repression has been unleashed on activists both in the Philippines and in the National Democratic Movement in the diaspora. Journalists, land defenders, union leaders and agrarian activists have been arrested, murdered, censored or otherwise repressed by the new government. All of this is with the support and approval of a Pentagon desperate for any ally it can get against a rising China.

Whereas: The history of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) is one deeply intertwined with the mass movement against the war in Vietnam, and our legacy is therefore, boldly anti-war and anti-U.S. aggression. New SDS reaffirms that as students in the heart of a global empire, fighting back against U.S. military aggression must remain at the core of our organization. This affirmation is especially important now that the US sphere of influence is declining, as evidenced by the rise of other world economies, and it instigates more wars abroad to maintain its economic dominance, the job of anti-war activists in the US only becomes more vitally important.

Therefore, SDS resolves to:
Oppose all U.S. wars and military partnerships with regimes such as “Israel,” Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines;
Oppose the growing U.S. aggression against China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as they could become potential sites of conflict;
Demand an end to U.S.-imposed sanctions on countries seeking an independent path, namely Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua, Cuba, Syria,The Russian Federation and the DPRK;
Lead local campaigns to divest our institutions from the military-industrial complex; not only should this include divesting from corporations who profit from wars, but it should also call for an end to ROTC programs, military recruiters, and other arms of the U.S. war machine on our campuses and in our communities.

Anti-Sexual Assault Campaigns on Campus

Whereas: It is common knowledge that college campuses are known to be areas of increased sexual harrasment and violence. Additionally, it is known that administration oftentimes protects those who commit sexual assault, especiallly those with connections to the University (fraternities, professors, etc.).

Whereas: On FSU’s campus particularly, sexual assault is a major issue that rose to National prominence surrounding the assaults committed by Jameis Winston, an FSU and NFL football player. Additionally, as a school with a huge Greek Life presence, about 60% of on-campus cases of assault occur at fraternity houses. However, cases of rape are not only limited to the student body – they include faculty as well. All of these factors are compounded by FSUPD dragging their feet on reporting and investigation.

Whereas: FSUSDS launched a campaign against sexual assault on campus in 2019. At the time, the main targets were Greek life organizations and campus police. After conducting thorough research, we uncovered that while FSUPD frequently misreports cases of assault the true power to hold assaulters accountable does not lie with FSUPD.

Whereas: FSUPD, and presumably other campus police departments, does not decide which cases get investigated and which get tossed aside. Rather, cases of assault are forwarded to the Title IX office, which then investigates the cases and determines if action is necessary. This was new information, and informed our campaign to target Title IX.

Whereas: A benefit of targeting Title IX as the area of change is that Title IX is a federal program, allowing the possibility for this campaign to take on a National importance.

Therefore: National SDS resolves to:
Call upon SDS chapters to conduct investigation on the prevelance of sexual assault on their campuses and the Title IX process
Urge SDS chapters to seek out, support, and participate in “Take Back the Night” or similar events on their campuses
Build relationships with organizations doing work in combating sexual assault on campus and aiding survivors (University Victims Advocates, Project Callisto, etc.)
Hold a National Day of Action, date to be determined on a National Call, during April of 2023 to commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month and demand Title IX reforms

Resolution to Advance Student-Labor Solidarity

Whereas the conditions of students and workers are inextricably tied, therefore solidarity between the student movement and the labor movement is crucial for the advancement of all of our rights. Our universities are reliant upon the exploitation of both its students and its non-administrative staff: students pay excessive amounts of money to receive a degree that lands most graduates in the working class despite middle to upper class aspirations; campus clerical, technical, maintenance, and food service workers are underpaid for the essential labor they provide through understaffed positions in undesirable working conditions.

Whereas progressive student and labor movements have historically been united in our demands for racial, gender, class, and disability justice.

Whereas UMN SDS earlier this year supported the successful, historic three week Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) strike through participation in the labor solidarity committee alongside reputable labor organizers, organization of on-campus solidarity actions, and attendance of daily pickets at local Minneapolis Public Schools.

Whereas UMN SDS is currently participating in a student-labor solidarity committee to support both the AFSCME clerical and technical workers’ union during their bargaining period as well as the Teamsters local 320 maintenance and food service workers’ union as they prepare to go on strike.

Whereas the relationships built between SDS and local unions have been strategic and beneficial to the building and strengthening of both the student movement and labor movements on campus.

