PEORIA, Ill. – Students, staff, and supporters made their voices heard Tuesday on the campus of Bradley University as they spoke in opposition to proposed cuts.
Last week, President Stephen Standifird proposed cuts to 17 programs and 47 faculty positions. Another five programs would be cut, but still have classes offered, and another 21 faculty positions would be eliminated through attrition.
Around 150 people attended the rally at Founder’s Circle. Numerous people brought and created signs, chanted phrases such as “Chop From the Top” and “Our Tuition, Our Choice,” and marched to Swords Hall during the rally to chant at the administration offices.
Rally organizer Doctor Sarah Wilhoit is a visiting assistant professor of integrated humanities at Bradley. She learned last week that her position was one of those up for elimination.
“Everywhere I was going, students, staff, and faculty were expressing their anger and their outrage that this was moving forward,” Wilhoit said. “Academics are the core of any college, and they should not be facing the bulk of the budget cuts.”
Wilhoit says if the proposed cuts are official, it will be tougher in the classroom with students facing bigger class sizes, fewer faculty to work with, overworked faculty, along with fewer options for coursework available to students. She says that’s counter to what the university says in which only 3.5% of the student body will be affected by the cuts.
Another person who could be affected by the cuts is Sean Sullivan, a senior from Chillicothe. He’s a Business Management and Religious Studies double major. Business Management is one of the 17 programs proposed for elimination.
Sullivan echoed a sentiment from participants at the rally that more should have been involved in the discussions of what is cut.
“It shouldn’t have been his choice, the President’s choice, it should be our choice, the student’s choice,” Sullivan said. “We’re the ones paying the money, it should be our choice what classes are offered.”
Junior Ashley Guerrero of Chicago doesn’t have a program that would be affected, as she’s a double major in political science and psychology.
She’s hopeful the rally sent a message to President Standifird about the impact the cuts would have.
“A lot of courses are being ripped away from us, and it’s affecting our careers, affecting our future, and we can’t pave our future here if we don’t have the courses that we need,” Guerrero said.
A final decision on the cuts is expected in early-December.
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