Another 13 representatives have signed on to the amendment, bringing the total to 65 co-sponsors to the MASSGrant amendment! Congratulations to the advocates that made this victory possible.

PHENOM will be posting a list of the representatives that have signed on. PHENOM thanks all the co-sponsors of this amendment.

PHENOM and MSU will soon be turning to the Senate side of the budget process, to gather support there. Please keep an eye on our website for updates in the coming days. We will again be asking our allies to contact their legislators about increased MASSGrant funding.

To keep in contact with PHENOM's latest organizing initiatives, including MASSGrant funding, please sign up for our (soon to be remodeled) grassroots action center and mailing list page.

Representative Murphy's MASSGrant amendment now has a number, 493. You can view it here.

After last week's successful rally and lobbying day, PHENOM and MSU reached out to organizers around the state to build momentum on MASSGrant amendment. As a result of our and Representative Murphy's efforts, the amendment now has over 50 co-sponsors, 1/3 of the House. Congratulations go out to all the PHENOM and MSU organizers for contributing to this effort!

Although spring is in full bloom, and the end of the semester is growing near, to get the $17 million dollars needed for MASSGrant, PHENOM must continue to keep the pressure up on the MASSGrant amendment. Call your Representative and ask him or her to sign on to the amendment today!

You can find your representative out by visiting wheredoIvotema.com. Check the list of Representative that have already signed on to the amendment here.

Check out this Boston Globe and this article in UMass Amherst's Daily Collegian for more information on our successful rally and lobbying day.

Hundreds of students, staff and faculty from around the state turned out today to rally on the Boston Commons in support of public higher education in Massachusetts. A spirited march around the Commons was followed by an afternoon of lobbying. We delivered 5,000 postcards to legislators in the Senate and the House, and asked for a $17.1 million dollar increase in MASSGrant.

And we have good news to report! After working for the last two weeks with Chairperson Kevin Murphy of the Higher Education Committee, he has agreed to offer an amendment to the just-released House budget to increase MASSGrant by $17 million dollars.

This is a significant victory for students of the State, and for PHENOM and Massachusetts Students Uniting. We thank Chairperson Kevin Murphy for his efforts.

But now PHENOM needs to turn out in a big way to encourage our representatives to support the amendment! If s/he agrees, s/he should contact Rep. Murphy's office to let them know and also tell you so you can let PHENON know.  We are definitely keeping track of who is supportive and who is not. We need a solid majority of Representatives backing this increase, and you can help with this effort. Find out your representative at http://www.wheredoivotema.com, and urge him or her to support the increase in MASSGrant funding.

Buses will be departing for the PHENOM lobbying day at the Massachusetts State House from three locations:

Western and Southeastern Massachusetts and the greater Lowell area. To reserve a seat on the bus, please contact:

massphenom@gmail.com for Western Mass,

Sonya_Feinn@student.uml.edu for the Greater Lowell area, and

jparker@umassd.edu for South Eastern Mass.

Please email massphenom@gmail.com with questions and concerns. If you want to attend, but are departing from a different area or are otherwise unable to get on the buses, please email us! We will do our best to set up a ride for you.

PHENOM's spring campaign continues at full speed! Next week, allies from around the state will be gathering to advocate for a fully-funded, accessible public higher education system on Wednesday April 16. PHENOM and MSU (Massachusetts Students Uniting) are co-hosting this exciting event, and hundreds are expected to attend from around the state.

The day will begin at noon, when buses and carpools will arrive at the State House. Students, staff, faculty, alumni and parents will gather outside on the Boston Common to rally for public higher education. The rally will feature music, speakers and a skit on public higher education issues. After a march around the Commons, attendees will divide into groups to lobby legislatures. During this time, tens of thousands of PHENOM postcards will be delivered to the legislature. The day will end with a visit to Governor Patrick's office in the State House, where we will present the governor with postcards.

If you are interested in attending, and would like to reserve a seat on the bus, please email us at massphenom@gmail.com. Buses and car pools will be leaving from around the state. Buses from the University of Massachusetts Amherst are leaving at 9:15 from the Haigis Mall. To reserve a seat, please email us!  

You can download a copy of our postcard here[.pdf].

Read more about Massachusetts Students Uniting on the Facebook group page here.

The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) is holding a public hearing at UMass Boston on the Affordability and Access crisis in public higher education.  Students and others will offer personal testimony about costs, financial aid, debt, career choices, discrimination against immigrants, and the impact on the economy. The Hearing Panel will include Senator Robert O’Leary (Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education,), UMass Trustee Phil Johnston, university officials, leaders of PHENOM, and other dignitaries.

The hearing will take place on Tuesday, April 15th (10AM-12PM, Ballroom B, 3rd floor, Campus Center, UMass Boston). PHENOM sponsored 3 similar hearings earlier this month at Fitchburg State College, Springfield Technical Community College, and UMass Dartmouth.

For more information, please contact Alex Kulenovic at 617-291-5362 or alex.kulenovic@gmail.com.

PHENOM is holding public hearings on the Affordability and Access crisis in public higher education at four campuses around the state during the week of March 31.  Students, staff and faculty will offer personal testimony about costs, financial aid, debt, career choices, and the impact on the economy. Hearing Panels will include state legislators, college officials, leaders of PHENOM, and other dignitaries. 

Hearings are scheduled as follows:

       March 31        

       Fitchburg State College         3:00 - 4:30        

       Hammond Building, M&M Lounge

       Contact: Lisa Field, 978-665-3065, lfield@fsc.edu

       April 1                

       UMass Dartmouth  12:00 - 2:00        

       Unity House

       Contact: Juli Parker, 508-910-4584, jparker@umassd.edu

       April 2

       Springfield Technical Community College        12:00 - 2:00

       Bldg. 2 (Scibelli Hall), 7th Floor

       Contact: Brandon Poe, 413-755-4590, bhpoe@stcc.edu    

PHENOM tour of Massachusetts 15 community colleges, 9 state colleges, and 5 UMass campuses as part of PHENOM's

FIX IT!  FUND IT!  AFFORD IT! campaign has begun.

On each campus, the tour will support students, staff and faculty organizing

around issues of affordability, access, and state funding.  PHENOM is

collecting signed post cards from thousands of Massachusetts

residents, which will be delivered to State Representatives and

State Senators at a State House rally on April 16.

Tour stops currently scheduled include:

The list with be updated with times and new dates as details are confirmed.

Don't see your school on this list? To schedule a tour on your campus, please contact us at massphenom@gmail.com

                                                                         Phenom's FIX it! FUND it! AFFORD it!

campaign has begun, and our

                                                       allies are distributing 

thousands of postcards around the state

to be signed and presented April 16th.

You can download a copy of our

Spring 2008 postcard here [.pdf].

If you are interested in receiving a

bulk delivery of postcards,

or hosting a visit from the new

PHENOMobile, please contact us

at massphenom@gmail.com

or 413-577-4121.