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Illinois Students, Unionized Faculty Will Deliver In-Person Demand to IBHE

  • Writer: IFT
    IFT
  • 13 hours ago
  • 2 min read
Illinois Students, Unionized Faculty Will Deliver In-Person Demand to IBHE: Support Fair Funding Legislation for Universities

The student/faculty remarks will be live streamed on the UPI Facebook page.


ELGIN – On the heels of their demand that Governor Pritzker release nearly $25 million dollars in available funds for higher education, students from Illinois universities will join with unionized faculty at the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) meeting on Wednesday to deliver thousands of signed postcards from campuses statewide. Their message? Springfield owes our universities at least $1.4 billion, and students are paying the price for decades of state underfunding. IBHE members must endorse the Adequate and Equitable University Funding Act (HB 1581).


"You need only to look at the recent layoffs at Eastern Illinois University to understand that this situation is critical," added John Miller, IFT Membership Secretary and President of UPI Local 4100. "Every day across the state we're seeing more harm being done. That's why students on campuses across Illinois have signed postcards and are coming to deliver them in-person to IBHE members. They want to tell the board that it must step up and help fight for the fair, sustainable funding our institutions need."


Despite IBHE's involvement with and support for the recommendations issued Iast year by the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, the group has yet to endorse and advocate for HB 1581. The board's support is needed to urge lawmakers to pass the legislation and help students, faculty, and universities struggling under the weight of decades of state underfunding that has shifted costs onto families while slashing programs and staff.


Springfield’s long-term disinvestment has forced most Illinois public universities to increase tuition, cut programs, and reduce staff. At the same time, skyrocketing tuition has contributed to lower enrollment and dramatically increased student debt.


"Illinois has systematically underfunded our higher education system, making college unaffordable for many and driving nearly half of our high school graduates out of state to seek a degree," said Keith Nyquist, NIU instructor and UPI member. "It's time for the IBHE to do its part and support the Equitable Funding Bill to ensure that all our state's universities can meet the needs of the students and communities they serve."

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The University Professionals of Illinois (UPI Local 4100) represents more than 3,000 education professionals at eight of Illinois' 12 public universities. UPI is an affiliate of the 1.7-million member American Federation of Teachers and part of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). UPI is also a local union in the 103,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers.


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