Protest Tuition Hikes and Education Cuts at WSU President's Inauguration Today.

[socks_mahoney]

This press release has been floating around the web for a few days now:

For immediate release:

The Coalition to Defend Education is putting out its next call to action against the dismantling of public education in Michigan. This Friday, April 15th at 2:00 pm students at Wayne State University will be joined by their professors and allies from the Detroit Public Schools community as well as other metro area colleges to call on President Gilmour to freeze tuition at Wayne State University, maintain academic support services, preserve the integrity of research and ensure the provision of quality education at Michigan’s only urban research university.

Gilmour, who has been Interim President, is being inaugurated as permanent President on this Friday at 3:00 pm. At 2:00 the Coalition and its allies will gather for a picket in front of the Community Arts Auditorium where the Inauguration is to occur. We will demand that as President, Mr. Gilmour refuse to participate in the dismantling of higher education. Over the past 10 years Wayne State has raised tuition over 231% while simultaneously cutting services; students are paying more for less.

Students will not accept enormous burdens of debt to pursue what is necessary not only to join the workforce, but also necessary to pull this state and nation out of crisis - higher education. Higher education has never been more necessary. Our message is simple, now is not the time to dismantle education.

This will be the first in a series of escalations. The same demands delivered to President Gilmour will be articulated at the April 20th WSU Board of Governor’s meeting. More information on this and other future events is forthcoming.

The Coalition to Defend Education is an organization birthed from the solidarity of Detroit area university and community college students, Detroit Public Schools parents and students, as well as professors and graduate assistants employed at WSU.

We stand in solidarity with workers and students in Wisconsin, Michigan, across the Midwest, and throughout the nation whose economic and democratic rights are under attack.

Please join us.

Email: coalitiontodefendeducation@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/detroit.defend.education
Web: coalitiontodefendeducation.wordpress.com

Thoughts? Anyone gonna join them?

[Detroit Stylin]

Just look for the guy in the black coat and camera....

[English]

No. My contract was renewed and I like my job. I've got a deadline today, though, so I'll skip it. Will look to see if the protests actually happen on the evening news.

[socks_mahoney]

do you also like watching your students get riddled by debt? Tuition has risen 231% in the last ten years. Do you like seeing administrators get paid more and more while class sizes blow up and education becomes lower quality. Its not just about you, English. So much for solidarity...

[aoife]

The group demands that he “maintain academic support services, preserve the integrity of research and ensure the provision of quality education at Michigan’s only urban research university” without raising tuition. What I don’t think they realize, or are perhaps overlooking, is that most units at WSU are being asked to cut their total operating budgets by 10% to make up for the recent loss of state funding. That will mean not only that many people who provide academic support services will lose their jobs [[and that includes administrators), but that entire departments are in danger of being closed as well. There are actually places on campus that have cut off phone service because money is so tight.

I understand students' frustration with rising tuition costs, and a year ago I would have been right there with them protesting, but the reality of our current situation is that there are very few options left.

[Meddle]

The way to protest is not to register. When enrollment drops off, they'll realize they have to do something.

People don't realize how badly they're being scammed. The only costs that are up is the salaries for the fat cats at the top. You can bet that any cuts will NOT affect the top tier executives' salaries or benefits.

[socks_mahoney]

Instead of raising tuition administrators should take pay cuts. Instead of cutting departments the administration should stand with students and demand state funding through the taxation of the super-rich and corporations. Instead of divesting from education the state should make a massive investment to insulate campus buildings so that money can be saved on energy bills every winter and be funneled back into the real mission of the university.

[Det_ard]

I realize it's something in college student DNA to "demand" all kinds of things of others, but I'd like to "demand" that those students pour over the university's financial statements and come up with solutions that don't involve empty demands.

I don't doubt there's some fat and fluff in the operation of a large university and administrators' feet need to be held to the fire more than they have in the past. But like K-12, most of the cost is in salaries, benefits and retiree pension and medical costs of the wide swath of professors and other staff. Time for some tough, grown-up choices.

[Baselinepunk]

I'm a WSU student and have given them what seems like a big chuck of change. Last year when they were going to raise tuition they sent out an email talking about how they were going to go through the process and thoroughly investigate it. The process they listed looked like a bunch of busy work; committees here, committees there, reports issued, yadda yadda.

I think WSU is too top heavy. Let's start there and work our way down.

[BagAJellyDonuts]

Yep, cut tuition costs so those talented students can get high paying jobs.

I thought college was for smart people.

Guess it's really just for social movements.

[j to the jeremy]

funny how those two always seem to go hand in hand...

[Melocoton]

I don't doubt there's some fat and fluff in the operation of a large university and administrators' feet need to be held to the fire more than they have in the past. But like K-12, most of the cost is in salaries, benefits and retiree pension and medical costs of the wide swath of professors and other staff. Time for some tough, grown-up choices.

If you're going to be condescending, at least make sure your pronouncements have some evidence to back them up.

[Det_ard]

It's common knowledge that compensation is the primary expense item in education. But since you need proof, read this.

http://www.bog.wayne.edu/meetings/20...1_item%20w.pdf

And before you claim the solution is higher taxes on corporations and the rich, explain why we should just accept that college costs have exploded as they have.

The tuition bubble is far bigger than the housing bubble or the tech bubble was.

[aoife]

If you're going to be condescending, at least make sure your pronouncements have some evidence to back them up.

