As the nation marches bravely, if naively, forward toward greater inequality and class distinctions with the current tax “reform” package now before Congress, education, along with other programs for the Public Good such as health care, a clean environment and common spaces are suffering severely. It is our children, grandchildren and generations beyond that are going to bear the brunt of the $1.5 trillion economic costs and related communal degradation that will result.
To add insult to injury, Congress is now proposing to tax educational assistance given to struggling students in higher education to help pay for the transfer of wealth from the middle class to the 1%. Whether this passes or not, it is a prime example of hurting the vulnerable for the sake of the wealthy. We are told however, that this money will eventually “dribble” back down to the less fortunate and make things all better, while at the same time making it possible for the uberwealthy to have four homes and go trophy hunting in Africa, certainly a “win-win for everybody.”
This attack on education is not new but has been going on for at least the last thirty years. We might even call it the Thirty Years Educational War. During this period, tuition costs have skyrocketed far beyond the cost of living. As I recall, I paid between $200 and $250 per academic year when at the U of U compared with some $10,000 required today, a 5000 % increase. I don’t know if under these new conditions that I would have a BA degree, let alone a Ph.D. without significant outside help. The solution of our society has been to make unsecured loans to the vulnerable student, (transferring even more wealth.) significantly damaging their prospects starting a productive and fulfilling life. Another tack is to have the students work while in school to cover their fees and tuition. “Does them good and makes them more serious about education.” My experience after 30+ years of teaching at the university level, is that working while studying is one of the greatest impediments to learning for students and to completing their education. Touting extracurricular work, with the distraction and additional stress it causes, as improving educational outcomes is simply spurious and disingenuous. Basically, it is just a poor justification for raising tuition. As a society, we have certainly failed our youth.
The problem is not one for students only. The faculty have also suffered in kind. Their compensation has not kept up with even the cost of living let alone with the increases in tuition. The solution to “improve education” from our legislators and “educators” is simply been to slap the faculty and staff upside the head, decrease their health care benefits and tell them to work harder and more efficiently. This has led to some ridiculous if not debilitating workload polices. It has been generally accepted that at the university level, a nine to twelve hour teaching load is the maximum that can be handled while maintaining a quality experience for the student. And that is without research responsibilities. The default load at UVU and I assume other “nonresearch” institutions is a fifteen hour teaching equivalent. I can still remember with vivid clarity when, at the end of introducing our workload policy to our school, our then dean said, “I don’t expect you to work eighty plus hours a week like I did, but if you are not putting in 60 hours a week, you are not doing your job.“ My experience is that many of my colleagues are professional and do work 60 hours or more for the love of their profession and students when needed, but on a regular basis, it creates an unhealthy and stressful working environment. Faculty come and go but it is my impression that of my dedicated colleagues, there has been many families leaving, at least in part for this reason. Even an old staid professor deserves a family life.
We firmly believe that if knowledgeable, experienced and involved people come together, instead of administrators, managers and cost cutters with ulterior motives, we can put together a more effective and better system with very little extra cost. One that far better meets the needs of students, faculty, staff and community alike. It is for this reason that we have formed a coalition of faculty and staff, The Coalition for Public Higher Education in Utah (CPHEU) Those groups who joined together to form the coalition are the AFT/Utah (the Utah state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers,) The Utah College Council (the Higher Education chapter of the AFT in Utah,) The David Keller chapter of the AAUP (The American Association for University Professors at UVU) and the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education ( a nationwide association with …. Chapters and ….. members.) It is our purpose to create a forum where the faculty and staff of the state have input into educational policy and the development of higher education in the state of Utah. There will also be Coalition members at the 2018 legislative session monitoring proposed legislation that will affect our profession.
Based on the current political situation in the country and state and on the results of a previous poll sponsored by the CPHEU, the Executive Board has set three starting goals for the Coalition: 1) Develop a master plan for public higher education to guide our efforts, 2) Identify possibilities for free university tuition, at least for the first two years of a students’ education and 3) develop realistic and workable workloads for faculty at institutions of higher education in the state. Your assistance and participation in these endeavors will be greatly appreciated. We will have starter drafts to start discussions in these three areas for your consideration and input shortly.
Your participation in this project is free, without obligation and encouraged. We are not set up to accept donations or other considerations. However, most of the financial burden for this project falls on AFT, the union representing faculty and staff in higher education. If you do want to provide monetary support, you might consider contacting AFT Utah and discover what benefits and opportunities are available for you from the union. You can contact them at reception@aftutah.org or call (801) 972-1974 or toll free (877) 562-1735 and we can direct you to the local leader at your institution.
In Solidarity,
Paul Tayler
Chairman CPHEU