This excellent article from the New York Times describes how – and why – many public colleges have shifted more of their financial aid away from students who need it toward those whose résumés “merit” it. Why is more aid helping kids who need it less – because it’s economically better for the schools? because […]
The Massachusetts Legislature has a new committee to investigate, study, and make recommendations on the issue of student loans and debt. They are holding hearings around the state and want to hear about the current debt landscape, its impact, and alternatives or solutions to help alleviate the effect of loans and debt on students and […]
Read the fall-winter issue of the PHENOM newsletter on your screen, and then let us know if you would like a batch to distribute. It includes interesting material on student fees and student debt, State House advocacy, the Quebec student uprising, and more. Please write to us at massphenom@gmail.com if you would like copies to use in your […]
With the June 2013 annual meeting, PHENOM reorganized its structure to encourage more organizing on campuses and in communities, while continuing to be effective in our statewide work. Membership now requires active involvement in PHENOM’s work at a chapter or the statewide level, rather than a dues payment. Chapters are defined as six or more […]
Last year, hundreds of thousands of students throughout Quebec were on strike for much of the year in a fight against tuition increases. The strike succeeded in reversing the increase, and even brought down the provincial government. When PHENOM helped to host two visiting strikers last year, it inspired members to see for themselves. Eleven […]
Neil MacInnes-Barker has been a busy guy since he served as Student Government President at UMass Boston. All those speakers on Advocacy Day 2013 were flanked by a poster based on the info-cards he designed and distributed at the program in 2012. It’s all part of “EducateMA,” founded in 2012 to bridge the gap between […]
Any program of dramatic change sounds preposterous when first proposed, especially when it runs up against a decades-long status quo. But change is the only constant, and you should never bet on inertia over determined change makers, no matter how bold or preposterous their plans. I got involved in organizing at UMass for many reasons, […]
By Anastasia Wilson In June, the Massachusetts legislature took a step to investigate student debt by creating a Subcommittee on Student Debt as part of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. The subcommittee, chaired by Berkshire State Representative Paul Mark, will critically examine rising college costs in the Commonwealth, assess the effects of rising […]
By Ken Haar, Westfield State University In this year’s budget battle, the legislature and the governor dramatically reversed a decades-long trend of reducing spending on public higher education. This happened for a number of reasons, with an improving economy among them. But other key factors included educating the governor and the legislature about the […]