Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU)

"Ensuring a Brighter Future" through Equitable Investments

Wed, 05/24/2023 - 4:30pm
Despite a record state budget surplus, Governor Ned Lamont's proposed fiscal blueprint calls for destructive cuts to public higher education. Louise Williams (middle, in photo below), the president of our affiliated CSU-AAUP in a recently published opinion piece warned of the consequences; faculty and staff layoffs, student tuition hikes, program cuts and campus closures. She urged action so that "Rome does not have to burn in 21st-century Connecticut:"
 

Advocating for those Who Have Been Historically Under-Resourced

Thu, 03/30/2023 - 5:30pm
Effectively teaching and supporting students, whether in PreK-12 or higher education settings, requires the entire school or college community to embrace a “whole child" approach. That is one of the central themes of a recently published op-ed by Christopher Trombly (speaking in photo, below), a member of our recently affiliated CSU-AAUP. It drives his demands for state elected officials to invest the resources needed to fund our state’s future on behalf of the students he and his colleagues serve:
 

Mobilizing Because "We Can't Afford to Sit on the Sidelines"

Mon, 05/24/2021 - 6:30pm
Union activists in the final stretch of the 2021 legislative session have escalated efforts to urge better choices while lawmakers and the governor deliberate over a biennial state budget. Among those leading the charge are state employees who have experienced firsthand the negative consequences of decades of failed austerity policies. They have over the past month amplified earlier demands to embrace a "recovery for all" approach by engaging in collective action.
 

Higher Ed Coalition Advocates for Legislation to Rein in Board of Regents

Fri, 03/06/2020 - 9:10am
HARTFORD – Faculty and staff from the state's community colleges and regional universities joined forces with students at the Legislative Office Building today for a capitol news briefing to announce a shared legislative agenda. Members of the unions representing Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) employees gathered to urge the Connecticut House and Senate move forward bills that increase financial transparency and accountability at the system office and Board of Regents (BOR). 
 

CSCU Faculty and Professional Unions Issue a Statement of Unity Opposing Consolidation Efforts

Thu, 12/12/2019 - 6:30pm
HARTFORD – The faculty and professional unions that comprise the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) released a joint statement today in opposition to the Board of Regents’ proposal to consolidate the 12 independently accredited community colleges.
 

Fighting to "Keep Families Together"

Fri, 08/23/2019 - 5:30pm
Here in Connecticut and all across the country — particularly at our nation's southern border — refugees and immigrants face an increasingly hostile climate. Images of children caged in detention camps, workplace raids, families torn apart by deportation orders and violent hate crimes have become all too common. Through it all, union members have been bearing witness and taking action to defend vulnerable communities against intolerance and criminalization.
 
Click here for resources to help protect immigrant families.
 

"U & I in Union:" Beating the Same Forces "Coming After Us"

Sat, 09/29/2018 - 10:30am
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail wrote that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The civil rights leader's statement on the value of solidarity remains true today, especially for immigrant communities. We're sharing an example of a higher education professional engaging union members in direct action to win justice for a student's family threatened with being torn apart by deportation.
 

Helping Members Beat Back Student Debt

Mon, 03/19/2018 - 5:30pm
Across the country last year, staff and leaders from our national union held scores of clinics to guide thousands of members toward relief from the weight of their student loans. AFT Connecticut at the same time organized training sessions to help affiliated locals offer the workshops themselves, exponentially increasing the number of those that can benefit. Soaring student debt may seem like old news, but for current and former students locked in its grip, it feels relentlessly fresh and relevant.
 
Click here for our previous report on the clinics' launch.
 

New Year's Day - Or Groundhog Day?

Fri, 12/29/2017 - 1:45pm
During this time of giving and reflection, a new opportunity has emerged to help move toward a more prosperous future for all. Most Connecticut politicians have for the past two years refused to ask millionaires and corporations to pay their fair share to protect and preserve our state's quality of life. But passage last week of massive, permanent federal tax cuts for the nation's rich and powerful offers hope in 2018 for reclaiming needed resources on behalf of working families.
 

Spotlight: Meeting Diverse Needs in Higher Ed

Wed, 11/01/2017 - 12:00pm
Most students in Connecticut's public community colleges are likely unaware that the majority of their professors may be non-tenure-track adjunct faculty. Despite their more precarious circumstances, these instructors are an integral part of the team that provides pathways to both gainful employment and future learning opportunities. During the week set aside to raise awareness of campus inequities, we're spotlighting a union member who began her higher education career as an adjunct and knows their worth firsthand.
 
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