Thursday is National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, and CSUN’s Students for Quality Education (SQE) is working with Occupy Education California to rally in front of the Oviatt Library, hoping to inform students about issues that the CSU system and higher education face.

SQE’s rally begins at 12:30 p.m., and will last for about an hour. Tentative speakers include CSUN Chicana/o Studies professor Dr. Rodolfo Acuña and noted civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson.

“I want to be more informed on these issues with education,” student activist and journalism senior Ashley Luke said in an email. “I want to do my part to reach out to the younger generation to get them motivated and be more informed to stand up for their education.”

Nationally, over 60 different organizations will work individually on March 1 to try and educate students around the country. Each organization decides how they will participate.

“This is important and we want to educate students,” said Edgar Ramos, an organizer with SQE and a junior art major at CSUN. “I find many times students aren’t aware of the issues.”

Next week, The March for Higher Education (also known as the March on March) will take place on March 5. Associated Students will provide buses for the students to go to Sacramento for the event. Students interested in joining can sign up in the A.S. office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

The SQE was formed in 2007-2008 by students in the California State University system to build the student movement for educational rights in public higher education.