04/04/2026
Hi all you good Democrats, I’m sharing this for Billy Hung. Please consider going to this.
Hello fellow Charleston Activists,
The IFT is organizing an action in Springfield on April 16 to push for better funding for EIU. You probably don't need me to tell you that EIU is not funded at the right level. But if you're interested in some of the basics, I've attached a couple fliers to cover the two highlights. I will also attach a lengthier explanation at the end, which will be completely optional.
What: Rally and Lobby at Springfield
When: April 16 (Thu)
Where: Springfield Capitol Building
Who: Everyone
Details:
1. When you sign up using the link/QR provided, you can tell us if you need transportation or not. We are already renting a coach bus and right now we have seats on it. You're more than welcome to ride with us. You can also choose to drive/carpool on your own, too. Once you sign up, we will follow up with more information.
2. If you're riding with us, we will provide t-shirt, and an information package.
3. A boxed lunch will be provided.
4. The event is scheduled to start around 10:30am in Springfield. So if you're taking the bus with us, we will likely depart from campus at 8am. The returning bus is scheduled to depart Springfield before 5pm.
5. There will be a rally, followed by a teach-out event inside the Rotunda, and then we will break up to go talk to various legislators. We will make the appointments ahead of time, but lobbying days like this tend to be very hectic and even on a good day, there are many last-minute adjustments to try to meet up with a politician. So please be prepared for last-minute changes to the schedule regarding which politicians to talk to. You will, of course, be free to choose which politician to go to.
6. You do not have to be an employee or student of EIU to participate. You can share your own reasons for why you think EIU should be funded fully.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions that you may have, via email or phone ( 608-843-3927 )
Sign up link: bit.ly/HigherEd-2026
Cheers,
Billy
Lengthy summary:
1. IL used to fund public higher education at a much higher level than we do now. In the past, IL paid for nearly 70% of the cost of educating a student at EIU, whereas today, it pays just under 40%.
2. This lapse in funding is absorbed by three methods: (i) increasing the portion of the cost that tuition and fees cover; (ii) depressing wages for employees at EIU; (iii) reducing supporting services for EU students.
3. On average, an EIU undergraduate nowadays graduates with about $28k in student loan debt. This is a direct consequence of IL's divestment from public higher education. IL has essentially mortgaged our student's future so that it doesn't have to raise taxes now. We are sticking our future generation with the bill.
4. Depressing wages of EIU employees also depresses regional economic prosperity, because EIU employees spend money on services and goods within the region.
5. The reduction in state support is not unique to EIU. This happened to ALL state universities. However, some schools, like UIUC, have much better resources (endowment funds, contributions, grants) to sustain themselves.
6. The reduction in funding isn't tied directly to enrollment, although the drop in enrollment level is one factor. We know this is true because (i) all schools received a reduction in funding regardless of their enrollment level (e.g. Illinois State and SIUE both saw increases in enrollment in recent years but they are still both reduced in funding by around 22% compared to 2015 and (ii) When enrollment at EIU was high in 2005-2007, the state did not give us any more money than they did the years before.
7. Regional comprehensive campuses like EIU (and WIU, NIU, GSU, etc.) are important access points to higher education for low-income and first-gen families. We provide accessible and affordable higher education. If the funding trend doesn't reverse itself, regional universities like EIU will eventually die off. When that happens, we will see two consequences: (i) higher ed becomes even more gated by family wealth and (ii) more students will leave IL to go elsewhere.
8. When 7(ii) happens, IL loses not just our students, but also, the investment we spent in K12. When our HS graduates leave the state to go to another college, they most often will not return to the state.
9. Another problem in IL higher education on top of lack of funding, is that the limited funding is not distributed equitably. UIUC gets about 92% of what they need to educate a student, whereas EIU receives only 61%. This is inequity writ large. The state is choosing its favorites and letting the rest starve.
10. The lack of state support creates an environment of constant scarcity. This not only prevents EIU from planning and growing, but it actually causes an active loss in jobs all around campus, from clerical to building service to IT to advisors to faculty. The recent round of layoffs in October is an example of this.
11. Allocation of state resources is a political process. So we must take political actions to resolve this. Hence, the April 16 rally and lobby day.
12. Please come help. Thank you.
