12 Dec On protest

Posted at 18:06h in cuts, education, UW, Washington State by
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I received an email early this morning from one of the listservs i am on. There was  a link to this speech.

Two things struck me:

1. what an articulate young man
2. how apathetic many of us have become

At a recent Graduate and Professional Student Senate meeting (of which i am a senator), we were presented with the Legislative Agenda. Here are some of the notes i took from that meeting:
Budget Crisis
Latest news:
·      $385 million less than expected for current budget cycle
·      Gov: “voters sent a message of an all-cuts budget” but saying no to raising taxes
·      $810 million less than expected for next budget cycle
·      Budget deficit $5.7 billion out of a $32.3 billion state budget
o   Of the portion that the legislature can touch (discretionary) is $10 billion – the rest of the money is protected…UW falls into the $10 billion slice of the pie – we are looking at severe cuts
·      This is quite possibly the most significant budget crisis this state has ever faced
Last revenue short fall was announced in September, including a 3.6% cut across the state. The next shortfall is looking at a special session in December where the legislature will work through $400 million in cuts – but it will not be across the board next time. We can expect similiar cuts to what was seen last year.
Legislative Agenda

If something is not on the agenda, our lobbyist cannot bring it up so they’ve tried to make it as detailed as possible. It is a communications tool. Was put together with the Legislative Steering Committee, who discussed priorities, orders, etc. and endorsed by GPSS Executive Committee.

All of the economic issues are having a major impact on what they can lobby for – because of massive cuts, we can’t ask for more money. We will be following last year’s call – No New Cuts. Further cuts will result in larger classes, increased time to degree, fewer resources. Also, every dollar invested in UW returns more than $23 into the state’s economy. It is easier to raise tuition than taxes. Also, we will not see any stimulus money this go ‘round like we did last year.
Main Points:

1.     Funding and quality – GPS urges the legislature to make no new cuts to higher ed. Cuts to ed should be proportional to cuts to other discretionary state programs
2.     Financial Aid – GPSS urges the leg to expand financial aid funding and to support policies that ensure access for low- and middle-income students. (the state has divested in financial aid for graduate and professional students – we would like to see that change)
3.     Affordability – Current “ask”: GPSS urges the leg to adopt an income-based tution model to mitigate barriers to entry for students who cannot afford to pay increasingly high tuition rates. Also: entertain motion to change to : GPSS urges leg to support a tuition policy that takes students’ ability to pay into account.

Federal Agenda:

·      With republican control of the house, there is an anti-spending wave coming through the House. Pledge to America – proposed cuts to research funding up to 30% which affects NSF, Department of Defense,  NIH, etc. Lobbyists will explain why they should continue to fund research.

We may be looking at tuition hikes for undergrads that look like what happened in the UC system. Grad tuition is not managed by legislature.
I bring this up for a few reasons:

1. The Washington State voters screwed their economy and their higher ed students in the last elections / votes. We are facing a crisis that is not dissimilar to that faced in 1931 at the University of Washington campus. The UW’s Great Depression site has a great article about the defunding (and eventual refunding) of the state university.

2. The GPSS leadership has bowed out before the fight has even begun. They have said, for two years in a row now, that “We can’t ask for more money – we’ll just be laughed at, so we’re asking for no new cuts.” What happened to fighting for your constituents? Yes – you might be laughed at – but with good argumentation, you may also force the questions of the poor decision of the voters into the center – fear has never been a good excuse for any political decision.

3. The warnings against the tyranny of the majority (or the masses) has been ignored by 24 states in this country – leaving major decisions not up to political leaders, but up to voters. Thus the individual rights of the minority (and graduate students are a minority and will continue to be more of one, particularly those of us in the Social Sciences, at this rate) are crushed under the weight of the majority. Especially in these times when we face the indoctrination against academic elitism (which is being promulgated by the economic and political elite – can anyone spell I.R.O.N.Y?), how are the non-academic supposed to vote? Unfortunately – we’re not loud enough to point out that elitism, itself is not the issue at vote, but the furthering imbalance of power is.

And it is at this point that i have to point at myself. I sat through that GPSS meeting, diligently taking notes on everything that was said, preparing a neat and as-readable-as-possible email to the other grad students in my department. I then went home, crawled in bed and read a little before falling asleep. And that’s it.

Listening to the 15 year old in the video, i realized that all of our hope rests in him and his generation. But why should they carry the burden of our apathy? Why should we (my generation of grad students) carry the burden of the economic elite? Why should any of us be facing this massive mess that is the global economic system while simultaneously trying to cling to our beloved education? Why are our students not realizing that they are the ones being affected? They and we are all facing a future of crushed hopes and dreams with a bland kind of apathy that leaves us stunned and disconnected.
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