On Monday, March 18, 1985, Senator Edward M. Kennedy was the featured speaker at a Northeastern University student rally opposing proposed cuts by the Reagan administration in federal aid to students.

As a part of the 1986 federal budget, Ronald Reagan planned to limit Guaranteed Student Loans to students whose families earned over $32,500 a year. Also included in the plan, was a $4,000 cap on all federal aid and benefits that a student could receive in one year. Reagan’s cuts, if approved, would have resulted in up to $23 million dollar in aid lost to Northeastern students alone.

Coordinated by Northeastern Student Government press secretary Brian Coventry, the rally was held in the Alumni Auditorium and included tables set up to assist students with writing letters to congressional leaders. Senator Kennedy arrived on campus two hours prior to the start of the rally to take personal testimony from students who would be affected by the proposed cuts.