200 Attend Protest Against West Virginia Univ Proposed Cuts To Programs & Faculty; Students' Union

[appalachiablue]

WVMetroNews, 'About 200 attend WVU cut protest at the Mountainlair,' By Mike Nolting, Aug. 21, 2023 - 6:05 pm. - Ed. 📝

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — More than 200 people came to the Mountainlair Free Speech Zone on Monday to protest proposed cuts to programs and faculty. The academic review has identified 32 programs and 169 faculty cuts. University officials said they have received 19 notices of intent to appeal the proposals before the Friday, Aug. 18 deadline.

Marisa Proco is a 2nd-year Masters student in math on a Masters to PHD pathway, with programs identified to be eliminated. If the cuts are approved, Proco would finish her Masters in the teach-out program and have to search for another PHD program. "That course would not apply to my PHD, so I would have to start the application process for grad schools for my PHD all over again,” Proco said. “I would have to spend hundreds of dollars on application fees.”

Zachary Gilpin has an undergraduate degree in Spanish through the Dept. of World Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics (WLLL), which is identified for elimination, & is a graduate student. Gilpin said that through WLLL and his undergraduate research in Central America, he is able to stay in Morgantown to continue the graduate program. "Well, I want to be a professor, & frankly, up until now, I had a positive view of West Virginia Univ.,” Gilpin said. “But if anyone I knew were to ask me, I would be honest with them & tell them about the loss of opportunity here.”

A 4 -year WVU student majoring in math, Matthew Kolb from Follansbee, is a member of the West Virginia United Students’ Union (WVUSU) & said membership of the group will likely grow because of the event. The WVUSU is now delving into up to 3 years of data & financial information that is being shared with members of the student body. “What we want to do with that research is put it back into the student body to educate them in a way they are not being educated right now,” Kolb said...https://wvmetronews.com/2023/08/21/about-200-attend-wvu-cut-protest-at-the-mountainlair/
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- Also: WVU: West Virginia Univ. Recommends Cutting 169 Faculty Positions, 32 Majors. More Schools, Aug. 11, https://www.democraticunderground.com/10832749

- The Evisceration of a Public University,' By Lisa M. Corrigan, The Nation, Aug. 16, 2023.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016361121

[Staph]

1. The Democrats were there!

Three local members of the West Virginia House of Delegates, Democrats all, were in the crowd and speaking to them.

Today, Mon Dems were honored to stand beside WVU students, faculty, and staff as they protested the drastic cuts to our beloved university.

Delegate Evan Hansen: “We recognize the importance of these programs, for Morgantown, for our districts, for the entire North Central WV Region and for the entire State of West Virginia! So we’re going to keep fighting on your behalf.”

Our Democratic Delegates Hansen, Hamilton and Williams co-sponsored an amendment at the recent legislative special session to add $45M in funding for WVU, but the Republican supermajority refused to vote on it.

Your local Democratic Party will continue the fight to restore funding in higher education and save jobs.

As Delegate Anitra Hamilton said today, “We stand in solidarity!

(From the Monongalia County Democrats Facebook page)

[appalachiablue]

2. So glad to know that, hurrah for the Monongalia Dems! Thanks much for the report.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

3. Kinda' split here

"Well, I want to be a professor" in Spanish.

Maybe your wants are not cost effective for the university.

There really are disciplines that probably shouldn't have an entire department based on cost and the number of students. Some of these majors only have, like 8 students a year.

I've 2 undergrads and a masters across 3 universities, so my opinion isn't without direct experience. A large portion of the admin staff gotta go, along with big cuts to athletic staff and salaries.

[Hestia]

4. Humanities Programs have been hollowed out US wide - we need them back

I don't know about you, but I am tired of having to be everyone's therapist since there aren't as many graduating today due to program cuts, so now the MI think we are supposed to pick up the slack. No thank you, I'm losing patience with it all