Students worried about state-mandated cuts at the nation's third-largest university are hoping to attract a big crowd to catch the attention of lawmakers gearing up for some tough budget deliberations.
The rally at UCF coincides with the first week of the Florida Legislature's annual session.
Lawmakers are used to hearing the collective voices of education supporters during legislative sessions. In Florida in recent years, the PTA has taken a lead role in organizing a Rally in Tally that draws thousands of students, parents and teachers from across the state to Tallahassee.
But the idea to make March 4 a "National Day of Action to Defend Education" grew out of organizing in California, where deep state budget cuts to public higher education and the imposition of tuition and fee hikes have already led to protests. As students in other states heard about the regional and campus-based events planned out West, they began planning their own.
UCF has avoided large-scale program eliminations and other drastic actions by relying on savings and leaving hundreds of job openings unfilled. But the University of Florida and Florida State University have cut or merged several programs and eliminated dozens of jobs to curb costs.