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THREAD: Here's the thing about the #UMichRegents mtg: in the middle of a pandemic, and in an era where U-M has failed its minority students in enrollment/support, the discussion prioritizes preserving the endowment over students, faculty, staff. Sadly, this isn't new. 1/
First, let's set the stage. Over the past 5yrs, @UMich Ann Arbor has put over $85 MILLION into "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" efforts. Despite these - which have, to be fair, supported low income students via Go Blue Guarantee - Black student enrollment remains at ~4%. 2/
Meanwhile, Black students, students of color, and low income students at @UMFlint and @UM_Dearborn are suffering. The Black Student Union at UM Flint has been complaining for years about lack of support. $0 in DEI funding has been given to either campus. 3/
Enrollment at UM Flint and Dearborn has been declining, especially at UM Flint. 4/
(A) https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephengavazzi/2020/06/25/facing-university-of-michigan-layoffs-flint-cant-seem-to-get-a-break/#450fbbca3fa2
(B) https://www.umflint.edu/analysis/common-data-set
(A) https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephengavazzi/2020/06/25/facing-university-of-michigan-layoffs-flint-cant-seem-to-get-a-break/#450fbbca3fa2
(B) https://www.umflint.edu/analysis/common-data-set
Tuition increases on all 3 campuses is nothing new. Despite nearly every regent on the board (7 out of 8 of whom are Democrats, btw) running on no more tuition increases, U-M's tuition has gone up every year for the last decade. (see pg 36-40: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b5a13e725bf029794d28c39/t/5ef174b090a4457f3fc99f29/1592882494867/UM+Financial+analysis+Bunsis+May+2020.pdf). 5/
Where is the money for these tuition increases going, you ask? Not to support students. Or faculty. Or staff. Student organizers and University labor unions have been complaining about this for years. 6/
While @DrMarkSchlissel rakes in a comfortable $900K/year, low income students at U-M Flint and Dearborn are denied a Go Blue Guarantee (a financial aid package offered at UM Ann Arbor), medical services, DEI services, and first-gen support. 7/
This year, @geo3550 fought for grad student workers to be paid living wages. While they made gains, they still aren't paid enough.They also bargained for affordable housing and better support for survivors of sexual assault, among others. All of these requests were denied. 8/
In the midst of this pandemic, U-M's adjunct faculty are also being thrown under the bus. @LEOUnionUmich has been vocal about the fact that *41%* of U-M Flint's lecturers have lost work, being deprived of income and health insurance when needed most. 9/ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/22/um-flint-layoffs-lecturers-leo-michigan/3232929001/
Every single union of workers @UMich, with the exception of nurses, has been asked to take pay cuts due to U-M's "financial losses" over the course of COVID. Meanwhile, President Schlissel took a "voluntary" 10% pay cut, leaving him at a meager $800K salary for 2020. 10/
OK, so I spent 10 tweets complaining. Shouldn't we be doing something about this instead of tweeting, you ask? Well, we have. Countless members of the U-M community have. For years. 11/
After 2 yrs of advocacy, members of the @OneUniversityUM coalition fighting for more $$$ to Flint and Dearborn were told that Admin just "didn't know how to fix the problem," and that giving money for financial aid would be like "throwing money down a hole". 12/
So a group of undergrads spent months writing a 40+ page report offering real, studied solutions and cost estimates for those solutions. The report is more comprehensive than anything the Admin has ever produced on this issue, and it can be found at http://tinyurl.com/OneUProposal . 13/
Meanwhile, @geo3550 and @LEOUnionUmich have argued for years that the affordable housing crisis in Ann Arbor is spiraling out of control, and it's U-M's fault. Hm. 14/
I could go on. Students fighting for affordability, racial justice, justice for survivors, and demilitarization on campus have been let down by @UMich at every damn turn. 15/
So yes, people have been taking action. And UMich has been listening and doing NOTHING. Despite the fact that THE MONEY IS THERE if Admin refocused its priorities. 16/
Here, University finances expert Dr. Howard Bunsis explains that U-M's $12B endowment is being poorly managed. Like, REALLY poorly managed. 17/
Here's another explainer talking about how incompetent U-M is at properly using its endowment! 18/
U-M's $12B endowment has been protected at all costs for a "rainy day". But the endowment has increased at a rapid pace, with only a small sliver of gains being used for what's needed. You can read more about that here. 19/
https://bit.ly/2BE9OfL
https://bit.ly/2BE9OfL
I could go on. But in the end, the fact is @UMich is one of the wealthiest, "best" public institutions in the nation & world. But it has consistently refused to make the public contribution it needs to, choosing to cling to its accumulated wealth while the public suffers. 20/
Schlissel closes the #UMichRegents meeting arguing that the situation the U has found itself in is "No one's fault". But while the pandemic was unpredictable, the scale of this student abandonment is 100% the Admin's fault. 21/
Had U-M supported its students from the get go, we wouldn't be struggling so much. And in this moment, the Admin has spent 2 hours justifying tuition increases and barely pulling $$$ from the rainy day fund, citing "uncertainty" and the need for fiscal stability. I call BS. 22/
This is about public institutions actually serving the public. As it has been, U-M is FAILING to serve the state of Michigan right now.
It's time we shine light on the poor use of the endowment and the mask of privilege that coats this debate. Students should be enraged. 23/23.
It's time we shine light on the poor use of the endowment and the mask of privilege that coats this debate. Students should be enraged. 23/23.
