 "Photo: Brendan McInerney / Associate Photography Editor")
Former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel spoke about the state of democracy and a lack of funding for higher education at yesterday's Tent State University/Students for a Democratic Society event.
"[Gravel is] a big proponent of democracy which is a core value of Tent State," said graduate student Sean Monahan, an organizer of the event.
Gravel gave a speech preceding the "Funding the Future: Securing Higher Education" panel discussion at Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue campus where The American Association of University Professors, New Jersey Working Families Campaign and New Jersey Policy Perspectives were represented.
The event was part of Tent State's scheduled events for the week, but Tent State members were not the only ones present. Interested members of the University community attended as well.
"Tent State is a way to create an experimental space to get people to work together," Monahan said. "Instead of it being a conventional protest, [the idea was to] create an alternative space like a smaller version of a big institution like a university. That's why it's called Tent State University."
Monahan said Tent State began Saturday and will end Friday night or early Saturday morning.
"It's an ongoing protest but also an attempt to build a community right here to focus on issues of politics, to share ideas and to give our coalition partners an opportunity to present their work," he said.
Gravel, the 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate, talked to tent state members about what he thinks are fundamental Libertarian beliefs, his past political career and his stance on funding for higher education.
Rich Baldan, a Rutgers College senior, said he attended the talk because he is unsatisfied with the current role of politics.
"I like some of the views that he holds [since] he's a Libertarian," Baldan said. "He likes to stick with the Constitution, so I do appreciate that. I just want to hear a little more about him."
Gravel is best known for filibustering for five months while he was in Congress in 1971, which eventually led to the end of the U.S. draft. He is also known for releasing the Pentagon Papers. Gravel said many considered him a maverick and a misfit during his congressional career.
"I would go after causes that would disturb conventional leadership," Gravel said.
He talked about his transition from being a Democratic congressman to a Libertarian presidential candidate.
"I've always been a classic liberal," he said. "That is an old-fashioned liberal where human rights are first and foremost. So I became what I really was at heart: a Libertarian."
He also spoke about his plans if he is elected president.
He said if elected, he will change the entire tax system in order to secure money to fund the education system from beginning to end.
"Pass a law with elected officials, and you solve a problem for maybe a year or two," Gravel said. "Give the people [the power] to make laws, and you've now established [their] ability to govern themselves for the rest of a millennium. And that's what I'm trying to bring about: to change the paradigm of human government."
He discussed his stance on higher education and said he is appalled at how the current system works.
"I think that it's a crime in this country that you have to pay to go to school," he said.
Tent State member Amy Braunstein, a Livingston College Class of 2008 alumna who helped coordinate the event, said she thinks the University needs a restoration of funding for higher education, and Tent State is trying to raise awareness about how detrimental a lack of funding is to public universities.
"Last year, we had a minor restoration, but it came on the heels of hundreds of millions of dollars being cut from Rutgers, which led to the cancellation of hundreds of classes, the firing of hundreds of faculty members, nixing of security guards," Braunstein said. "This year, they want to take another $40 million, which, at this point, is 11 percent of Rutgers' operating revenue a year."
Yael Bromberg, a Douglass College Class of 2005 alumna who also helped coordinate Tent State, said the organization was very satisfied with the turnout and that it proved that students are concerned about higher education funding.