Therefore, be it resolved that Students for a Democratic Society:
Participate in solidarity committees formed in response to the needs of labor unions on our campuses and in surrounding communities.
Organize our own student-labor solidarity actions on campus in response to the needs of labor unions on our campuses and in surrounding communities.
Attend and mobilize students around picketing events held by striking unions.
Aid in the gathering of donations for strike funds.
Invite union members and labor organizers to attend and speak at our actions.
Attend and provide speakers for labor actions when requested.
Never cross picket lines of striking workers.

SDS Joins the Call to Free Simon Trinidad!

Whereas: Simón Trinidad is a political prisoner held in solitary confinement in a US federal supermax prison since 2008. Trinidad was a leader of the people’s movement in Colombia. He joined the revolutionary fight of the FARC to defend Colombian workers, peasants, and indigenous people from right-wing, paramilitary death squads. These death squads are run by the Colombian military, who are themselves funded, trained, and directed by the U.S.

Whereas: The U.S. government intervenes in Colombia to suppress union activity and other popular movements, for the benefit of big U.S. corporations--especially oil, coal, and minerals. As a direct result of U.S. war and intervention, more than 220,000 Colombians have been killed since 1958, and Colombian people’s lives have been thrown into chaos.

Whereas: Just this year, the first left-wing government ever was elected and allowed to take power in Colombia. The government of President Gustavo Petro is widely supported by Colombians, particularly by workers and peasants. This is potentially a new era for Colombia, where a lasting peace and the rights of the people can be secured. And, where the demand to free Simón Trinidad can be met, so he too can join in the transformation of Colombia.

Whereas: The statement put forth by the National Committee to Free Simón Trinidad reads as follows:

“Simon Trinidad is a Colombian revolutionary and prisoner of the U.S. Empire. Born Ricardo Palmera, Trinidad became involved in reform politics in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s, the Colombian government and oligarchy launched a massive wave of violent political repression targeting political activists and candidates of the Patriotic Union killing thousands. Seeing many of his friends murdered or exiled, Simón Trinidad fled his home and joined the FARC-EP. In the FARC, he became one of their principal spokespersons for peace.

In 2004, U.S intelligence agents kidnapped Trinidad while he was traveling through Ecuador to meet with a UN official to discuss peace with justice. The U.S. extradited Trinidad and put him on trial four times. The trials were a sham, with the judge and prosecutor caught colluding at one point and the judge forced to step down. Three trials ended in hung juries, but Trinidad was convicted on one charge, belonging to the FARC-EP, and the judge sentenced him to 60 years.

For more than 52 years now the U.S. has backed the wealthy Colombian oligarchy against revolutionaries of the FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army) and ELN (National Liberation Army) who are fighting for national liberation against U.S. imperialism. Beginning in 2000, the US initiated Plan Colombia to ostensibly fund counternarcotics efforts but ultimately the $10 billion in so-called aid, troops, and training went toward fighting the FARC, ELN, and murdering leaders of social movements. 

Despite Colombians’ desire for peace, the U.S. continued to fund war and now has seven military bases in Colombia. Nevertheless, the FARC continued to pursue negotiations, and after four years the FARC and Colombian government ratified the 2016 Peace Accords. This promised to usher in an historic era of peace and reconciliation by creating numerous institutional guarantees and importantly, the Special Peace Jurisdiction Court (JEP) which is responsible for handling the cases and sensitive issues related to the war.  In horrific irony, since ratifying the Peace Accords in 2016, over 1300 social leaders and over 300 ex-FARC members have been assassinated or murdered. 

It is in these conditions that freedom for Simón Trinidad is fundamentally necessary. The JEP of Colombia and other government officials have requested his presence to aid in the tumultuous, tattered peace accords. Therefore, it is imperative that we demand that the US government FREE SIMON TRINIDAD so he may return to his homeland and participate as a lead negotiator to move Colombia toward a peace with justice. 

With the recent historic election of President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, and Vice-President Francia Marquez, the first Afro-descendant and woman in that office, the conditions for peace and the opportunity for the return of Trinidad are ripe. The social movements, unions, and mass struggles in the recent National Strikes have spoken: a new Colombia is both possible and necessary!

Momentum is building for Simón Trinidad as he now has access to his Colombian lawyer after a successful lawsuit against the US government. All progressive and revolutionary forces need to spread the call and demand: Free Simón Trinidad!”

Therefore, SDS resolves to:
Join the call put forth by the National Committee to Free Simón Trinidad 
Demand U.S. out of Colombia! No more U.S. bases in Latin America or the Caribbean!

SDS STANDS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY

Police Brutality is still an issue that continues to torment Americans even after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, and the rate of police killing of African Americans is still at a higher rate compared to other groups in the U.S.

In 2021 alone, police shot and killed at least 1,055 people according to data compiled by the Washington Post, and 27% of those people were African-Americans. Patrick Lyoya, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Jayland Walker of Akron, Ohio; and Amir Locke of Minneapolis, Minnesota are just some of the names on an ever-growing list of victims of police brutality.

National Students for a Democratic Society has continually upheld that the struggle for justice against police brutality is a cornerstone to connecting the student movement to the broader community – and the Progressive Student Union at the University of Texas at Arlington has taken up the task to write this resolution to continue that affirmation.

WHEREAS, Police Brutality continues to be a pressing issue that affects the lives of Americans and especially those of minority communities, and;

WHEREAS, National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) seeks to fight against all injustice and ally the student movement with those seeking to end Police Brutality, and;

WHEREAS, the struggle to end Police Brutality has taken a new form in seeking Community Control of the Police, and this struggle is being led by community forces in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), and;

WHEREAS, National SDS has in past resolutions called for National Days of Actions on Police Brutality;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that National SDS set up a direct call to action for a National Day of Action on Police Brutality, resolve to encourage all SDS chapters to cooperate with NAARPR chapters in their respective cities in the struggle to establish Community Control of the Police, and that all SDS chapters be encouraged to take the forefront in demanding justice for victims of police brutality as relates to their local conditions, campaigns, and actions.

SDS Opposes Campus Police Departments! Less university funding for cops and more funding for education

Students for a Democratic Society opposes any and all police departments on college campuses. We recognize the repressive and violent tactics of police departments everywhere and how they have historically affected marginalized communities at a disproportionate rate ever since their inception. On many college campuses, the police have an overinflated budget that is much larger than the budget of some of the colleges at that school. This budget has proven to manifest in the heavy militarization of campus police forces. In an environment where sexual assaults are common and left widely unaddressed. Likewise, many students of color are targeted, racially profiled, and brutalized by the police on their campus. This makes their experiences at these institutions unsafe and unwelcoming. Little has been done by college administrations to combat these issues with their campus police departments, and more often than not, they [administration], along with board trustee members are the ones who consistently approve these astronomical campus police budgets, all while educational departments are being cut, faculty and staff are being let go, and students are struggling to pay for an education that should be free and readily accessible to all.

SDS calls for the defunding, demilitarization and ultimate removal of campus police departments in order to fund the school more adequately and moreover, make it a safer place for all students, specifically for those who are disproportionatelty affected by their campus police’s racist and discriminatory practices. Money that is used to fund police departments should be redirected to student resources and funding of colleges. This money within police departments is used to purchase military equipment which is then used to intimidate and harm students and the surrounding community. Any and all military equipment purchased by campus police departments should be returned immediately. Historically, campus police were implemented to suppress student activists in the anti-war movement in the 70s, and we can see how today they serve a similar function in protecting school property, white-supremacists, and other reactionaries. Therefore, be it resolved that Students for a Democratic Society fight to defund, divest, and demilitarize campus police departments.

SDS Fights for Abortion Rights!

WHEREAS: On June 24, 2022, with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, undoing nearly 50 years of precedent. Twenty-six states are now at risk of severely restricting or prohibiting abortion, with the probability of a federal ban becoming more realizable.

WHEREAS: Decided by a non-democratically elected body, the Supreme Court, and occurring under a Democratic administration and Congress, we have witnessed the end of Roe. Reducing this dire political moment to a tactic for garnering midterm election votes leaves millions of people at risk. Any future Republican-controlled legislature—which is inevitable, given the nature of the US political system—could do away with abortion entirely, and

WHEREAS: Abortion access in this country was imperiled long before this year. Casey v. Planned Parenthood, in 1992, opened the floodgates for state governments to impose a litany of onerous regulations on abortion clinics, forcing many clinics to shut their doors, and

WHEREAS: Dobbs v. Jackson has opened up questions about the legal fate of access to contraceptives. The basis for Roe was the constitutional right to privacy that was first enshrined in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control, and

WHEREAS: The Dobbs decision has put the lives of pregnant people and any person who can become pregnant in mortal danger. Women in states that ban abortion who must terminate in the event of a life-threatening medical emergency have been turned away by local hospitals, who tell them that they cannot legally perform the procedure. Women and girls of childbearing age in these same states have also had doctors and pharmacists deny them medication for debilitating conditions like lupus, as these drugs have abortifacient properties, and

WHEREAS: these extreme cases should not be considered the metric by which we should have legal abortion. To decide whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term is in and of itself a question of basic dignity, a decision that has serious ramifications for a person’s health and economic conditions. Abortion bans have denied people this dignity, and

WHEREAS: restrictions and prohibitions on abortion primarily affect Black, Indigenous, Latine, and working-class people. Black and Indigenous women have the worst maternal mortality rates in the country. Working-class people feel the costs of unwanted pregnancies, of regulations such as mandatory waiting periods and the closing of abortion clinics most harshly, and

WHEREAS: It is no accident that the fall of Roe v. Wade has come alongside attacks on LGBTQ rights, such as the recent challenges to gender-affirming care for trans youth in states such as Texas, Florida, and Ohio. These struggles are inextricably linked. The impetus for such misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic laws is one and the same: the patriarchial desire to police the body to adhere to normative gender roles, and

WHEREAS: The right to abortion was only won with the blood and sweat of the women’s movement, which organized alongside other progressive movements of the 60s and 70s such as the Civil Rights Movement, the LGBTQ movement, and the anti-war movement. It is through movements by and of the people—not through the political establishment and the Supreme Court—that legal abortion became the law of the land, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT NATIONAL SDS:
Calls for the end of Dobbs v. Jackson and the full reinstatement of abortion rights in all 50 states;
Opposes any and all abortion restrictions and state or federal-level challenges to the legality of abortion;
Calls for SDS chapters to hold national days of action in support of reproductive rights for all;
Calls upon local SDS chapters on campuses who do not already have menstrual products and contraceptives to demand access to those products;
Calls upon local SDS chapters to demand greater access to emergency contraceptives on their respective campuses.

A FREE UNIVERSITY IN A FREE SOCIETY: Make Universities More Accessible!

Whereas: Over the past year, US public universities have seen a hike in tuition costs nationwide. As post-secondary educational institutions raise prices to attend, enrolling in universities and colleges is becoming more difficult for working-class students. The right to attain higher education is slipping out of the reach of low-income students across the country, and

Whereas: In addition to the nationwide tuition hikes, the requirement of standardized testing for university admissions continues to remain a tactic to discourage low-income and neurodivergent students from pursuing post-secondary level education - especially people from communities of color. The standardized examination entrance requirements to be admitted to many US universities, namely the SAT and ACT, are notoriously inaccessible and unrepresentative of students’ preparedness for university. These standardized exams are costly to take, and can be even more costly to prepare for. Standardized exams like the SAT and ACT should not be considered as requirements for university acceptance, and

Whereas: Many universities have inaccessible infrastructure that makes it difficult for physically disabled students to make their way around campus. Automatic doors are often broken and ramps are infrequent, and

Whereas: Beyond the admissions process requiring high tuition costs and standardized test scores, many public universities across the US are cutting back on funding of diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiatives, including the funding of DEI resources and cultural organizations. Cutting the budget of cultural groups on campus is unacceptable as it discourages the uniting of students from similar cultural, national, or ethnic backgrounds for community building. Notably, organizations such as the Students for Justice in Palestine, or justice oriented cultural clubs, are being targeted by reduced funding. This strategic defunding of specific student groups is a direct attack on students’ abilities to organize and demand justice for their international communities, and

Whereas: Lastly, US public universities across the nation have seen a steady decline of Black student enrollment. This is unacceptable because Black students have been historically underrepresented in post-secondary institutions as a way to subjugate their access to socioeconomic mobility and security. Low Black student enrollment is particularly unacceptable for universities like the University of South Florida where the Black community makes up nearly a quarter of the surrounding population, yet less than a tenth of the student body. Disparities in Black student enrollment at universities in proportion to surrounding community areas cannot be tolerated. Attempts to recruit and invest in the education of Black students within university areas should be increased to make accessing an education more equitable.

Therefore, be it resolved by the Students for a Democratic Society,
Action 1: We call on universities across the US to lower tuition costs, and end the rising tuition hikes.
Action 2: We demand that Biden follow through with his campaign promise of canceling all student debt.
Action 3: We demand an end to standardized test score requirements, from exams such as the SAT and ACT, for admissions to our respective universities.
Action 4: We demand that universities build accessible infrastructure that is wheelchair-friendly and ensure that existing automatic doors and similar amenities are in full working order.
Action 5: We demand the reallocation of funds from campus attractions, such as football stadiums, to student resources.
Action 6: We stand in solidarity with international and cultural student groups organizing for justice in their respective communities, and demand that these organizations do not undergo defunding.
Action 7: We denounce the declining admission of Black students in universities and demand more attempts at supporting the enrollment, as well as the financial sustainment of this historically underrepresented student group.
Action 8: We oppose the defunding and underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and community colleges. Community colleges have historically provided access to college education to working class students who would have been unable to attend college otherwise. HBCUs have historically provided access to education to Black students.