Seriously? What sort of evidence do you require besides, perhaps, common sense? Do you not realize that Wayne State employs thousands of people? The university provides the salary plus benefits for all of them- professors, librarians, secretaries, academic services officers, janitors, engineers, nurses, policemen, and countless other professions in addition to these "fat cat" administrators everyone keeps talking about.

[socks_mahoney]

Funding Universities through tuition hikes is akin to putting academic economies on a credit card. Instead of paying for research and education with our tax dollars we are borrowing money via student loans to pay these costs. Its another debt being put off on future generations. We could fund it with money that exists in the economy already, and not place more of our eggs in the debt basket.

[English]

do you also like watching your students get riddled by debt? Tuition has risen 231% in the last ten years. Do you like seeing administrators get paid more and more while class sizes blow up and education becomes lower quality. Its not just about you, English. So much for solidarity...

Oh well. In this world, you've got to take care of yourself. I was an idealist when I was my students' age and I was screwed over and over again. No more.

As for tuition, I've just paid FAR more than my students could ever dream of up the road. I have student loans from WSU and U-M. I will be paying my student loans until I retire and likely beyond then. Big fat deal. Take a number, kids.

Picketing does NOTHING. If it did, we wouldn't have had a trillion dollar war in Iraq, and DPS would still be intact. I marched for BOTH and nothing happened. This isn't 1968. Protests do nothing except get you arrested.

Without a general strike -- and in this country, people are too balkanized and selfish and frightened to do it -- it doesn't mean a hill of beans. I would walk off the job if my union called for it OR our umbrella union did, and I'd love to take part in a general strike, but I am NOT going to do it as an untenured professor.

And in this life, socks? Since our country is all about city vs. suburb, black vs. white, immigrant vs. citizen, gay vs. straight, yeah... so much for solidarity. Our country is going to h*ll, so you had better take care of you and yours. Idealism gets you NOTHING in early 21st century America.

[Melocoton]

It's common knowledge that compensation is the primary expense item in education. But since you need proof, read this.

That PDF you posted says that 65% of WSU expenditures go to paying academic staff, which is actually less that one might hope--this is the effect of paying a majority of your teaching staff $2,000-5,000 a course.

The major point of that PDF, though, is that the reason college tuition is going up is that state expenditures have plummeted. A decade ago, the state contributed roughly 2/3 of Wayne's operating expenses, and tuition contributed 1/3; now, that has been essentially reversed. The state contributes roughly 1/3, and tuition has to cover the rest. Which is reason #1 why WSU tuition is going up and up. Not the fact that college instructors and staff earn so much money, which seemed to be your point earlier.

[Melocoton]

Oh well. In this world, you've got to take care of yourself. I was an idealist when I was my students' age and I was screwed over and over again. No more.

English, if this is your attitude then just keep quiet and let students like Socks try to find their own way to fight back without adding to the discouragement the world already heaps on them.

[English]

Hey. It is my attitude. People disillusioned the heck out of me when I was younger, including my own professors. Many on DYes did their part when I was in my mid-20s and still wet behind the ears.

I couldn't believe that some people held the opinions that they did. I thought I could convince people they were wrong. I used to think that we could change the world. I used to hate cynics and cynicism, and believed they were the problem.

Today, I feel that anyone is liable to say or believe anything. I know that those people who burst my bubble actually had more life experience and knew how crappy life could be. I am convinced that nothing short of a miracle will save Detroit, the United States, and the world. And I get the cynics now... I've been waiting for four decades for things to turn around, and it just gets worse all the time. People disappoint you, politicians lie, Detroit is still on life support, someone just walked away with billions upon billions of our money, and the average person is into their own self-preservation, happiness, and instant gratification.

Drastic action is needed, but I am tired. I spent my 20s marching and protesting and blogging and road-tripping here and there and absolutely nothing happened -- in fact, it got much WORSE. I would have done better if I'd started my own business. I wish someone had told me to be less of a dreamer and more of a realist. It would have saved me lots of tears and heartache.

But the young never believe those who are older -- that's what it means to be young, I guess. So march away. Maybe the seventh time will be the charm and the walls of Jericho will come tumbling down. I doubt it, though.

[Det_ard]

That PDF you posted says that 65% of WSU expenditures go to paying academic staff, which is actually less that one might hope--this is the effect of paying a majority of your teaching staff $2,000-5,000 a course.

That pdf was posted to point out to you that compensation is the major expense in education, something you requested that I show you since you apparently didn't know that fact prior to reading the pdf. Since compensation is the largest expense in education, large budget cuts will obviously have to look at that area for reductions.

The major point of that PDF, though, is that the reason college tuition is going up is that state expenditures have plummeted. A decade ago, the state contributed roughly 2/3 of Wayne's operating expenses, and tuition contributed 1/3; now, that has been essentially reversed. The state contributes roughly 1/3, and tuition has to cover the rest. Which is reason #1 why WSU tuition is going up and up. Not the fact that college instructors and staff earn so much money, which seemed to be your point earlier.

First, a more attentive reading of my comments would yield the fact that I never implied that college instructors and staff "earned so much money". I haven't given my opinion as to whether they earn a lot or a little. I did state that most of the cost in a university is in compensation, therefore that area would have to be the primary focus in balancing budgets.

Second, I agree that less state funding has lead to higher tuition, but the graph I posted shows that tuition has risen by a factor of more than 10 since 1978, a far higher rate of increase than could be explained by reduced state funding. Additionally, tuition costs at private universities with no state support have also been skyrocketing. There's a lot more the ever-rising-tuition story than cuts in state funding.