The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts recognizes the painful cuts in many areas of Governor Patrick’s budget proposal and thanks the Governor for mostly holding the line on higher education after several years of catastrophic cuts. At the same time, we urge the state to make the real long term investments in public higher education that the Governor stressed, and to have an adult conversation about adequate and fair revenues to pay for them. “In presenting his budget, the Governor said that we need a ‘growth strategy’ to get out of the recession,” says PHENOM organizer Alex Kulenovic.
Category Archive: Press Releases
Jan
26
2012
Governor’s Budget Taxes Students and Workers, not the 1%
Oct
17
2011
PHENOM supports Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Boston, Occupy Springfield, Occupy.…!
PHENOM supports the protests across the country that are calling attention to political and economic systems that unfairly reward the wealthy at the expense of everyone else and are contributing to high levels of unemployment and economic insecurity.
The unifying message of the protests is that financial and political institutions must be held accountable for the excesses that led to the current economic crisis, the struggles of the middle class and the growing wealth gap in the United States.
In our work for affordable, accessible, quality public higher education, we see all too clearly how we — students, faculty, staff – are the 99%. It is the 1% who support privatization, who use “austerity” as a tool to drive up student costs and undermine workers’ rights, and who care more for profit than quality education for all. If it weren’t for our country’s wars and regressive tax policies, we would not only have money for quality education for all; we would be able to make public higher education free, just like K-12 is. PHENOM is proud to be part of the upsurge of the 99% fighting for social and economic justice.
PHENOM believes:
- Strong unions are needed to defend the interests of our students, many of whom are not able to reach their full potential because of the lack of necessary resources and supports in their schools and communities.
- A strong student movement, working with our allies, is vital in the fight to hold corporations and politicians accountable for how their policies affect working men and women.
- A powerful unified grassroots movement is needed to defend the interests of students, future students, faculty and staff – all of whom have been under attack by the 1% seeking to maximize profit.
- Progressive tax reforms are needed to make sure the wealthy are paying their fair share and to guarantee adequate funding for education and other public services that are essential to the successful functioning of our democracy.
We encourage PHENOM supporters to participate in peaceful protest actions that call attention to these inequities and that seek reform of the financial regulations, budgetary priorities, campaign finance rules and tax codes that so handsomely reward the 1 percent at the expense of the remaining 99 percent.
Sep
23
2010
100 Mile Walk Across Massachusetts to Defend Public Higher Education
For Immediate Release, September 23, 2010
For more information, contact
Max Page, 413-219-7633
Alex Kulenovic, 617-291-5362
100 Mile Walk Across Massachusetts to Defend Public Higher Education
Students, faculty and alumni are walking from Pittsfield to Boston October 2nd to 7th to urge legislators to reverse the state’s disinvestment in public colleges and universities. The Walk kicks off at Berkshire Community College at 11 a.m. October 2, and ends with a rally at the State House in Boston on October 7, timed to be part of a National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. Politicians and others will join the walkers at numerous events along the way.
Sep
03
2010
Statewide March and Rally to Defend Public Higher Education!
Statewide March and Rally to Defend Public Higher Education!
The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) is organizing a statewide march and rally to draw attention to the funding crisis in public higher education. The statewide March & Rally to Defend Public Higher Education, a dramatic week-long walk across the state, will culminate with a rally at the State House in Boston on Thursday, October 7th – a National Day of Action to Defend Public Education (see http://www.defendeducation.org) endorsed by PHENOM.
Aug
23
2010
PHENOM Calls for Support for Public Higher Ed from FMAP/Education Jobs Bill
In a recent letter, “PHENOM thanked the Governor for publicly stating his intent to reverse $75 million of this year’s budget cuts to public higher education by reallocating some of the remaining American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) monies” said Stasha Lampert, President of PHENOM and a student at UMass-Boston. This reallocation is made possible by the new federal funds in the Education Jobs bill and is welcome news for our campuses, but still leaves the system $70 million short of the Governor’s original proposal to level-fund the system after years of devastating cuts.
Jul
01
2010
Largest Cut to Public Higher Education in a Decade
PHENOM Criticizes State Budget which Makes the Largest Cut to Public Higher Education in a Decade
The budget Governor Patrick signed on June 30 slashes funding for Massachusetts Community Colleges, State Colleges and the UMass campuses by close to $145 million, or almost 15%. This is the largest cut to the state’s public higher education campuses in a decade. About 3% of the cuts are due to the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass an extension of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) because of a threatened filibuster by, among others, Scott Brown of Massachusetts.
May
21
2010
PHENOM Calls on the Senate to Level Fund Public Higher Education
PHENOM has been at the forefront of pressuring the state to give public higher education its fair share of the federal stimulus monies. In 2009, PHENOM filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Secretary of Education, arguing that the state had failed to honor the letter and spirit of the federal stimulus law (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – ARRA) by allocating too little money for public higher education. PHENOM successfully forced the state to return a significant amount to state and community colleges and UMass, which helped convince the Governor to allocate a significant amount in his FY2011 budget proposal.
Mar
09
2010
Public Higher Education Caucus Launched in Massachusetts Legislature
In conjunction with the Joint Committee on Higher Education, we hope to build long-term support for public higher education in the legislature.” Representatives Garballey, Rodrigues, Fagan, Kocot and Arciero, spoke eloquently about the need to invest in public higher education and make it affordable for students in the Commonwealth. PHENOM organized testimony that was presented to the legislators by Ruthie Liberman, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Crittenton Women’s Union, Hadiza Iddrisu, student at UMass Dartmouth, and Ira Rubenzahl, President of Springfield Technical Community College.
Dec
04
2009
Students Exploited on Health Insurance
PHENOM has endorsed a campaign by the Student Health Organizing Coalition to change this situation, perhaps by allowing students to get coverage through the state Connector Authority’s program of subsidized Commonwealth Care. You can read more in this Boston Globe article.
For more information, please contact: Vivian Haime, SHOC Organizer • (617) 320-1669 • vivianhaime@gmail.com
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Feb
10
2011
Remarks by Max Page, PHENOM Vice President, to the Public Higher Education Caucus of the General Court of Massachusetts
February 10, 2011
My name is Max Page. I am a Professor of Architecture and History at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I was president of the Massachusetts Society of Professors and am a founder and currently vice president of PHENOM, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts. I am joined here today by Professor Ken Haar of Westfield State University, PHENOM’s Treasurer, and Alex Kulenovic, graduate of UMass Boston, former student trustee on the UMass Board of Trustees, and staff person for PHENOM.
I am truly thrilled to address the first meeting of this joint public higher education caucus, which PHENOM proudly played a role in launching. Read the rest of this entry »