Students protest budget cuts Archived article from May 12, 2003 By Pam Orel   A weeklong "tent city" protesting drastic cuts in state funding for higher education drew more than 50 tents and a steady stream of supporters to the Voorhees Mall on College Avenue April 28–May 2. Called Tent State University, the event included rallies, teach-ins, poetry readings and musical performances. Students could also phone their legislative leaders and pick up voter registration forms. Assemblyman Matt Ahearn, representing District 38 in Bergen County, and Upendra Chivukula, representing District 17 in Middlesex County, spoke at opening ceremonies, and President Richard L. McCormick visited the group April 29 to show his support. The protest by the New Jersey Coalition for the Right to an Education, a diverse group of student organizations, was born out of students' fears that the budget cuts will affect their ability to get a high-quality education, according to organizer Tom DeGloma. "There was a real sense of desperation. Some students felt they wouldn't be able to return next fall," said DeGloma, an activist, graduate student and teaching assistant. "We are sleeping outdoors to show that higher education no longer has a home in New Jersey," said Laura Weitzman, a Rutgers College sophomore.

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