<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: yellow; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Now, More than Ever, Is the Time to Invest in Public Higher Education!</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: yellow; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">PHENOM HIGHER ED RALLY AND LOBBY DAY APRIL 8</span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><font size="3">PHENOM supporters will be rallying, marching and lobbying April 8 in support of public higher education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><u>JOIN US</u></i> at 10 AM on the Boston Common (near the Park Street subway stop) to make these points to politicians, the media, and the general public:</font></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Applications to our public colleges are up dramatically this year just as state support and numbers of full-time faculty and staff are shrinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The state must provide our schools <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">adequate resources</b> to educate, support, and retain this influx of students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Massachusetts does not have much in the way of natural resources or manufacturing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our economy relies on brainpower, and especially on the 300,000 students in our public colleges, the vast majority of whom remain in Massachusetts after completing their degree or certificate programs.</font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3">2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Students are continually being forced to pay more to make up for the deficiencies in state funding. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This effective <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">privatization of our public colleges</b> is a public policy disaster that needs to be stopped before it is too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If more and more poor and middle class students are squeezed out of higher education, at a time when college is becoming increasingly necessary for their well-being and for the economic future of the state, their futures and the economic stability of the state are endangered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>There are significant funds in the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">federal stimulus package </b>going to public higher education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Restoring public higher education funding to Fiscal Year 2009 levels (before the mid-year cuts) should minimize the need for faculty and staff layoffs and student fee increases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But we still need to make sure the Legislature integrates these funds with the FY 2010 budget so that these goals are met and the proper amount of funds go to public higher education.</font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">President Obama gets it</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="COLOR: black">As he said in his speech at the joint session of Congress on February 24, 2009, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity -- it is a prerequisite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education…This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Politicians in our state need to get it too!</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="COLOR: black">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Shameful Statistics</b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.15in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.1in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .15in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="3">·</font><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><font size="3">Massachusetts ranks 46<sup>th</sup> of the 50 states in per capita appropriations, and 49<sup>th</sup> in appropriations per $1,000 in personal income.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.15in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.1in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .15in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="3">·</font><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><font size="3">Only 6 states have higher average tuition and fees at public 4-year colleges than Massachusetts (and this was before the $1,500 fee increase at UMass).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Only 12 states have higher average tuition and fees at public 2-year colleges than Massachusetts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.15in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.1in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .15in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="3">·</font><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><font size="3">Massachusetts ranks 32<sup>nd</sup> of the 50 states in total financial aid grant dollars per population age 18-24.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.15in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.1in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .15in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="3">·</font><span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><font size="3">From 1988-89 to 2007-08, funding for the MASSGrant, the state’s main need-based financial aid program, declined by 53%.</font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 9"><font size="3"> </font></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.phenomonline.org">www.phenomonline.org</a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">PHENOM’S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">SPRING 2009</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">1. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Revitalization of MassGrant</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>MassGrant is the state’s largest need-based financial aid program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Funding steadily declined for 20 years until PHENOM won a small increase last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Where MassGrant used to cover an average of 80% of student costs, it now covers 14%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Besides being insufficiently funded, the program has suffered by not having its own line item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As student fees are raised, we need to restore need-based financial aid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We call for:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>a) An additional $14.1 million to the MassGrant account, as proposed by the Department of Higher Education</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>b) A separate line item for MassGrant in the financial aid budget</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">2. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Funding for the Educational Rewards Grant program </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Unlike MassGrant, this need-based program, established as part of the 2006 Economic Stimulus bill, provides funds to part-time students and allows students to use a portion of their grant for living expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We support the Workers Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Act of 2009 (sponsored by Sen. Eldridge and Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry) which would:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>a) Allocate $3 million to the Educational Rewards Grant program</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>b) Allocate $1.5 million for pilot funding for student success programs to help Educational Rewards students stay in school and succeed.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">3. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Increasing Campus Operating Budgets <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>This is exactly the time for a major investment in public higher education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Applications are up dramatically and our colleges are being recognized as drivers of economic activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There is a clear need for workers with the ability to reason, research, collaborate and communicate to help Massachusetts transition to a new, greener economy. The Governor has appropriately allocated funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to higher education, making a small increase in campus operating budgets completely realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We support the Department of Higher Education’s FY 2010 budget proposal for a $986,614,720 allocation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This represents a 1.3% increase over last year’s legislative allocation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is premised on closing the revenue gap in 10 years.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">4. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Education Equality for Immigrant Students</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>It is high time that Massachusetts stops discriminating against children without permanent residency status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Equal Access to Higher Education legislation would allow all students who have attended at least three years of high school in Massachusetts to pay in-state tuition rates at our public colleges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>California, New York and Illinois are among the 10 states that have passed similar legislation.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Increasing State Revenues<br></span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>PHENOM believes strongly that to achieve the public higher education system our residents deserve will require additional revenues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Massachusetts residents pay lower overall tax rates than the national average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The overwhelming defeat of Question 1 last November shows that voters know that in order to have good public services we must pay for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We can no longer accept</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">the “lack of appetite” to seriously consider additional taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Massachusetts ranks 47<sup>th</sup> in higher education support as a proportion of tax revenue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the time to launch a discussion not about whether new tax revenues are needed, but about what is the fairest, most progressive approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Alex Kulenovic<br><br>President,<br>Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts<br><a href="http://www.phenomonline.org">www.phenomonline.org</a><br><br>Student Trustee<br>University of Massachusetts Boston<br>
<br>100 Morrissey Blvd.<br>Boston, MA 02125<br>Campus Center 2404<br>617-287-7971<br>Fax: 617-287-7978<br>Cell: 617-291-5362<br>