Budget Crisis

GEO’s leadership feels that the Chancellor’s email dated Oct. 15th is an ideological response sent in reaction to a climate of fear and uncertainty fanned by media coverage of the current economic crisis. Here in Massachusetts, as well as nationally, we are experiencing the results of decades of neoliberal policy reform involving tax cuts for corporations and deregulation.

We suggest that there are clear alternatives to a Milton Friedman-esque response to crisis that can avoid the fee raises and layoffs suggested by Holub. Considering that during economic downturns the number of people enrolling in higher education increases, we need to eliminate barriers that prevent some from earning college degrees now more than ever.

The UMASS AMHERST LABOR COALITION (INCLUDING GEO, USA, PSU, MSP, AND AFSCME) wants to respond quickly to Chancellor Holub’s October 15th call for thoughts and suggestions to deal best with the financial downturn. We are asking you, the members of all unions, to suggest good ideas for short and long-term savings in attempting to prevent layoffs.

We also encourage you to send your ideas to THE UMASS AMHERST LABOR COALITION care of local1776@external.umass.edu by Tuesday, October 21, 5 pm.

Thank you.

Comments

  1. Alex Sarch
    October 16th, 2008 | 3:53 pm

    Hello,

    I’d like to make two points. First, I think it would be tremendously regrettable if Gov. Patrick’s budget cuts resulted in a reduction in overall faculty quality at UMass. So I would like to see GEO resist Chancellor Holub’s proposed hiring freeze. Many of the other graduate students I have spoken with agree that if this means an increase in fees or tuition, then so be it. It is by far better that students be asked to pay a little more than that the academic quality of the university gets diminished. I would support an increase in tuition or fees over a freeze in faculty hiring.

    Second, my impression is that the GEO leadership has tended to take a confrontational approach to contract negotiations and its pursuit of the other goals on its agenda. I would like to see GEO working in a more cooperative manner with the University’s administration to address the challenges raised by the recent budget cuts. These challenges affect the university as a whole and I think that resolving them will require working together with the administration, rather than against it.

    That said, thanks for all the work that GEO has done on behalf of the graduate student community at UMass.

    Best wishes!