March 11,2003
Dear Colleagues:
As reported in the press recently, public higher education -- all constituents, all segments -- has lined up in a very public way to oppose Governor Romney's proposals concerning the higher education reorganization. Yesterday the Ways & Means Committees from both the House and the Senate held joint hearings on higher education and K-12 at Bridgewater State College. Every speaker from public higher education stood publicly and condemned not only the Governor's proposals but also the secretive and deceptive process by which they were developed. 20-25 reps and senators were present for at least part of the day, and they were openly angry and challenging as well.
UMass President Bill Bulger attracted the lion's share of the press coverage, but other presidents were just as effective and forthright. For the first time ever in my participation in these hearings, everyone articulated and defended the mission of public higher education across all three segments.
You were well-represented at the hearings. Frank Minasian, Jean Stonehouse, CJ O'Donnell, Peter Hogan, Maynard Seider and Len Paolillo were there, along with other higher education union presidents and MTA staff. The membership from the Bridgewater chapter turned out in force. We gave extensive interviews to the Chronicle of Higher Education and the State House News.
At Friday's Board meeting, members urged me to focus on the attacks on our membership -- the health insurance premium increases, the proposed changes in pensions, and most significantly, the gutting of our collective bargaining rights as proposed by the Governor as outside sections of the budget. The MTA attorneys are studying these proposals, but to my eye, I am not certain faculty and librarians could even be unionized if these changes to the law were adopted.
Consequently, when I testified yesterday, I articulated our role in the protection of the academic integrity of the colleges and explained the political interference that such changes would allow. Off-the-cuff, I talked about the Rule of Five and how the BHE destroyed the very science programs that Peter Nessen has criticized us for not producing graduates from!! I also used the Rule of Five to demonstrate the serious consequences of political interference and "top-down" management of the curriculum and academic programs at the colleges. My written testimony is posted on the website, but the actual remarks deviated significantly from the prepared text.
The Board passed several motions on Friday that will be published in press releases throughout the state and in the upcoming issue of the Perspective. I plan to modify my testimony for an op-ed piece to be distributed to the Boston dailies and the regional newspapers.
We must take nothing for granted. Please continue to be in touch with your senators and representatives to oppose the Governor's proposals and continue to write letters to the editor of your local papers. Even if they are not published, they are having an impact on the coverage of this issue. Keep up this important work.
Sincerely,
Pat Markunas MSCA President
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