The Gothic Times

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Christina Johnson NJCU protesters picket on campus on April 7, 2009.

Media Credit: Amanda Madera NJCU President Dr. Carlos Hernandez addresses a crowd of NJCU students, staff, and faculty at the teach-in.

On April 13, 2009, the New Jersey City University community was finally able to witness and take part in the product of countless volunteers and diligent organizing led by Dr. William Calathes, an NJCU criminal justice professor and activist: the teach-in.

"I think it's the first time ever that different constituent groups throughout the university came together," said Calathes, who has worked at NJCU for 23 years, "and they came together for one purpose and one common aim, and that was to face directly […] the challenges of the budget crisis."

Held in various locations throughout the Gilligan Student Union Building, the teach-in was NJCU's response to the combined effects of the economic downturn and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's proposal to cut state funding to most state colleges and universities. In his FY 2010 budget, NJCU will lose abut $1.5 million in funds from the government, which, according to NJCU President Dr. Carlos Hernandez, will bring the total school budget to about $29.1 million. This budget would be smaller than the one NJCU had in 1998. Should the budget be approved this summer, NJCU may have to compensate by raising tuition and granting employees furloughs-unpaid workdays.

In his opening remarks to a crowd of about 700 people, approximately 500 of which were students, Hernandez acknowledged the need for proper funding of entities such as hospitals, etc, but asked, "When will we become a priority?" The President pointed out that when he began to work at NJCU about 36 years ago, the school received 70 percent of its budget from government appropriations; now it receives about 20 percent.

John Krawczyk, a 20-year-old student from Bayonne double majoring in criminal justice and professional security, helped organize the teach-in, which took less than four weeks to plan with the help of about 20 more criminal justice majors and the AFT Local 1839 Executive Council, which is headed by Dr. Joseph Moskowitz of the Political Science Department.

"I feel New Jersey higher education is near and dear to my heart because a lot of other students won't be able to attend [college]," Krawczyk said. "A lot of other students like me wouldn't be able to afford tuition."

Hernandez referred to a statement he made a year ago, in which he said that, had NJCU received $7.4 million more from the government, then each student at NJCU could have saved $1,300 on tuition.

Numerous activists and social leaders were invited to address the teach-in.

Eva Bonime, a representative from the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a recently founded coalition pushing for more accountable local and state government, spoke about the Better Choices Budget Campaign, which supports changes to the proposed state budget such as having households that earn over $250,000-as opposed to the present $500,000-pay more taxes. Bonime also explained that even though NJ is home to the largest percentage of millionaires in the country, the state is cutting higher education funding while other states, according to Dr. Hernandez, have "invested billions, not millions" of dollars into their colleges and universities.

Paul Shelly, Director of Communications and Marketing for the NJ Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU), mentioned several opportunities for student, union, and university involvement, including the NJ College Promise Network, NJASCU's new website.

"Change is possible when citizens come together and there is a common goal," Shelly said.

According to NJASCU, a group of nine NJ state colleges and universities, "New Jersey ranks 46[t]h in the nation in public college/university admission capacity (undergraduate seats) to serve its citizens," which, said Shelly, is related to the state's losing 35,000 students every year to invest their time, energy, and money into other states.

"I really believe that it's important for us to begin to listen to each other," said Calathes, who has done human rights organization in countries such as Kenya and Angola, "and to be able to actively and aggressively take the democratic process up a notch so that we can have our voices heard and we can really start to defend our right to public education."

The teach-in continued with several workshops each made up of students, staff, or faculty. The groups had the goal of determining what issues are most important to them in terms of higher education, and ways these issues can be resolved.

Dr. Patrice Dow-Nelson, a psychology professor who has been at NJCU for 10 years, said, "It's not just about us [NJCU], but it's about the whole higher education community."

Dow-Nelson was a part of the fulltime faculty group led by Eric A. Cinotti, a sociology professor who teaches at multiple NJ universities, and Dean Brianik, Assistant Director of the NJCU CO-OP Office. The group narrowed their overall goals to a list of three to be documented and sent to Gov. Corzine, the most important being a reallocation of the state budget and specific ways of raising revenue.

"We have more strength in numbers," Dow-Nelson said. "We should be more proactive. [I came today because I wanted] to know what part I can play in mobilizing people."

It was this pro-active attitude that was seen on April 7, 2009, when NJCU faculty and staff assembled outside of the university armed with signs and chants against pay cuts, furloughs, and layoffs. Passing cars honked in support as they drove up and down Kennedy Boulevard; despite the cold weather protestors held up signs, some with "Lay Off Corzine" written on them.

"It upsets us," said protestor Kristin McKillop, a secretary for the department of Continuing Education who has been a staff member at NJCU for 10 years. "It's unfair that [Corzine] wants to do what he wants to do. It just makes us want to fight more."

It was in this vein that students participated in the teach-in. Student attendees were split into two groups and encouraged to identify issues that affected their specific goals and interests. They were also urged to come up with potential solutions before sharing them not only among one another, but to all those attending the teach-in as well.

Nastassja Torres, 22, an economy and finance double major from Bayonne, came to the teach-in because "I wanted to know how the university is going to keep my tuition low."

Though she found the opening remarks to be pertinent, Torres was disappointed with the rest of the event. "Just judging from the workshops, I don't think today was helpful. The staff and faculty leading the student workshops should have listened to the students more [than they did]."

The workshops that involved the various staff and faculty, however, seemed to thrive with well-conceived ideas and plans of action.

By the end of the session the stage was open to anyone to speak their mind, and several students were moved to action. There was emphasis by several students for use of unity as a means of getting the voice of the student population heard and serving as the catalyst for the changes they wished to occur.

"I think [the teach-in] was a rousing success on multiple levels," Calathes said. "I think that we are going to hold many teach-ins and have many other actions […]. I hope that everyone is on board with it and that everyone starts to get involved in as aggressive a way and as productive a way as they possibly can."

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To learn more about the problems and organizations mentioned above, please go to:

-http://aftlocal1839.org/
-http://web.njcu.edu/sites/controller/Content/fiscal_planning__budget.asp
-http://www.njascu.org/
-http://www.njcu.edu/budgetfy09/
-http://www.njworkingfamilies.org/
-http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/omb/

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