From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: The public higher education system in Massachusetts was designed to make public higher education accessible to the working classes, with costs to students as close to free as possible. Remarkably, for more than a century, that remained largely true and is responsible for both America’s stunning economic growth and, especially after […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: PHENOM supports the faculty and staff at the community colleges who have been protesting insufficient progress made at the bargaining table. They have now worked over six months without a contract. Represented by the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC/MTA), faculty and professional staff have been on “Work to Rule,” which means […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: PHENOM is about to celebrate its 9th anniversary as an organization, and we sure have come a long way in those nine years! What started as a burgeoning organization nine years ago now is a diverse non-profit with involvement among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and those passionate about public higher ed all across Massachusetts. Our work […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: On December 1, 2015, the Center for American Progress hosted “Exploring the Geography of Student Debt: How States and Municipalities Can Act.” This was an opportunity for PHENOM to share its work to a broader audience. PHENOM was invited to discuss our work with Raise Up Massachusetts on the Fair Share Amendment campaign and our […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: Thank you for all of your incredible support in our 10 Days to $10K Challenge! In just 10 Days, PHENOM has had our most successful fundraiser to date, with 166 donations raising $10,938.00! PHENOM depends on the support of its members to have the resources to continue to fight for well-funded, affordable, accessible, well-staffed and democratically-governed public higher […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: By: Carlos Rojas-Álvarez, Campaign Coordinator When I was five, my parents decided to immigrate from Medellín, Colombia to Boston, Massachusetts in search of opportunity and a better life for their only son. The promise of the American Dream drew us to the cradle state of public education in America where I […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: PHENOM’s dual focus on short-term incremental improvements and real long-term solutions was on vivid display at PHENOM’s Forum on College Affordability, held October 14th at UMass Amherst. Congressman Jim McGovern and Chris Cappucci, aide to State Representative Paul Mark, presented honest appraisals of what was, what might, and what is not […]
From PHENOM’s 2015-16 Newsletter: Natalie Higgins: What is your major at MassArt? Why did you choose a public arts school? Alexander Nally: I’m a senior in the Studio for Interrelated Media program. I chose MassArt because it was the only college campus I’d visited where I could see myself succeeding as a queer person who’d […]
From PHENOM’s 2015/16 Newsletter: Senator Elizabeth Warren had some high praise for PHENOM and its efforts to fight for high-quality, affordable and accessible public higher education. She sent a video message to PHENOM’s Conference on Expanding Access to Higher Education held November 7, 2015 at Mass Bay Community College. Warren said, “Thank you for the important […]
PHENOM is an active participant in the Raise Up Massachusetts campaign for a more progressive income tax in Massachusetts. Dozens of our members collected signatures for a state constitutional amendment to tax incomes over $1,000,000 an additional 4%, with the revenue dedicated to K-12, higher education and transportation. This was the first time PHENOM participated […]