Hear ye! Hear ye! Free U is this Thursday the 30th of April! It all starts at 10am, but it really kicks off with a rally on the Union Mall at 1pm. Bring your friends, bring your enemies, bring everyone! Full info below!
Where: Union Mall (rally), classes held throughout Main Campus. Full Map here
When: 10am-6:30pm, Thursday, April 30th
Who: Faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff of SUNY Stony Brook, plus community members, allies, and the general public
Why: To celebrate what Free, Open, Accessible education would and should look like
CLASS SCHEDULE 2015:
| time period | facilitator/instructor | courses | location | |
| 10am- 11:20am: | Free U Planning Committee | (Dis)Orientation (What is Free U/ May Day Coalition, Setting of Community Agreement)description: Join us for some tea, coffee, and morning dialog to establish our Community Agreement and to share some working knowledge about the May Day Coalition and Free U are and why there are necessary. | Free U Hub | |
| 11:30am- 12:50pm | Victoria Hesford: | Introduction to Feminist Theory (WST 291)description: We will be discussing connections between queerness and disability. The essay we will be using for this discussion is Robert McRuer “Compulsory Able-Bodiedness and Queer/Disabled Existence” | Classroom A | |
| 1pm-1:30pm | John MartinGSEU Campus Organizer | Rally for Free + Accessible Higher Education | Free U Hub | |
| 1:40pm- 2:20pm | Mathew Sacco | SUNY 2020:description: How SUNY 2020 is a bad deal for students. | Classroom C | |
| Anthony Levin | “Common Core: Common Sense?”description: The Common Core, part of the Obama administration’s Race to the Top Initiative, has been backed by millions of dollars. Its mission, to cultivate “career and college ready” students through “evidence-based” teaching methods is hopeful, but misleading and ultimately exploitative. In our presentation, David Vite and I will discuss the misgivings of the Common Core and address how, instead of helping our students, this program will only punish those already struggling in their classes and further the socioeconomic divide that already exists in the United States. | Classroom D | ||
| Hillary Steinbury | “Gendering in Childhood”description: A lecture and interactive class on gendering in childhood using toys, education, and other statistics to show its prevalence in our society. We will talk about the effects of media, peers, school, and parents on how we prescribe gender roles in early life and how this effects equality in adulthood. | Classroom E | ||
| Ashley Rizzotto | Alohamora! Unlocking Vulnerability in your Leadership through the Harry Potter Series.description:This student affairs style leadership workshop will combine a love for Ted Talk presenter Brene Brown and the Harry Potter Series! Brene Brown focuses on learning how to reframe weakness so that it can be used as personal strength professionally and personally. Using examples from the Harry Potter book series, we will explore how The Trio and others grew as leaders, and how you can grow as a leader too! Mischief Managed. | Classroom F | ||
| 2:30pm- 3:50pm | Free U Planning Committee | OPEN FORUM:Reflection on Free U and the May Day Coalition | Classroom A | |
| 4pm- 5:20pm | Eva Boodman | What are the dimensions of identity? Kimberle Crenshaw and Intersectional Selves (PHI 100 – Concepts of the Person)description: In this class we will explore the different structural dimensions of identity and their relationship to each other through a reading of Kimberle Crenshaw’s work on intersectionality. How do race and gender (and class? and etc?) intersect, and how should we rethink our definitions of discrimination in response to those intersections? This class session will include some reading together, discussion, and some reflection and writing activities. | Classroom A | |
| Kayla Sanchez | Gungfu Style Tea Brewing
description: A short demonstration of gungfu style brewing and an explanation of the tools used. |
Classroom B | ||
| 5:30pm- end | Free U Planning Committee/ GSEU | Pizza Party Celebration | Staller Steps |
MAY DAY COALITION 
Im a current student at stony. I learned about this initiative from a flyer, and I must say it’s very intriguing.
It is very stark how graduates these days have become enslaved by debts due to the higher education system. This financial crisis demoralizes any sort of societal activism from our age demographic.
However I was wondering. If everything at stony was free, how would anything be operated. Sinc siyes, dorm rooms, campus dining, and (perhaps most important) quality faculty and class environments.
How would any of this be possible in your free coalition model? I’m excited to learn more. Thank you for your consideration!
Hi Yasin,
I’m sorry no one responded to you. This webpage was never intended to be for discussion (though we are happy to have discussions) – the facebook page may be a better medium for that.
I hope you attended some May Day events and found some answers to your question.The way I understand it, a simple approach would be for the state to reverse cuts to education.
Here’s some data: http://fiscalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/FPI_UnderinvestmentPublicHigherEd_20090115.pdf