Welcome to the national movement against the grad student tax! By registering your local event here, you will gain access to several resources to help host your local rally, walkout or event to support higher education and oppose the tax bill.
Once you register your event, which includes inputting the location it will be held, we will connect you to the people on this mailing list who reside near where your event will be held. Your event will also be searchable on our website, https://gradtaxwalkout.wixsite.com/walkout and added to our social media pages as part of an interactive national map.
General Guidelines:
1. Your event can take on many forms (e.g. congregate to call senators, rally at your local campus quad, or visit your local representative as a large group) and would be held on Wednesday, Nov 29 at 1pm EST/10am PST.
2. The event can run as long as you wish; we recommend one hour but it's really up to you.
3. While we recommend mobilizing at the same date and time as other campuses, it's okay if your event needs to occur at a different time! We welcome you to register the event here regardless to help illustrate the vast number of students opposing this bill.
Creating an Event on this site:
1. Title of your event: Suggestions include Grad Tax Rally, Grad Tax Walkout, Save Grad Education Rally
2. Enter date and time, in your local time zone
3. Location Name: This can be descriptive, e.g. "Campus Quad" or another landmark.
4. Address: IMPORTANT! Enter an address that will show up on Google Maps. This is so supporters in your local area can search for your event online.
5. "Attend this Event" Form on the right hand side of page: Please include the "zip code" question and make it required. It'll allow us to help you communicate with local supporters in your area.
Thank you for playing a vital role in making our voices heard!
In solidarity,
Your fellow organizers
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why are there two hashtags to this event?
#GradTaxWalkout and #SaveGradEd represent two groups of graduate students who have joined efforts to organize this national event.
2. I'm confused. I read somewhere that this was happening on Monday, not Wednesday, Nov 29.
You were right! We recently changed the date to Wednesday, Nov 29. We based this on several reasons. For instance, students and supporters may not have returned from Thanksgiving break by Nov 27 (the original date). The extra two days allowed additional time for supporters to get organized after the break.
3. I'd really like to change the date and time of my local event.
No problem! We'd highly recommend registering your event here anyway. And if you're curious, here's why you heard us encouraging sticking to the Nov 29 date: We've been working hard at securing media coverage for this nationwide event and have spoken with several interested reporters and news outlets. It is therefore helpful to hold your local event at the same time as other events across the nation to maximize media coverage of your event. And media coverage is incredibly important to ensure our concerns are heard by policy makers and the public alike.
4. Is this a walkout, or a rally?
At its crux, this is a nationwide event that is coordinated to happen at the same date and time across the country, but at a local level can take whatever form you wish. Students are organizing Grade-Ins, visits to their representatives, and calls to senators. Additionally, the labor laws in certain states prohibit graduate student employees from participating in a "walkout." If you are from one of those states, your event can take another form that abides by state regulations. Reach out to us if you need help or have questions.
Questions, comments or feedback? Contact us at GradTaxWalkout@gmail.com. Fight On!
