A rally for higher education, recorded at the NJ State House Annex on April 27. We rode on a bus full of Rutgers students, who have this to say:

"Governor Corzine has proposed state budget cuts for higher education funding that will devastate Rutgers. We depend on state funding to operate, and these cuts would both crush Rutgers's ability to remain a nationally competitive university and drastically limit its accessibility.

"We students are taking a stand against budget cuts. We are sending a message to the New Jersey Government that we will not stand for double-digit tuition increases or the cancellation of thousands of classes. We are mobilizing to show that students are the Casualties of the Cuts."

Rutgers, due to its relatively low cost and high quality, is the choice for many people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In this tightly concentrated quarter-hour, you'll hear (I hope I got all this information correct):

• Excerpts of most of the chants we heard.
• Readings of many of the signs we saw.
• Dave Cole of Mullica Hill, president of Rutgers College student government.
• Heather Shasa of Rockaway, sophomore at Cook College, nutrition major.
• Erin Johnston of Chatnam, Rutgers.
• Josh Ontell of Clifton, sophomore, Rutgers College.
• Professor Paul Leath, physics, chairman of Rutgers-New Brunswick Faculty Council.
• Professor Rudolph Bell, history, Rutgers.
• Professor Nagesh Rao, The College of New Jersey.
• NJ Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, chairman, Higher Education Committee.
• Celeste Barretto of Manasquan, former president of Douglass College Governing Association; Class of 2007, classics and gender studies major.
• Annelise Catanzaro of Parsippany, senior, The College of New Jersey.
• TJ, Ramapo College.
• Rachel, Rutgers College Governing Association.
• NJ Assemblyman Bill Baroni.

Episode Sponsor: Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters

RZ Note: I watched coverage of the event on NJN-TV. I'm glad I didn't blink, because the report took up less than half a minute. LNR gives it much bigger play.

Relevant Links:
Casualties of the Cuts
Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters