‘Occupy Graduation’: Student activists broadcast debt owed with ball and chains

[ellisonz]

By Liz Goodwin | The Lookout – 2 hrs 58 mins ago

A handful of student activists are expressing their displeasure at the rising cost of college by wearing inflatable ball and chain accessories over their graduation robes. The props state the amount of debt with which they're graduating. The silent commencement protest, dubbed "Occupy Graduation" by its organizers, is taking place at seven universities around the country.

Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerrys ice cream, is helping pay for the protest and has raised about $400,000 to fund Occupy-related projects.

"A college education is so important and now it's only available to people who have a lot of money or to people who end up going into debt for the rest of their lives," Cohen told Yahoo News. The entrepreneur never completed college, but he thinks it's crucial to job success today.

Everardo Gonzalez, a 23 year-old criminal justice graduate of San Francisco State University, said he received "a bunch of positive feedback" from parents and fellow students for his participation in the quiet protest last Saturday at the graduation ceremony.

More: Yahoo News Story

http://www.occupygraduation.net/index.html

That's how it's done - I think my parents would have killed me if I had done this 3 years ago.

[ellisonz]

1. X-Posted to GD

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002720666

[FirstLight]

2. AWESOME!

Keep saying it loud, and keep making noise! let's fix things once and for all...