WASHINGTON -- May 23 -- Nationwide – A new form of student protest is spreading across the nation, with events in at least five states today and four more tomorrow (lists appended). In a “May miracle,” despite exams and the end of the school year, 56 mock filibusters in support of the filibuster have taken place or are being planned across 34 states.

Students are opposing the “nuclear option” being pushed by Senate Republicans. The option would alter Senate rules to allow a simple majority of Senators to confirm controversial judicial nominees for lifetime appointments on the federal judiciary.

The mock filibuster at Princeton University ran round-the-clock for over two weeks, from April 26 to May 12, and culminated with a trip to the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

Recent Highlights:

On Friday May 20th, students at the Medical University of South Carolina organized a filibuster protest at the University's commencement where Sen. Bill Frist delivered the commencement address.
On Monday, May 23, campus filibusters will be launched at UNC Chapel Hill, University of Maine at Orono, Bowdoin College in Maine, and the University of Indiana at Purdue. College and high school students will bring their protest to the Federal Courthouse in Fargo, North Dakota.
On Tuesday, May 24, the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Washington State University and Florida International University will begin their filibuster campaigns. So will Kenosha Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Filibusters are also likely to occur this week on campuses in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Nevada, Utah and Alabama.
The campus filibusters in support of the filibuster are also inspiring dozens of citizen filibuster protests against the "nuclear option." slated to begin on Tuesday May 24 at noon.

Additional Information

A comprehensive list of campuses and states with student-organized filibusters is included at the end of this release. Asterisks mark places where plans are confirmed for within the week, but events have not yet taken place.

Further information on these filibusters, including statements by and contact information for student organizers is available at FilibusterFrist.com.

Campuses: University of Alaska,* Auburn University,* American University, Amherst College, Bates College, Colby College, Boston College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, University of California at Berkeley, Carleton College, Colby College, Cornell University, Dickinson College, Florida International University,* George Washington University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Howard University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Indiana-Purdue, Iowa State University, Kenosha Tremper High School in WI, University of Maine at Orono, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Medical University of South Carolina, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Nebraska at Lincoln*, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of North Dakota at Fargo (with the help of a local high school), Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, Northeastern University, Ohio State University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, High School students in Redding, CT, University of Southern Maine at Portland, Stanford University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Texas at Austin, Trinity University, Tufts University, Vassar College, University of Virginia,* Washington State University*, Wellesley College, Western Kentucky University, Wichita State University in Kansas, Yale University.

States: Alaska, Alabama,* California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida,* Georgia,* Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico,* New York, Nevada,* North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,* South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,* Virginia, Washington,* Wisconsin*

Upcoming events May 23-24:

State
Campus
start date
local start
location
Contacts

IA
Iowa State University
19-May

library
Drew Miller , 515-451-4509 djmiller@iastate.edu

IN
Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis
23-May
9:00 AM
IUPUI Democracy Plaza, 815 W. Michigan St.
Deepak Jacob (317)460-8144; Shawn Plew, (317)626-3038 splew@iupui.edu

ME
Bowdoin College
23-May
10:00 AM
student center
Alex Cornell du Houx, acornell@bowdoin.edu, 207-319-4511; Ben Kreider (bkreider@bowdoin.edu) 610-952-8684

ME
University of Maine-Orono
23-May
noon
the mall
Jesse Wertheim 207-590-6742 jesse_wertheim@umit.maine.edu

NC
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
23-May
10:00 AM
The Pitt in front of the student union
Jason Baker 828-777-2541 or shadow@unc.edu

ND
Fargo--joint High school and UND protest
23-May
5:15 PM
Federal Courthouse (655 1st Av N, Fargo)
Annie Krapu alien_annie@hotmail.com 701-235-6864

AK
University of Alaska-Anchorage
24-May

Student Union/ bookstore entrance
Sean Mannion, 907-575-9453, sean_dem@yahoo.com

FL
Florida International University
24-May

available from contact
Maylen Rafuls, mrafuls@princeton.edu, 786 282 7635

WA
Washington State University
24-May
9:00 AM
mall in front of Compton Union Building
Stephanie Ervin., 509-333-2800, stephanieae0303@yahoo.com

WI
Kenosha Tremper High School
24-May

available from contact
Awais Khaleel: 262-909-3596, cdw@wisdems.org

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