Rauner's budget attacks and insane ideology force Chicago State University to cancel Spring Break... 'Atlas Shrugged' has taken over the governor's mansion in the Land of Lincoln...
The struggle between the average citizens of Illinois and a governor who practices the religion embodied in Ayn Rand's absurdist novel "Atlas Shrugged" reached another level of evil in late February 2016, as Chicago State University began running out of money. The public colleges and universities in Illinois serve mostly working class, poor and minority students. The state's billionaire governor could care less about their fates, and continues to mouth his talking points while more and more children and others suffer.
On February 23, 2016, DNA Info, the Chicago news service, reported the following:
Spring Break Canceled at Chicago State University as Budget Woes Worsen
By Andrea V. Watson | February 23, 2016 3:06pm | Updated on February 23, 2016 5:41pm
@andreavwatson12
TwitterFacebookEmailMore
Chicago State University canceled spring break this semester. Chicago State University canceled spring break this semester. DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin
ROSELAND � Budget woes have led to the cancelation of Chicago State University's spring break, officials said.
With no state budget, the university is struggling to continue to pay its operating expenses. Officials have said the campus will run out of money to pay its employees and vendors soon.
Student Government Association president Paris Griffin said Tuesday that student leaders were informed at a student government association meeting that it was being canceled. She said students were told the move would save money.
An official email was sent out to students late Tuesday informing them of the decision.
The break had been scheduled for March 14-19, but, instead of having that week off, students will continue going to classes. Commencement will take place April 28, and the semester will conclude April 30.
The semester originally was scheduled to end May 15, university spokesman Tom Wogan said.
University President Thomas J. Calhoun sent out a note to the campus making them aware of the decision.
�In order to remain true to our commitment, we have been pushed to the point of having to make significant adjustments to our academic calendar,� the letter reads. �Please be assured that the university is doing all it can to minimize disruption and anxiety.�
Student Alejandra Le, 21, called the news �surreal� and said it�s still sinking in. She was planning on picking up more hours at one of her four jobs, which she took to help make up for the money she will not receive from the state Monetary Awards Program. That aid cannot be issued without a state budget.
Student Charles Preston, 25, said Tuesday�s news wasn�t a big surprise because rumors about spring break getting canceled had been spreading across campus for weeks. He�s an African American Studies major who plans to graduate in December.
Preston said students are upset, including himself. He had plans to go out of town during the break, but now he�s trying to work something out with his professors.
Even for those who weren�t traveling, this break was much needed, Preston said.
�A lot of students were looking for a break away from this budget impasse and this crisis,� he said. �A week from that would have been an alleviation mentally.�
Preston said it�s �difficult� trying to focus on graduating because he�s also a student organizer. He�s a Roseland resident and said he feels it�s his responsibility to fight to keep the university in the community.
�This institution has been an important piece for a community that has been ignored and stigmatized as being South Side violent Chicago,� Preston said, adding that Chicago State provides jobs, daycare and space for political discussions.
Everyday he comes to campus he�s reminded of the current situation. It doesn�t help that his mother works at the university so she could lose her job unexpectedly, he said.
�This is hard and really difficult. I�m fighting not just for myself but all students."
