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.
Over the past five years, Massachusetts has cut public higher education funding more than any other state. This has continued decades of disinvestment that have threatened the promise of an affordable, accessible, and high-quality public higher education system. Budget cuts and resulting fee increases are hitting Massachusetts working families the hardest, especially in communities of color, with many people unable to attend college- or graduating with mountains of debt.
The March is part of PHENOM’s For a Great State of Mind campaign, which aims to drastically increase state investment in public higher education and decrease student costs. PHENOM calls on student organizations, unions, community groups, legislators and others to endorse the March and participate as they are able.
The march will begin on Saturday, October 2, at Berkshire Community College and end with a huge rally at the State House on October 7. Events at campuses and in communities along the way will dramatize the importance and plight of public higher education in our state.
Confirmed stops will include:
Berkshire Community College — October 2
UMass Amherst — October 3
Worcester State College — October 4
Framingham State College — October 5
UMass Boston — October 6
State House — October 7
We encourage campuses not on the route to meet up with the statewide march at a convenient spot, attend an event on one of the campuses, or organize their own march. Most importantly, please join the marchers at a huge rally at the State House on the 7th!
Download Fliers Flyer1 word, Flyer1 PDF, Flyer2 word, Flyer2 PDF.
For more information and to get involved, please call 413-461-3300 or 617-933-9265, write to phenom@phenomonline.org or visit http://www.phenomonline.org