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Up to Us Year 7 Launches with Thousands of Students on 400 Campuses Nationwide
Growing National Movement of Young Leaders Working to Raise Awareness about the National Debt, Mobilize their Peers and Urge Policymakers to Secure America’s Economic Future
Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2018) – At time when young people are more energized than ever in national policy and activism, students on more than 400 college campuses across the country are joining Up to Us to mobilize their peers and engage federal policymakers on the dangers of America’s $21.5 trillion and growing national debt. Up to Us, now in its 7th year, is the only national, non-partisan campus-based initiative that galvanizes young people on fiscal sustainability and economic issues.
“Students across America are joining this growing movement because they understand the national debt directly affects their own future,” said Peter G. Peterson Foundation CEO Michael Peterson. “Year after year, lawmakers continue to ignore our rapidly rising debt – and young people know they will get stuck with the bill. That’s why student leaders on campuses across the country are making their voices heard and taking greater responsibility for their economic future.”
Launched in 2012 by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) and Net Impact, Up to Us expanded to all 50 states and has engaged more than 230,000 people to raise awareness on the national debt.
In this year’s program, students will host various events to elevate the voices of young Americans and rally their peers to sign the Up to Us Pledge, emphasizing the essential role young people play in building a strong fiscal and economic future. Additionally, on November 8, students will take part in My Two Cents Day (#MTCD) by expressing their “two cents” on America’s fiscal trajectory on social media and in person to spark national conversation on the dangerous impact of the national debt.
In addition, students on more than 125 campuses will enter into a special competition to develop nonpartisan, multi-week campaigns that inspire and motivate their peers in support of fiscal sustainability. Teams from the following schools will take part in the Up to Us campus competition beginning this fall, with an additional slate of teams competing in the winter:
| Arizona State University | Babson College |
| Barnard College, Columbia University | Oakland University |
| Barry University | Oklahoma Christian University |
| Binghamton University | Otterbein University |
| Boston University | Pitzer College |
| Bryn Mawr College | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Case Western Reserve University | Rutgers University |
| Central Texas College | San Francisco State University |
| Chapman University | Schoolcraft College |
| Claremont Graduate University | Southwestern University |
| Clark Atlanta University | Stony Brook University |
| Coahoma Community College | Temple University |
| College of Charleston | Texas A&M University |
| Drew University | The Ohio State University |
| Eastern Florida State College - Cocoa Campus | Tuskegee University |
| Eastern Michigan University | University of Alabama, Birmingham |
| Florida State University | University of Alaska, Anchorage |
| Fordham University | University of Albany, State University of New York |
| George Washington University | University of Baltimore |
| Georgia State University | University of California, Davis |
| Harper College | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Hobart and William Smith University | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Houston Community College | University of Colorado, Colorado Springs |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | University of Illinois at Chicago |
| James Madison University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Jarvis Christian College | University of Notre Dame |
| Johns Hopkins University | University of Pennsylvania |
| Kennesaw State University | University of Pittsburgh |
| Lone Star College-Tomball | University of South Florida |
| Lone Star College–CyFair | University of Southern Indiana |
| Los Angeles Pierce College | University of St. Thomas- Houston |
| Marshall University | University of the District of Columbia |
| Mesa Community College | University of Virginia |
| Miami Dade College - Wolfson Campus | University of West Georgia |
| Mount Mary University | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire |
| Northeastern University | Worcester State University |
| Oakland Community College |
Teams participating in the 2018-2019 Up to Us campus competition will be evaluated by a panel of judges who are experts in academia, policy, and civic impact. The winning teams with the most effective and visible campaigns will receive a cash prize, recognition at national conferences, and the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressional leaders, giving them the opportunity to have the voices of young Americans heard by policymakers.
For more information on how to get involved in the Up to Us movement, participate in the campus competition, or host an event, visit the Get Involved section of the Up to Us website.
About Up to Us
Up to Us is a movement of a generation, for a generation that lets policymakers know that young Americans are committed to addressing the nation’s fiscal challenges. Since 2012, Up to Us has created a groundswell of student leaders who’ve engaged and empowered more than 230,000 of their peers towards a more prosperous fiscal future. Created in partnership with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) and Net Impact, Up to Us provides the opportunity for students to build a movement to raise awareness and engagement on America’s fiscal challenges, and hosts an annual competition that takes place on college campuses nationwide.