(Glad Scott got to join with these inspiring student activists. – promoted by eli_beckerman)
On Saturday, October 2, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) kicked off a cross-state walk/bike-a-thon which began at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. Participants are traversing the commonwealth from the Berkshires to Boston. I and some other candidates for office were invited to speak, as were some students, faculty, administrators, and a city councilor. The event was designed to draw attention to the cuts in public spending on higher education that now mean that Massachusetts ranks 46th of all states in such spending. The result is growing unaffordability.
It was encouraging to note that a number of student speakers were aware that other countries make more public investments into higher education than this country does, which substantially relieves cost and debt burdens that students would otherwise face. In this country, the high costs of higher education not only mean that fewer numbers of students are able to afford higher education, it also means that the debt loads that a student incurs will dictate the course of study for those who decide to take on the burden. High costs and high levels of debt translate into a student body excessively pre-occupied with concerns of how to pay off their loans.
The walk and bicycling began after the speeches. Later in the day I joined the group of about twenty students on the final portion of their walk from Pittsfield to Lenox. It was a pleasure to meet the students, faculty leaders, PHENOM board members, and to introduce them to my community. By the time we arrived at the library, the park benches offered a welcome respite. The day was beautiful and the spirits were high, even if the bodies were fatigued.
The following are the prepared notes I made for the speech I delivered in the morning at Berkshire Community College.
Good Morning! I am honored to be among the people to wish you good travels on your trip to Boston. I am Scott Laugenour. Like you, I am working to get to Boston to bring change. I am a candidate for State Representative in the 4th Berkshire District, which begins just a mile or so from where we stand here at Berkshire Community College. The district continues south and east to just a few miles away from your destination today at Westfield State University. These two campuses serve students at both ends of my district. We must support them.
(If you’d like some travel tips, I’m sure I can show you a short cut or two out in the hills of Chester or Blandford in order to cut a few miles off of your journey today.)
I am happy to add my name to the pledge that PHENOM is asking incumbents and candidates to make. To raise the level of per capita public spending on higher education up to the national average must only be a first step. There is no short cut to that goal. It takes leadership and commitment. I’m working hard to see that the pledge I signed today as a candidate will be delivered to me next year as a legislator, and as a friend to public higher education.
I graduated in 1980 with a BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Hawaii. I went on to become a teacher of English. My classmates went into various fields, started their own businesses, or went on for further studies. There is a big difference between my graduating class compared with graduates of today; we were not shackled with debt. I’m shocked when I learn how much debt students take on today. It is easily several years worth of average entry level salaries, even in better economic times than now.
When graduates are free of crushing debt they are free to be entrepreneurial. Many politicians today will remind us that small business is the engine for economic development and job growth. This is true. Our public policies don’t come close to fueling this crucial engine, however. Direct investment in public higher education, at a level that greatly reduces the debt that a student takes on, is far more effective an economic development policy cornerstone than many tax credits that are given to insider lobbyists, which is the current business-as-usual approach. Let’s free up a creative entrepreneurial force of future leaders who, in pursuit of their dreams, will do more for our economies and communities than the established big guys. That’s my economic development and job creation cornerstone.
It has been inspiring listening to the other speakers today talk about how much Berkshire Community College has meant to them. I, too, have taken several continuing education courses here – nourishing both left and right sides of the brain. Just like Judy [the previous speaker, who was a student], I thought at one point during a mid-career mid-life moment that I might want to become a CPA. So I took a workshop in Accounting here at BCC. Well, I learned a whole lot of practical things about accounting that I still use in my personal life. But I also learned that I did not want to become a CPA!
So I join you in spirit on your immediate road to Boston, as I work a little more here locally to secure my own route to Beacon Hill. Let’s all be successful in what we strive for. Thank you again for inviting me to speak.
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On Oct 18, PHENOM sent a list to its subscribers identifying the twenty legislators who had signed the group’s Great State of Mind campaign, which included a pledge to support increasing per capita public spending on higher education to at least the national average, and keeping student costs no higher than the national average.
As stated in this original post, I was invited to speak to the PHENOM group as it began its march in Pittsfield. I publicly stated my support of the campaign and added my name to the pledge.
It appears that PHENOM, like some other advocacy groups, fails to fully leverage the natural dynamics of the electoral process in their advocacy. Upon receipt of the e-mail I sent an e-mail (below) to PHENOM, expressing concern that by not identifying all candidates who have signed the pledge they were favoring incumbents over challengers.
I would have liked to have been mentioned as a signer of the pledge so that voters in the 4th Berkshire District who are on PHENOM’s subscriber list could see that both candidates on the ballot have supported the campaign.
As of today I have not received a response to the message I sent.
Hello, …
Are you going to identify the candidates for office who, like me, signed the pledge? By not according us this courtesy PHENOM is favoring incumbents over challengers. Might it be possible that the incumbent whom I challenged has signed the pledge only because he is being challenged and [because I] gave a speech to the marchers? Please be fair to all candidates – incumbents and challengers – who have signed PHENOM’s pledge.
Thank you!