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* Tribune the other day…
A second federal stimulus package offers some financial support for Illinois colleges and universities, but the money falls far short from covering the pandemic’s sweeping economic toll on higher education.
Public universities, community colleges and private institutions in Illinois stand to receive an estimated $718 million from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Education. Former President Donald Trump signed the law in late December.
Schools can put the money toward emergency aid grants for students, remote learning technology and personal protective equipment, among other approved uses. In all, the legislation provides $21.2 billion to institutions of higher education nationwide — more than the $14 billion in the first relief bill.
Still, the Illinois Board of Higher Education estimates the most recent stimulus package will offset only 27% of pandemic-related costs at the state’s 12 public universities.
* Press release…
The following letter was sent to Illinois’ federal legislators today by presidents of the state’s public universities, seeking additional relief to offset costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dear Senator/Representative:
We write on behalf of Illinois’ public universities to thank you for the pandemic relief Congress approved in December, and to request additional urgent assistance, as President Biden has proposed in his American Rescue Plan.
COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact on higher education. Our universities have taken extraordinary measures to continue operating during the pandemic, such as purchasing hardware and software for students to take online courses and providing COVID-19 testing for students and employees. At the same time, we have seen significant revenue declines due to closed facilities and room and board refunds, among other issues. All told, the financial impact of the pandemic on Illinois’ public universities through December 2020 was over $533 million, and that figure is estimated to reach $819 million by the end of spring semester.
We are grateful for the support Congress has provided, most recently in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Our universities will receive $147 million from CRRSAA’s higher education relief fund, with an additional $69 million in emergency financial aid grants for our students. This support is vital, but further relief is needed.
Specifically, we request:
• Further financial assistance for institutions of higher education and students, for costs incurred since the beginning of the pandemic. We support the request made by the American Council on Education (ACE) and leading higher ed associations for an additional $97 billion in emergency funding.
• Funding to make up for disruptions to research grants, which have been particularly harmful to early-career and female researchers. We support ACE’s request for $26 billion in emergency funding for federal research agencies.
• Funding for state and local governments, so that they can continue to provide essential services.
• Temporary and limited liability protections to help ensure that universities acting in good faith and following applicable public health standards do not face expensive and time-consuming litigation, as detailed in the May 28 letter from higher education associations.We thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of Illinois at this challenging time.
* Meanwhile, from the IFT…
With Illinois now in Phase 1B of COVID vaccinations, we applaud the prioritization of PreK-12 employees and teachers by the State of Illinois and the CDC.
However, with a high likelihood of COVID-19 outbreaks at colleges and universities, along with reported community spread associated with these outbreaks, it is necessary for the safety of our students and communities that higher education faculty and staff also be included in Phase 1B. Despite CDC guidance, higher education employees in Illinois are currently left out of this category.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 3:24 pm
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College employees that work in residence halls, public safety, foodservice, etc. should be considered essential and thus prioritized the same as police and nursing home staff. If faculty are required to participate in in-person learning, then they should be prioritized just like K-12 teachers.
Education is education, whether that’s preschool or college. Why higher ed was excluded is a mystery. Hopefully it can be fixed soon.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 3:37 pm
There are students who complete their entire degree online. There is no reason to prioritize college professors over other professions.
Comment by Nuke the Whales Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 3:38 pm
==There are students who complete their entire degree online.==
The population of fully on-line students is relatively small and students and faculty understand the need to be F2F in the classroom. Lab sciences, career tech, and many other programs are greatly diminished or impossible to complete on-line. In fact, many classes met F2F last fall and are meeting F2F now. Students are in dorms on most campuses and attending a mix of F2F and on-line courses.
The CDC guidelines for 1B specifically includes higher ed. The state of Illinois refers to those CDC guidelines, but does not specifically include higher ed in it’s list of 1B recipients. It is not clear to me if higher ed was purposely excluded or left off the list of educators as an oversight.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 3:46 pm
I want to win the lottery. I thought we had an order to distribute vaccine but everyone wants to be first. Maybe we should give everyone a participation trophy while we wait
Comment by DuPage Saint Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:02 pm
As a front line worker at the U of I, I gladly signed up for my first shot. This Tuesday at 2:50.
Comment by Gruntled University Employee Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:04 pm
Heck … we are 70+, the wife has multiple conditions, but Sangamon County is limiting appointments to 85+. College professors can wait their turn.
Comment by RNUG Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:08 pm
Everyone wants to move to the head of the line and can provide “reasons” for doing so. There aren’t enough vaccines as it is right now. Adding more people to the current list isn’t going to help the situation. People need to wait their turn and stop telling us all why they should be special.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:33 pm
==College professors can wait their turn.==
The question is when is their turn? The CDC guidelines place higher ed faculty and staff at 1B with others in education. This is not jumping the line; it is clarifying whether the state agrees with CDC guidelines.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:33 pm
To be very clear, the CDC Categories are here: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/categories-essential-workers.html And higher ed are clearly in 1B.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Jan 29, 21 @ 4:37 pm