Student Organizing, Inc.

Student Organizing, Inc. is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that hosts the nationally coordinated projects of the Student PIRGs. The Student PIRGs are a network of campus-based student advocacy organizations working toward affordable higher education and other public interest issues. PIRG’s Higher Education program seeks to expand the mainstream adoption of OER and open textbooks through grassroots, on-campus organizing and advocacy at the university, state, and federal policy levels. This helps to ensure that college educators as well as students understand the benefits of open educational materials and that educational systems are advancing policies that promote the mass adoption of those materials. (Substrategy: Sustainable Systems)

Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a national network of campus-based student advocacy organizations working toward affordable higher education and other public interest issues. Student PIRG’s Affordable Higher Education program seeks to expand the mainstream adoption of OER and open textbooks through grassroots, on-campus organizing and advocacy at the university, state, and federal policy level. This work helps to ensure that college educators as well as students understand the benefits of open educational materials and that educational systems are advancing policies that promote the mass adoption of those materials. (Substrategy: Sustainable Systems)

For the past decade, through its Student Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) program, Student Organizing Inc. has led a nationwide effort to raise awareness of overpriced textbooks while building demand for solutions—most importantly, open textbooks and OER. The Student PIRGs would continue to work with students to catalyze campus action around OER; focus student energy on strategies to bring about market demand for campus and institutional reforms that lead to faculty adoption of OER, and promote the concept of a zero-textbook-cost degree. This work will drive adoption of OER in higher education to equalize access to education for all learners.