Faculty Union establishes Solidarity Scholarship

At their meeting on Nov. 13, the United Faculty of Evergreen enacted a proposal to create a scholarship to offsett the recent tuition hike. The proposal was brought forward by Anita Lenges, a professor for the Masters in Education program, and Joe Tougas, Professor of Philosophy. The scholarship, entitled the Evergreen Faculty Union Solidarity Scholarship, is a needs-based scholarship for $850, the exact amount that tuition was raised for resident undergraduates.

The Evergreen Faculty Union Solidarity Scholarship will be available to 3rd or 4th year students beginning in the 2010–11 academic year and is funded entirely by faculty members. A sheet was passed around where faculty could submit their 1% yearly salary increase to the scholarship fund. As of Nov. 13, 8 scholarships have been created, though the final amount will not be tallied for a while. If 50 faculty members donate their 1% salary increase, 32 scholarships will be created. “This is about providing the real help students need to stay in school,” said Tougas.

The tuition was raised by 14% for resident undergraduate students last year and, according to the 2 year budget plan the Board of Trustees voted on, will be raised again by 14% this year. Since the tuition increase applied to all current students as opposed to only incoming students, those who came here during an economic recession expecting a set price are now put into the position where they either pay more or drop out. “Many faculty members had this idea as soon as we heard about the tuition increases,” said Tougas. “We’ll continue as long as the faculty is willing to donate.”