Campus Action Team

Campus Action Teams (CAT’s) are university or college-sanctioned clubs formed and led by students, with the guidance and training of ACLU of Ohio staff. Chapters work in collaboration with the affiliate to advance strategic goals like engaging democracy, preserving freedom and speech and intellectual discourse, ensuring reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, expanding LGBTQ+ rights, protecting immigrant rights and due process, and reducing harms associated with the criminalization of poverty.

Campus Action Teams boost the health and vitality of mission-aligned organizations and communities on and off campus. We operate at the intersection of grassroots movement building and policy strategy, equipping campus leaders with the skills necessary for campaign planning, executive decision-making, and responsive field mobilization.

Campus Action Teams support the ACLU of Ohio’s mission in three ways:

1. Leadership Development – Campus Action Teams serve as vehicles for cultivating the next generation of social justice leaders, investing in student ability to analyze political landscapes, understand policies and issue-cuts, forge connections between past and present struggles for constitutional rights, embed campus voices in messages and media, and harness power to win state and local campaigns.
   
2. Field Mobilization – Campus Action Teams strengthen our ability to effectively respond and turn out student bases; CAT’s receive training on fundamental organizing principles, tools, and practices to mobilize stronger coalitions for justice, advance regional projects and campaigns, and represent student values and interests in the legislature, local government, and broader campus life.
3. Political Community – Campus Action Teams foster a civil liberties oriented community through intentional engagement, shared norms, community agreements, regular meeting rhythms, and meaningful collaboration with partners, faculty, subject-matter experts, and communities most directly impacted by the issues we prioritize.

Campus Action Teams (CATs) operate under a distributed organizing model, activating a core group of executive leaders to bolster and scale the network of students. Distributed organizing empowers chapters to take initiative and leadership within campaign cycles, practice co-governance, and take action to address escalating threats to Ohio’s democracy. The ACLU of Ohio will provide a framework for meaningful action, along with resources to help build and maintain collective power and institutional knowledge.

Campus Action Team Partnership Requirements

To be recognized as an ACLU of Ohio Campus Action Team chapter, students agree to shared guidelines, norms, and expectations. The requirements are not intended to discourage your activism but to provide the framework necessary for chapter success.

1. Campus Action Teams must participate in power building directives for ongoing state, county, and municipal campaigns or projects spearheaded by the ACLU of Ohio, including active campaigns to engage and strengthen democracy, reduce the harms of the criminal legal system, protect bodily autonomy, and defend free speech.
2. Campus Action Teams are expected to build and maintain a membership base. This involves regular General Body and executive committee meetings, executive team elections, hosting of programming and events, participation in voter mobilization efforts, canvassing, phonebanking, lobbying, public actions, and outreach to partners and allies.
3. Campus Action Team chapters must adhere to democratic practices and commit to a code of conduct outlined in your school handbook. Members must abide by shared norms and rules outlined in the Campus Action Team Toolkit, chapter bylaws, and constitution.
4. Campus Action Team leadership must respond to ACLU of Ohio staff on a timely and consistent basis. All chapters and executive committee members are required to participate in the Statewide Campus Action Team network.

Where are the ACLU of Ohio’s Campus Action Teams Located?

• Kent State University | @ksuaclu
• The Ohio State University | @acluosu
• The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law | @acluatmoritz
• Oberlin College | @oberlin_aclu
• Ohio University | @aclu.ohiou
• University of Cincinnati | @acluatuc

To start a campus action team at your Ohio College or University, contact ACLU of Ohio Senior Advocacy Strategist Melekte Melaku, [email protected].