PHENOM, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts: http://www.phenomonline.org
The PHENOM representative for Bristol Community College is Colleen Avedikian.
Public forum on the CHERISH Act on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 6-8 pm in Ryckebush Faculty/staff Lounge in the G Building on the Fall River Campus.
Funding for public higher education in MA has been cut by 31% since 2001, shifting the cost of education onto students and families.
The CHERISH Act would increase state per student funding for public higher education back to 2001 levels over five years. It would also freeze tuition in fees every year that state funding targets are met. The CHERISH Act calls for:
– Implementing the recommendations of the 2014 Higher Education Finance Commission, resulting in more than $500 million in additional funding for public higher education. These new funds must supplement — not supplant — existing funding.
-Establishing in statute a fair and adequate minimum funding level for public higher education at no less than the FY01 per-student funding level, adjusted for inflation.
-Freezing tuition and fees for five years, as long as the Legislature appropriates the funds required to reach FY01 per-student funding levels in five years.
This event is cosponsored by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Bristol Community College Chapter of the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM). The forum will include local legislators, educators, union leaders, students and alumni, and is open to the general public. The goal is to educate participants about the CHERISH Act, and to mobilize support to bring the Act to a vote this Spring in the Massachusetts legislature. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Colleen Avedikian at colleen.avedikian@bristolcc.edu, (774) 357-3116.
Download printable flyer here.
There will be a hearing of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Ways and Means scheduled for Monday, March 18th at 11am at Bristol Community College. The meeting will be held in the G Building cafeteria, on the Fall River campus. This is an open, public meeting, and all are welcome to attend.
https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3069
Representatives from the Department of Early Education and Care, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Higher Education will be giving testimony related to education budget items, including the funding formula for public schools in the state.
It is expected that the representatives of the Massachusetts Teachers Association will be testifying in favor of the CHERISH Act, which would raise $500 million for public higher education in the state. You can read more about this legislation here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S741/Cosponsor.
This is a great opportunity for Bristol students, faculty and professional staff to hear different visions for public education in Massachusetts, and to learn about proposed legislation to increase funding for our state universities and community colleges.
I am hoping you will share this with your students, particularly those who have an interest in activism and political advocacy. The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) is hiring student organizers at Bristol Community College for the Spring 2019 semester. We have received a grant from the Mass. Teachers Association which allows us to hire 2 – 3 students from Bristol.
Duties include: Providing support for current PHENOM initiatives and outreach work including holding recurring PHENOM chapter meetings, plan campus events, and coordinate “Fund Our Future” actions on the campus. The Student Organizer will create weekly media content for PHENOM’s statewide Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Additional responsibilities would include attending PHENOM’s Advocacy Day (March 21), creating campus-specific media and advertisements, and communicating with PHENOM Organizing Director and campus Faculty/Staff Organizer. All work will occur in Massachusetts. Time commitment: 10 hours per week at $15 per hour. http://phenomonline.org/.
For more information, contact Colleen Avedikian at colleen.avedikian@bristolcc.edu.
PHENOM Report, January 17, 2019
PHENOM Report 2019-01-17