Contact Your Representatives

Template Letter

On this page you will find a streamlined way to contact your elected
representatives and tell them that they need to act, right now, to pay
the University of Illinois the $400 million that they owe this system.
By the end of the current Spring semester, this system will run out of
money unless the State acts to pay what they owe. Here at the
University of Illinois at Chicago, we have already been hit with pink
slips for our staff, furloughs for staff and faculty, departmental
budget cuts, and now the prospect of faculty layoffs and a ban on
admitting additional graduate students. This system, and this campus,
are in danger of being transformed into something you may not
recognize.

So please use these resources, and use them right now. Cut, modify,
and paste the text of the model letter set out here into your own word
processor and your own email program. Use the links below that will
enable you to instantly find the names, addresses, and email addresses
of your elected representatives. Send these people your message loud
and clear, and send it right now. If we wait any longer, the
University of Illinois system will be crippled. Please send a copy of
your letter to Governor Pat Quinn and Speaker of the Illinois House
Michael Madigan.

——————————————————————————–

Find your elected representative – Use the links to your right.

Edit and send the template letter below.

——————————————————————————–
Dear :

I am [a student] [am employee] [a faculty member] at the University of
Illinois at Chicago, and I am writing to tell you that UIC is in
trouble and needs your help. Despite greater demand than ever to enter
this fine university, and despite increasing tuition revenues, UIC is
in danger of going under and I hope that you can help.

The State of Illinois owes the University of Illinois over $400
million, without which the system cannot continue to operate for more
than a few months. I am writing to urge you to use all your influence,
today, to force the release of these funds. Unless you and other
officials act now, the flagship institutions of Illinois public
education will be severely damaged, and perhaps beyond repair. Here
are some of the facts:

The unpaid bills to the U of I represent a crucial portion of its
operating budget. As a result, furlough days have been instituted, a
hiring freeze is in place, administrative staff have received terminal
contracts, and successful programs are being eliminated. Far more
draconian cuts are being considered. These cuts will mean fewer course
offerings and larger class sizes. Meanwhile, tuition will almost
certainly be raised substantially, meaning that our students will pay
more and receive less. This kind of dismantling threatens our status
as a world class university system, and will make it virtually
impossible to attract top faculty and students in the future.
Moreover, the things that are being dismantled are unlikely to ever be
rebuilt. Many of these changes will be permanent, and we will witness
a dramatic decline in the reputation of our public university system.

UIC is an urban public institution that serves, first and foremost,
the people of Chicago and the state of Illinois. Many of our students
are the first in their families to go to college. Many are first or
second generation immigrants. It is a diverse, vibrant population that
has traditionally been under-served in the 4-year university system,
and we offer them a first rate education. Our alumni are significant
assets to our communities, using their degrees to create jobs and
improve our economy. Every dollar we put into their education will be
multiplied in what they return to us down the road. However, our
ability to continue to offer this ladder of opportunity depends wholly
on receiving the money we have been promised by the state.

Please–act now, and force this state to live up to its financial
obligations, before it is too late.

Sincerely,

[your signature]
[your printed name]

cc: Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan