Have any of you heard of this Tent State thing?

[otherlander]

I was just wondering if it was anything worth getting involved with. Okay, maybe I'm just posting because it's 5 a.m. and I can't sleep. Anyone else up?

[im1013]

1. Do you mean this?

From Wikipedia

Tent State University is a national movement of various universities in the United States (including international involvement in England) at which students, staff and community members set up tents and build an alternative University. The main lobbying focus is on policies which harm higher education. This includes the taking funding away from education at the federal and state level, the lack of democratic influence in school governance, and rejecting the annual excuse of a budget crisis. It also calls special attention to the war in Iraq which consumes a large amount of resources which could be spent on higher education.

Tent State is distinct in its emphasis on democracy at all levels of society: "People who work together make decisions together, and people who make decisions together work together." It also places a tactical emphasis on coalition building across diverse communities.

This movement started at Rutgers University in 2003 and has spread to many other schools. Universities involved include the University of California, as well as the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin, the University of Missouri, Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts, the University of Connecticut, SUNY, and Tent State UK at the University of Sussex. Even though its main focus is higher education and democracy in the United States, an increasing number of left-wing organizations have used Tent State as a forum for discussions on a broad range of issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_State_University

[otherlander]

2. Yeah. Apparently it started right here at Rutgers.

There's stickers about it in the bathroom and writing about it on the walls. Wondering how large of a group they had, if they had regular meetings, and how much of it was just government infiltrators.

[bananas]

3. Hey, they could do this with farmer's markets

A lot of places have weekly farmers markets,
they could set up a tent and have weekly classes.

[otherlander]

5. Hey, that's a pretty cool idea.

:hi:

[Trekologer]

4. It stated out with a good goal

In 2003, Rutgers was facing a significant reduction in its funding from the state. A couple of students came up with the idea of a multi-day protest, where students would camp out on the lawn in the center of the campus to send the message that the students would be living in tents if the funding was cut as much as was proposed. Back then I supported it and was even a part of it. Since the first year, it turned into a protest convention. There isn't a single, strong message but multiple ones, each getting lost in the noise.

[otherlander]

6. You were a Rutgers student?

So they just have yearly conventions? No weekly or monthly meetings?

[Trekologer]

7. It got hijacked by PIRG

It started out a colaboration of several student orginizations and NJPIRG. As far as I know, PIRG is still pulling all the strings.

And yes I was a Rutgers student. I graduated in 2004 1/2 (ended up being 2005).