WHEREAS:

In the almost two centuries since the public higher education system was founded in the United States, millions of students from urban and rural areas have gained access to higher education; and

WHEREAS:

Higher education is a right that should be fully funded and available to all. We cannot allow public higher education to become a high-priced commodity distributed to only the privileged few; and

WHEREAS:

AFSCME has been on record against privatization of education, market-driven initiatives, and takeovers of public institutions by business interests; and

WHEREAS:

Public colleges and universities are increasingly described as more like factories than educational enterprises, with a mandate to produce more products at a lower price, and where the overarching public good of higher education is being replaced with metrics, return on investment and workforce preparation; and

WHEREAS:

Public higher education institutions, among the major drivers of economic stability in the states where they reside, are struggling under staggering cuts made by state and federal governments and on the brink of closure. Chicago State University, one of the 12 state universities in Illinois, was threatened with closure in fiscal year 2016, due to Illinois Governor Rauner withholding the higher education budget. Since Chicago State University has the highest enrollment of black students, approximately 78% of its student body, the threat of closure disproportionately affects low-income people, the working class and communities of color; and

WHEREAS:

The Illinois governor’s turnaround agenda, a blatant attempt to break unions and collective bargaining, is holding the state university system hostage; and

WHEREAS:

Public universities in Illinois are being devastated by slashed funding, forced furloughs, and the layoff of instructors and support staff. While full-time faculty are affected with increased course loads, adjunct faculty face little or no job security and few or no benefits; and

WHEREAS:

Slashed funding has caused the elimination of academic programs and cuts in course offerings. Students transfer to other schools, many times out of state, to complete their academic program. If there are cuts in course offerings, it may take longer for students to graduate, often leading to the accumulation of more student debt; and

WHEREAS:

University enrollment numbers in states like Illinois are being directly affected by the assault on public higher education. At a critical time in the college selection process, high school students and their parents are choosing to attend college or university outside the state, due to the unstable climate with Illinois Higher Education; and

WHEREAS:

Students are affected by the withholding of the Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant in Illinois; the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, which administers the MAP program, normally provides grants of up to nearly $5,000 to some 128,000 students with mean family incomes of about $30,000. The Illinois budget impasse is reducing enrollments at many state colleges and universities, as state money earmarked for low-income students remains tied up in a political stalemate. As the Illinois colleges and universities stop picking up the tab for the MAP Grant, low-income students, predominantly students of color, are compelled to drop out due to lack of funds; and

WHEREAS:

Over the last several years, in states such as Illinois, Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas and North Carolina, there has been a sharp rise in the number and intensity of political clashes between public universities on the one hand and political leaders and the university boards they appoint on the other. These episodes have disrupted campuses, subverted the public universities’ academic mission, and impaired the capacity of academic leadership to manage their institutions; and

WHEREAS:

The assault on public higher education is led by boards made up of wealthy corporate leaders who masquerade as authorities on public higher education, while attempting to muffle the rights and voices of academic discourse and the democratic process of higher education. These captains of industry and finance, who are often directly responsible for the manufactured economic crisis, are determining the character and curriculum content of higher education; and

WHEREAS:

AFSCME members who work at public colleges and universities throughout the United States have been actively involved in the battle to defend public higher education; and

WHEREAS:

The vast majority of Americans support the right to a free public education for all. If public sector unions and organizations do not defend the universally supported institutions of public higher education, all jobs, services and entities in the public sector will be severely threatened. Any attack on the public domain threatens the fabric of our collective will and democracy.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME embraces every opportunity to mobilize in defense of public higher education, to ensure that we keep the “public” in public higher education, and that we call for the governor and legislature of Illinois and any other state withholding funding to higher education to release funds now to keep all public colleges and universities and their supporting institutions open and fully operational and to protect the rights of academic freedom and tenure protections for academic professionals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME calls for a massive increase in federal and state funding for higher education, and supports progressive tax solutions such as a financial transactions tax which places less of a burden on underserved communities; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME remains an active and leading participant in rallies, marches and all campaigns that mobilize public support for our higher education systems, providing organizational and financial resources and encouraging our local affiliates to do the same.

SUBMITTED BY: Ellen Larrimore, President and Delegate

Linda Loew, Recording Secretary and Delegate

Patricia Johnson, Treasurer and Delegate

Jeanette Hernandez, Delegate

Nick Poplawski, Delegate

Stacy Alikakos, Delegate

AFSCME Local 1989, Council 31

Illinois