Progressive Student Network
Encyclopedia
The Progressive Student Network (PSN) was a national, multi-issue, progressive college student activist organization in the United States. It was founded at a conference in 1980 as a merger of the Revolutionary Student Brigade, the Midwest Coalition against Registration and the Draft (Mid-CARD), and the Student Coalition Against Nukes Nationwide (SCANN). The founding of the PSN commemorated the 10 year anniversary of the National Guard
killing student anti-war protesters at Kent State
and Jackson State
in 1970. The PSN quickly grew and attracted many new progressive student activist groups motivated to protest against the shift to the right in U.S. politics when Ronald Reagan
was elected president in 1980.
Through the 1980s and into the early 1990s the PSN worked on many issues including organizing against U.S. military intervention in the Central America
n countries of Nicaragua
and El Salvador
(the PSN supported the Sandinistas and the FMLN); organizing to kick the CIA off university campuses; the movement against apartheid in South Africa
; organizing against the ROTC presence on college campuses; defending women's reproductive rights
; and others. PSN groups also led numerous struggles against instances of racism, sexism and homophobia that came up on their campuses. PSN organized a large conference in 1990 at Kent State to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1970 Kent State and Jackson State student killings.
For the first several years while it was strongest, the PSN was somewhere between a regional and a national organization. Its core was in the Midwest and the Northeast with connections reaching into the West and the South. The last major organized struggle in which the PSN played a significant role was the anti-war movement before and during the 1991 Gulf War
. In the aftermath of the war, the student movement declined considerably, and the PSN faded away by 1994, after doing organizing in 1992 against the celebration of 500 years since Christopher Columbus's 1492 'discovery' of America; against the coup in Haiti
that overthrew elected leader Jean Bertrand Aristide; and in support of the 1994 Zapatista
uprising in Chiapas
, Mexico
. By 1994 the PSN faded away, even though there are still a number of local campus groups in existence which were part of the network and many more which use names such as Progressive Student Network, Progressive Student Alliance, Progressive Student Union, Progressive Student Organization, etc.
and its predecessor organizations were key members in many of the major PSN chapters, but FRSO members didn't treat PSN as a front group. FRSO members in PSN encouraged members of other socialist organizations who were willing to work together to join and build the PSN, but they at times came in conflict with other socialist organizations who tried to impose their line on the PSN.
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
killing student anti-war protesters at Kent State
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
and Jackson State
Jackson State killings
The Jackson State killings occurred on Thursday/Friday May 14–15, 1970, at Jackson State College in Jackson, Mississippi. A group of somewhat violent student protesters were confronted by city and state police. The police opened fire, killing two students and injuring twelve...
in 1970. The PSN quickly grew and attracted many new progressive student activist groups motivated to protest against the shift to the right in U.S. politics when Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was elected president in 1980.
Through the 1980s and into the early 1990s the PSN worked on many issues including organizing against U.S. military intervention in the Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n countries of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
(the PSN supported the Sandinistas and the FMLN); organizing to kick the CIA off university campuses; the movement against apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
; organizing against the ROTC presence on college campuses; defending women's reproductive rights
Reproductive rights
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:...
; and others. PSN groups also led numerous struggles against instances of racism, sexism and homophobia that came up on their campuses. PSN organized a large conference in 1990 at Kent State to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1970 Kent State and Jackson State student killings.
For the first several years while it was strongest, the PSN was somewhere between a regional and a national organization. Its core was in the Midwest and the Northeast with connections reaching into the West and the South. The last major organized struggle in which the PSN played a significant role was the anti-war movement before and during the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. In the aftermath of the war, the student movement declined considerably, and the PSN faded away by 1994, after doing organizing in 1992 against the celebration of 500 years since Christopher Columbus's 1492 'discovery' of America; against the coup in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
that overthrew elected leader Jean Bertrand Aristide; and in support of the 1994 Zapatista
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
uprising in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. By 1994 the PSN faded away, even though there are still a number of local campus groups in existence which were part of the network and many more which use names such as Progressive Student Network, Progressive Student Alliance, Progressive Student Union, Progressive Student Organization, etc.
PSN News
The PSN published a newspaper called PSN News, which came out sporadically, but usually at least a couple times per semester. In the early years PSN News was published by the UMass Amherst Radical Student Union and the George Washington University Progressive Student Union. Then for most of the 1980s it was published by the University of Iowa PSN chapter, New Wave. In the 1990s it was published by the University of Wisconsin - Madison Progressive Student Network chapter.Conferences
The Progressive Student Network organized usually one conference each year during its existence. Here is a list of most of the conferences that PSN organized:- 1980 - Kent State - Kent, OH
- 1981 - October 24-25 - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- 1982 - October 15-17 - Wayne State University, Detroit, MI - Education, Not Annihilation; Build Progressive Student Action, Not Reaction
- 1983 - Kent State, Kent, OH
- 1984 - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA - Dump Reagan
- 1985 - University of Chicago, Chicago, IL - Anti-Apartheid (co-sponsored)
- 1986 - University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- 1987 - November 14-15 - Kent State, Kent, OH - Fighting Racism, Reagan, and the Right: Building the Student Movement in the 1980s
- 1988 - November 12-13 - University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL - "Progressive Student Network Fall Conference"
- 1989 - University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI
- 1990 - May - Kent State, Kent, OH - 20 year anniversary of Kent State/Jackson State murders
- 1991 - October 19-20 - University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA - 1492-1992: Fighting Back Oppression for 500 Years! Shaping Student Strategies for the Future!
- 1992 - October 30-31 - George Washington University, Washington DC - halloween theme
- 1993 - November 6-7 - University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin - (Don't Believe the) Hype!
- 1994 - April 9-10 - George Washington University, Washington DC - Organize Against Racism on Campus; Support the People's Movements for Justice in Haiti & Mexico; Build the Student Movement
- 1994 - October 29-30 - University of Louisville, Louisville, KY - America's Lies and Clinton's Broken Promises: Tools for the 90s
PSN Groups
There were many campus groups that participated in the PSN at different times. Here is the start of a list of some of them.- George Washington University - Progressive Student Union (PSU)
- Georgetown University - Progressive Student Union (PSU)
- Kent State - Progressive Student Network (PSN)
- Lehigh University - Progressive Student Alliance (PSA). Founded circa 1983, still active as of 2007.
- Marquette University - Progressive Student Organization (PSO). Founded in 1978 by a member of the RSB and several close associates, it was perhaps the first of these various local organizations.
- University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) - Progressive Resource / Action Cooperative (PRC)
- University of Illinois (Chicago) - Progressive Students
- University of Iowa - New Wave
- University of Louisville (Louisville, KY) - Progressive Student League (PSL)
- University of Massachusetts (Amherst) - Radical Student Union (RSU)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)- Progressive Student Network (PSN)
- University of Minnesota - Progressive Student Organization (PSO)
- University of Northern Illinois - John Lennon Society
- University of Pennsylvania - Progressive Student Union (PSU)
- University of Wisconsin (Madison) - Progressive Student Network (PSN)
PSN and FRSO
Members of the Freedom Road Socialist OrganizationFreedom Road Socialist Organization
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization — known in Spanish as Organización Socialista del Camino para la Libertad — was formed in 1985 as many of the Maoist-oriented groups formed in the United States New Communist Movement of the 1970s were shrinking or collapsing...
and its predecessor organizations were key members in many of the major PSN chapters, but FRSO members didn't treat PSN as a front group. FRSO members in PSN encouraged members of other socialist organizations who were willing to work together to join and build the PSN, but they at times came in conflict with other socialist organizations who tried to impose their line on the PSN.