Students Walk Out on May Day to Demand Institutional Accountability and Global Solidarity Students at Purdue University staged a May Day rally on Friday, uniting under the banner of labor rights and student activism to demand systemic change. The demonstration, organized by Sunrise Purdue, Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) Purdue, and other student groups, brought hundreds to Memorial Mall to commemorate International Workers’ Day while spotlighting issues ranging from campus living conditions to global labor struggles. The event marked a pivotal moment in student organizing, blending local grievances with broader critiques of university governance and corporate power. The rally began with students exiting classrooms en masse, carrying signs that read “Protect International Students,” “Wolfe Out Now,” and “Student Power.” Raisa Deotale, a senior studying political science and co-chair of YDSA Purdue, emphasized the protest’s dual focus: “We’re here to talk about student power and to show what student power looks like.” Deotale argued that Purdue’s wealth—highlighted by its 4.7% positive operating margin in fiscal year 2025 and $1.5 billion in capital projects—has not translated into improved student resources. “We know they have had millions of dollars of surplus in wealth, and that money is not going back to its students,” she said. Organizers framed their demands as part of a global movement against exploitation. Sanshray Kukulta, a political science student and Sunrise Purdue coordinator, linked Purdue’s struggles to worldwide labor issues: “It’s a laundry list of things that affect workers worldwide.#purdue_university #sunrise_purdue #young_democratic_socialists_of_america_ydsa_purdue #students_for_a_democratic_society_sds #memorial_mall
