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Sierra Dearns ’23, a Salem State senior political science major with a minor in French and legal studies, knows the cost of educational resources can be prohibitive. “My family has occasionally struggled with finances,” she remembers. “It wasn’t always easy buying educational materials in high school.” 

She currently volunteers with Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), a nonpartisan, student-run organization that leads several activism campaigns. Currently, they’re focused on improving textbook affordability, and encouraging Salem State professors to provide the educational resources for their courses for free or at a reduced cost.

Salem State’s Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons is a critical part of this mission, providing stipends for professors who use free online textbooks. For students who don’t have a laptop, the library also offers dozens of open, public computers to study and complete school work. For Sierra, the effort is a natural continuation of her high school senior project on Chapter 70, Massachusetts’s primary program for distributing the state’s public education funding to the Commonwealth’s local and regional school districts. It’s also a reminder of the importance of philanthropy. 

“I’ve experienced inequality, as my family was quite poor growing up and we lived in assisted housing,” Sierra says. “Salem State is a diverse university—my friends and classmates are from all over the world, and many struggle with financial issues. Some of them actually need to postpone purchasing textbooks for a course, meaning their grades suffer as a result.” 

“If we want a more equitable future for our state and our country, we need to support our college,” she continues. “It’s the best way to ensure these students have the resources they need to be the leaders and activists of tomorrow.”