First-annual Springtime Craft Show for CHOW

CHOW will be holding a craft show and fundraiser in the BU West Gym on Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is being held free of charge, and anyone planning to attend is asked to bring a non-perishable food donation or monetary donation for CHOW. Attendees can register to receive a gift basket and gift certificate from one of the over 125 local participating merchants scheduled to participate.

NYPIRG advocates student-friendly budget

In response to the state budget conference committees which met in Albany last week, members of the New York Public Interest Research Group called for a “student-friendly” state budget for higher education. NYPIRG higher education intern Elizaveta Korotkova said the organization is pushing the state legislature to deliver a budget that provides more funding to both SUNY and CUNY, rejects tuition hikes, strengthens the Tuition Assistance Program and doubles funding for all opportunity programs.

Nationwide student protest for women’s rights

More than 1,100 Amnesty International students and more than 100 student groups from allied organizations are estimated to join in demanding that the United States government demonstrate commitment to the ideals of women’s human rights. The nationwide event will take place April 3-10 during Amnesty International USA’s National Week of Student Action, which is itself focused upon convincing senators to support the Treaty for the Rights of Women. The action week will include protests, vigils, sit-ins and petition signing on college campuses across the country. Interested groups and individuals can visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/nwsa for more information.

Students and ACLU Challenge Drug Penalty in Court

One of the nation’s largest student organizations, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last Wednesday challenging a provision of the federal Higher Education Act which they say has blocked financial aid to nearly 200,000 prospective students since its inaction in 2000. The lawsuit claims that the provision violates the Double Jeopardy Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment, thereby limiting college access to disproportionately affected working class students.