the university's activism culture began during the 1970s when martial rule was declared by ferdinand marcos in 1972. numerous student organizations voluntarily campaigned against the marcos dictatorship. in retaliation, student body leaders were imprisoned by military officials, some of which were murdered and branded as communist insurgents. nonetheless, student activism did not waned, and continued throughout the era. student organizations of tarlac state university were one of the organizations which campaigned in central luzon against the marcoses despite odds with marcos supporters in the neighboring province of pangasinan. during the people power revolution in 1986, without knowledge of the university administration, university student leaders marched in edsa in support of corazon aquino, which later led to the ouster of ferdinand marcos.