Letter To The Editor: Rhode Island College Students Speak Out

By Tom Lima, President, Rhode Island College Student Community Government, Inc.

The following statement is from RIC Student Body President Thomas Lima:

Whereas, the Rhode Island Promise program is funded by the State of Rhode Island, and, via diverting funds to subsidize free tuition for qualified students at the Community College of Rhode Island, competes with a limited total pool of state resources, an ever-shrinking percentage of which are also used to partially fund the annual operating budget of Rhode Island College; and,

Whereas, Student Parliament finds that the detrimental impact of the Rhode Island Promise program to the Student Body, student life, and academic community of Rhode Island College has not been an active topic of discussion, or even publicly acknowledged, by many state elected officials, state educational leaders, and the media during the FY19 state budget process; and,

Whereas, Student Parliament has learned that, despite the planned continuation of the Rhode Island Promise free tuition program at CCRI, a simultaneous tuition increase is yet again planned for Rhode Island College students in the next academic year, demonstrating that funding is available to subsidize costs at one institution while inexplicably ignoring the other; and,

Whereas, Student Parliament has learned that enrollment at Rhode Island College is at an historic low for recent decades, and Parliament has reason to believe one factor causing the drop in enrollment is diversion of both students and state resources from RIC to CCRI; and,

Whereas, this decreased enrollment has resulted in an observed decline in student activity at RIC, a decrease in participation in student life, a decrease in Student Activity Fee funding available to support student life, and a noticeable reduction in the size of the Student Body, to the serious detriment of a well-rounded educational experience at RIC; and,

Whereas, Rhode Island College has long been an educational institution known as an accessible, affordable, four-year-degree-granting institution for low-income Rhode Islanders, many of whom are the first generation in their families to attend college; and,

Whereas, Student Parliament finds that the troubling decline over the last 15 years in state support for Rhode Island College, including a more than doubling of tuition for full-time RIC students within that span of time, in order to make up for a steep percentage decline in funding from the state, has jeopardized RIC’s reputation as a college of opportunity for first generation college students and low-income Rhode Islanders striving to earn a bachelor’s degree; and,

Whereas, no final decision will be made on the state funding level for Rhode Island College, and the necessity of another tuition increase for RIC students, until the General Assembly passes a final FY19 budget and it becomes law; therefore, be it

Resolved, that, on behalf of the Student Body of Rhode Island College, Student Parliament hereby demands that state leaders in government and education recognize the Rhode Island Promise is a positive for access to higher education and should be continued to be funded at least to the level it is currently receiving, however, additional funding should be allocated to Rhode Island College to counterbalance the effect it is having on the enrollment, retention, and student life in the RIC community; and be it further

Resolved, that Student Parliament also respectfully requests that state leaders in government and education recognize the importance of maintaining an accessible, affordable education for Rhode Island College students, and that those leaders work together to eliminate or reduce planned FY19 tuition increases; and be it further

Resolved, that Student Parliament will not stand by idly while students at one institution are prioritized at the expense and personal and financial sacrifice of students at Rhode Island College, and this body’s members and officers will work diligently in the weeks ahead to ensure the voice of RIC students is heard around the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent simultaneously, and without delay, in both hard-copy and email form, to Her Excellency the Governor, to the Honorable Speaker of the House and Senate President of the Rhode Island General Assembly, to the Honorable Majority and Minority Leaders of both legislative chambers, to all Honorable Representatives and Senators serving on each chamber’s respective Committee on Finance, to the Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education, to the Chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education, to the President of Rhode Island College, and to state, local, and campus media outlets; and be it further

Resolved, that Student Parliament is inherently dissatisfied with the consideration given to RIC students in matters of state funding and educational policy, and this body implores the aforementioned state leaders in government and education to work together to reverse the decades-long trend of state funding for Rhode Island College being reduced, all while funding for numerous other state programs and agencies surges, and while hard-working RIC students are forced to go further into debt via student loans, pick up second and third jobs to support their education, or suspend or terminate their education entirely, in order to pay an ever-increasing percentage of the college’s operating costs, despite having limited or no means to take on such financial burdens.

Approved By Student Parliament Unanimously April 25^th, 2018

Student Parliament has been the official student governing body of Rhode Island College since 1974, operating as the controlling authority of Student Community Government, Inc., an independent, non-profit corporation formed to manage student organizations at RIC and ensure student participation in all levels of campus governance. According to its charter, SCG, Inc. serves as the official voice for the students of Rhode Island College in matters of college concern. SCG, Inc. also directly oversees the management and distribution of the Student Activity Fee, a fee the students impose upon themselves, via a college-collected fee, to fund student life, events, clubs, and organizations that are run by SCG, Inc. and its student members.

Respectfully Submitted,

Thomas Lima

President

At-Large Representative

Devin Costa

Browne Hall

Chief of Staff