Lansing Protest for higher Education

By KAITLIN DOYLE

Students from many public universities across the state of Michigan rallied in support of higher education at the Capitol in Lansing on March 25.
The students were protesting against the higher education budget cuts that have taken place in recent years.
Students from Northeastern traveled through the night in order to get to the rally, which started at noon.
The rally started with a march of some schools from the capitol to the Lansing Center, where all schools lined up in order to march back to the capitol together.
Some students had shirts, posters and signs, some of which read things like “We are the future,” “Save education first,” and even “I can’t believe I still have to protest this crap.”
Many also had megaphones and shouts of sayings like “no cuts, no fees, education should be free” could be heard throughout the crowd, which was made up of over 100 students.
When students reached the capitol, some of the many speakers began to take the stage. Many speakers were students who were affected by not only the budget cuts but also the elimination of The Michigan Promise scholarship, but many were also state representatives, senators and local politicians, including the mayor of Lansing.
Worker inside the capitol could be seen watching the protest through windows of the building, but no one came outside.
The rally was followed by an event called “Cram the Capitol” in which the students filled the galleries of the House of Representatives and Senate. Many students watched quietly while the senate and house members proceeded with daily business in an effort to show that students are here and listening to the political process.