From the Ohio Student Association’s May 1, 2026, press release titled “Ohio Students and Faculty Undeterred from Attacks on Higher ED, Continue to Fight Back:”

“On May 1, International Workers Day, the Ohio Student Association (OSA) led Ohio’s campuses in Rising Up for May Day. OSA chapters at Kent State, Miami University, and Oberlin College and Conservatory organized students, faculty, and staff to take action for common demands of affordability, security, and freedom and to offer an answer to the question facing higher education: Do our public universities belong to the people or to billionaires and extremist politicians? Together, students and workers declared that our schools belong to us.

“The actions at Kent, Miami, and Oberlin were part of a national movement of students and labor unions, Project Rise Up, organizing students and workers on hundreds of campuses across the country led by: OSA, Sunrise Movement, American Association of University Professors (AAUP), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Higher Education Labor United (HELU) and more.

“We are calling on our elected officials and university leadership to support students with what they actually need, like debt-free access to higher education, starting with more funding for need-based financial aid and state share of instruction, along with money for paid internships that help students afford to live while getting on the path to well-paying careers, and commitments to protect students and our campus communities from ICE. We are also calling on the students of Ohio to imagine and fight for a better, brighter future. One we can own, and one we can thrive in. Somewhere, there is an Ohio where we graduate without debt and where we can fully participate in democracy.

“At Kent State, the legacy of protest continued with students, faculty and the Kent State United Faculty Alliance walked out and rallied at Risman Plaza. Campus administration attended the event and met two additional student demands by sharing key details on what is considered private and public and committing to notifying students if ICE is ever on campus. This, combined with a previous negotiating session, means that three out of five of our chapter’s ICE OUT demands have been met.

“’Our legacy as a school is not some footnote in a history book or a webpage; it’s a promise we keep, to each other, to this campus, to this belief that love and connection are stronger than isolation. We can build a loving campus again, but that begins with defending our students, professors, and workers from harm.’ – Nica Delgado, Vice President of Kent State OSA, Graduate Student.”

Learn more about OSA at www.ohiostudentassociation.org. Contact [email protected] for more information.