"A train wreck for public higher education”: Students and workers demand Connecticut fund its colleges

Students, faculty, and campus workers gathered at the state Capitol this week under the banner of Fund Our Dreams, calling on lawmakers to reject Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed higher education budget and make real investments in Connecticut’s public colleges and universities.

In a press conference at the Legislative Office Building as lawmakers begin deliberations this session, speakers were flanked by supporters holding signs “Gov. Lamont Failing Our Students – Fund Higher Education.”

Speaker after speaker warned that years of underfunding have created a crisis across the state’s higher education system — from community colleges to state universities and UConn — harming students, workers, and the broader economy.

Lisa Calabrese. the campus enrollment supervisor at Connecticut State Naugatuck Valley, and leader in the 4Cs union, said “Governor Lamont is a train wreck for our public higher education institutions: Connecticut colleges, Charter Oak State College, our four state universities, UConn, and UConn Health.”

“There has been a ripple effect on our workforce, our economy, and our state,” she added. “Faculty, staff, and students oppose Governor Lamont’s proposed budget for CSCU, UConn, and UConn Health because it fails to make the necessary investments in our institutions, our students, and our state.”

Students described campuses pushed past capacity, where lack of funding is happening while enrollment is rising, harming educational quality and student well-being.

Heritha Subramanian. Student body vice president at the University of Connecticut, Storrs said. “It is no secret that education in Connecticut is overwhelmed and underfunded.”

As state and federal funding has declined, she explained, UConn has increased enrollment and recruitment to compensate. “Unfortunately, our school does not have the resources to meet the needs of our students.”

“I often hear from students who have never met with their advisor because it is difficult to get a hold of them,” she said. “At UConn, advisors have caseloads of up to 655 students per advisor, while the national average for four-year institutions is 286.”

The consequences affect classroom learning. “Higher enrollment levels have led tolarger class sizes, and it is clear this is burdensome for everyone involved,” Subramanian said. “Faculty are being asked to do too much with too little time and too little assistance, while students fade and disengage — becoming one of hundreds rather than being supported to succeed.”

Cynthia Stretch, a union leader and professor at Southern Connecticut State University, said "endless cuts" to part-time faculty have resulted in slashing the course options available to students.

Organizers testified that Connecticut’s higher education crisis is not inevitable, calling it the result of political decisions that prioritize tax breaks and austerity over public investment.

“Public higher education is a public good,” speakers said. “When we underfund it, we deepen inequality, weaken our workforce, and undermine democracy itself.”

"Connecticut has the resources to do better. What we need is the political will." said Valerie Duffy, a professor at UConn and president of Uconn-AAUP. "The strain on higher education is not a failure of our students or our faculty and staff. It is a result of policy choices,"

The Fund Our Dreams coalition is calling on legislators to: increase base funding for public higher education, stop tuition and fee hikes, restore faculty and staff positions and invest in advising, mental health, and student support services

As budget negotiations continue at the Capitol, organizers made clear they are not backing down.

“This is about our future,” one speaker said. “And we are here to demand that Connecticut fund our dreams — not dismantle them.”

The demand to “Fund Our Dream” is part of the Stand Up Connecticut legislative agenda of the Connecticut for All coalition. At a February 7 press conference, The 4 C's community college union president Seth Freeman said, “We are here to demand that Governor Lamont and every elected state legislator STAND-UP, meet the moment, and protect the residents and families of Connecticut. We are here to demand that elected leaders fight for working-class families and fight against the Trump billionaire agenda.”