To the students of SIUC:

SIUC is facing the greatest crisis in its history. Plans are under way for major budget cuts. Like you, we’re concerned about the future of this university. We in the Faculty Association, the union that represents tenure-track and tenured faculty, are doing everything we can to protect the core academic mission of SIUC.

We believe that our top priority right now must be preserving our academic programs — your opportunity to work with world-class scholars and educators. Thus we believe that cuts to the university budget must target non-academic areas of the university before going after academics.

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We also believe that the university must be absolutely transparent about its budget, sharing information clearly with the entire university community, including students.

The cuts we’re facing are due to the failure of the State of Illinois to pass a budget. So we need to put pressure on our state legislators to do right by you. Our legislators need to hear from you! Tell your state representatives that they need to fund higher education in Illinois, including MAP grants for students, and do it now.

Need contact info for your representatives? Check this out this website.

Another way to reach the state government is to attend the Teach Out for Higher Education at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Springfield. Students and faculty from all over Illinois are planning to come together at the State Capitol to demand that the state fund higher education. We can provide transportation. For more information, email J’Neita Fassel at [email protected] or visit this website.

Finally, we’ve posted links to resources on the budget for students and others who want to learn more about the budget crisis on our website, www.siucfa.org.

The budget crisis is frightening, but we stand with you in the fight for the SIUC that you deserve.

The SIUC Faculty Association

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