Union leaders, school staff and students are voicing their concerns ahead of the upcoming Connecticut legislative session.
Calls are growing louder for more funding for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.
“Are we here to fight? ‘Yes’ and will we be back down? ‘No,’" advocates chanted.
That is the message university union leaders, faculty and students are sending to Gov. Ned Lamont and CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng.
“In terms of how Challenger Cheng is doing, I’m not convinced he was ever fighting for the students,” CCSU Philosophy Associate Professor Audra King said.
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Some advocates believe Chancellor Cheng is not asking for consistent and reliable funding to help maintain state universities.
“As the money drains, we get less and less faculty which means the faculty we do have, have to do more and more, more for the university, with more students in the classroom, less time to spend individually with students,” King said.
“What we want is the governor to commit to fully funding public higher education in Connecticut. Making sure that we have enough money so we can educate as many students as possible,” CSU-AAUP President Louise Williams said.
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Senior Press Secretary David Bednarz said in a statement:
“Governor Lamont is a strong supporter of CSCU, and every single budget he has ever signed into law has increased state funding for this system by millions of dollars. In fact, the amount of state funding appropriated to CSCU has never been cut in any budget approved while Governor Lamont has been in office.
“The governor particularly appreciates the role CSCU plays in helping Connecticut’s students become career ready and trained for in-demand jobs. The administration is still working on a budget proposal for the upcoming year and anticipates that this proposal will include support to ensure that this system can continue to thrive.”
CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng said in a statement:
"The best investment Connecticut can make is in its public colleges and universities. Our students are from Connecticut, stay in Connecticut after they graduate, and serve as the state's workforce engine. State leaders have made it clear that CSCU must prepare for the expiration of one-time federal funding. At the same time, we are working with stakeholders to present an investment case that addresses the needs of our students and state, for consideration by the Governor and General Assembly."
Meanwhile, advocates are also calling for the PACT program, which provides tuition assistance to community college students to be extended to Connecticut state universities.
“Higher education, there are so many barriers to go into it and tuition is a major component of that. So, I think if we extend the PACT, the free tuition, to the CSUs, it's just going to help so many students who maybe thought college wasn't a possibility, attend, and build a career,” community college student Talia Lopez said.
