This fight is grassroots and from the ground up: we cannot catapult ourselves into Washington without making it known to our neighbors why their education is just at risk as ours. This is the impetus for Fight for Higher Ed's op-ed campaign. We must make the case to our neighbors that:

1. The American university is at risk, regardless of where the higher education provisions of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" go.

2. When the federal government fails, state and local governments must step in to keep American universities financially accessible, globally competitive, and civically invigorated.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CAMPAIGN

Republican leadership is aiming to get the Big Beautiful Bill to Trump's desk by July 4th. In the remaining weeks before the Senate and House vote on the finalized version of the bill, we're coordinating a national-local media strategy to keep political and civic pressure high to empower local communities to demand that state and municipal officials act to protect ihgher education access if the federal government fails.

Our movement began with a grassroots advocacy day in Washington, D.C., but it will not end there. Op-eds make this fight visible to neighbors, families, and local lawmakers in the communities most directly affected by the Bill's dangerous cuts.

Thus, the campaign:

1. Sustains momentum from the national advocacy day.

2. Raises local awareness on state officials to take action where the federal government may not.

3. Tells personal stories about higher education and American opportunity to remind readers that financial aid cuts (catalyzed by the Bill) affects real students with profound aspirations.

In doing so, we're promulgating these core messages:

1. This Bill slashes federal aid programs that make college possible for working-class and first-generation students: most notably, Pell Grants and SEOG funding.

2. These cuts fund tax cuts for billionaires on the backs of working-class students.

3. Students from all institutions are affected. Community colleges, state schools, and regional universities rely heavily on federal aid.

4. When the federal government abdicates responsibility, state governments must step up to prevent students from falling through the cracks.

Logistics and Timeline, tentatively. (The submission window is intentionally long to allow writers the ability to fully dedicate themselves to their work, regardless of their other commitments.)

June 17-22: Writing and revision period. Authors work in close collaboration with our editorial team for drafting and feedback.

June 22-30: Submission window. Writers will submit local op-eds for local audiences.

July 1 and onward: Monitoring, amplification, and follow-up with state and local officials.

Editorial Support

All writers will receive line edits, structural guidance, and narrative development support from the editorial team. We encourage:

• First-person narratives that make crystal clear the personal stakes of higher education cuts.

• Civic arguments that show how education fuels democracy, innovation, and prosperity.

• Localized data about your institution or your area's institution(s) and anecdotes where there is exigence.

Ideal Outlets

These are local op-eds for local audiences. We are seeking out original op-eds for local and regional newspapers, not national ones.

READY TO WRITE?

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