The Bite Back · SFSU Student Union

The Power of 'Ground-Up' Organizing

·19 min·1 clip

Quebec students defeated a 75% tuition hike by organizing bottom-up departmental unions—and SFSU is following their lead.

This inaugural episode of The Bite Back podcast introduces the SFSU Student Union and its organizing philosophy. Hosts Mia and an unnamed co-host, both San Francisco State University students, launch this series to explain their union's work. They are joined by guest Rob Ford, a sophomore and an original organizer within the union. The hosts share their personal paths to SFSU, citing affordability and city life as key factors. Mia describes joining the Students for Gaza campaign after being approached on her first day on campus. Her co-host supported the Gaza encampments indirectly before seeking more direct involvement, which led to creating this podcast to make the movement's inner workings more accessible. Rob Ford details how tuition hikes and faculty cuts prompted his involvement with the Young Democratic Socialists of America, which researched successful student unions in Quebec. The SFSU Student Union formally began in November of the prior year, later reorganizing under the Students for Gaza coalition. The episode cites a recent win where divestment demands were voted into school policy following encampment actions. Organizers stress that the union's goal is to build toward a mass day of action capable of shutting down the university to force change. A key insight is that the union believes real power comes from "ground-up" organizing within specific departments, housing communities, and classrooms, termed "sites of struggle." Rob Ford explains the October 8th strike served as a "stress test," revealing they lack the capacity for a full shutdown but clarifying the need to organize students around issues they already care about. He argues the union's biggest accomplishment is showing students they can be active shapers of the university, not passive consumers, referencing the legacy of the 1968 student strike. The philosophy department's petition, gathering over 400 signatures to oppose course cuts, is presented as a model for departmental organizing. The strategy involves cultivating both active members and a broader base of "passive membership" that can be mobilized for actions like walkouts or strikes. The tone is casual, conversational, and explanatory, featuring student hosts and a guest sharing personal experiences and organizational strategy. The style is introductory and motivational, aiming to educate listeners and recruit them into the union's structure. This episode is ideal for SFSU students curious about campus activism, the Students for Gaza movement, or how to get involved in student-led organizing. Listeners interested in practical leftist political strategy and grassroots mobilization will find it relevant. Those seeking highly produced narrative podcasts or discussions unrelated to student politics might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A focused SFSU organizing primer that shows how student power is built in practice.

The Bite Back opens as a compact tour of the SFSU Student Union, explaining what it does, why it exists, and how it works in a way that stays easy to follow.

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Why you'd press play

See how SFSU students built a bite-sized crash course in organizing.

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