Columbia College Chicago Students Take on Their President, Warrick Carter

At a State of the College Address on Wednesday March 21st, the student body had an opportunity to ask President Carter questions about the upcoming tuition hikes and prioritization. The students realized that President Carter had no intention of listening to the student body.

Some points about tonight:

1. As low as the turn out has been at some Occupy Columbia events, we can still draw a bigger crowd than the president and the SGA can.

2. President Carter apparently never saw, or was completely unmoved by, the 1500 signatures students signed out of concern about tuition and prioritization. When asked about the petition today, he refused to give a response.

3. Despite being reminded about the petition, the Town Halls, the rallies, the serious concerns voiced by faculty and staff...Carter says prioritization will continue, and maintains that it is both transparent and inclusive of all who will be impacted.

4. Carter refused to answer many questions about programs being impacted by prioritization because the process is in the 'recommendation' phase. How can he claim that students have a voice in this process if they don't get to speak until the final decisions are made?

5. The SGA is putting together a student prioritization recommendation document, but Carter refused to address the fact that students do not have access to the full budget, and therefore cannot make educated recommendations.

6. Carter promised to take student recommendations into consideration, but if he looks at those the way he looked at our petition, we probably can't expect much.

Check out President Carter telling a student of his to shut up at 1:11.

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  News & Politics

[DOTRAT69]

Ireland for example now GO FUCK YOURSELF ;-)

[psbjr]

Tuition has quadrupled in like 15 years, and was increasing before that, and you've seen a corresponding rise in bullshit administrator salaries and positions. You think that's just some random coincidence? Act of nature? "Stop complaining" is what they always tell to people too dumb to realize they are getting fucked. And to your last question: yes. Education is a right, it should be subsidized and free, like in many European countries. As soon as the banks get involved prices magically rise.

[Mauricio Ventura]

I just finished my first semester at Columbia and its hard to witness the way he just spoke out to the students like that. Its obvious that he doesn't view the students as adults based on the manner in which he talks to everyone. Reasons like this is why I am getting an apartment next year for sure. I still like the school overall though :)

[killingjoke718]

this woman is a dumbass. Its not the colleges job to do that

[ARTG33K74]

I disagree; Dr. Carter has been a major financial liability to the school. Dr. Carter still stands to cost the school $5 Million with the lawsuit by Dr. Zafra Lehrman - and she won last time she sued. This one is a clear case of wrongful termination & broken tenure. They are downsizing with "prioritization" but 77% the school adjunct faculty, part-timers working - a massive profit margin for the school. Oh, and still without an employment contract and at risk to strike through their union.

[ARTG33K74]

I will answer this. Going to a less expensive school, FAFSA / government gives you less loan money, leaving you in the same situation. Granted, the student would be taking on less debt for the future but switching to community college is not going to form some kind of financial windfall or resolve homelessness. Another consideration: the program this student is enrolled may not be available at a community college at all.

[lovebloc]

"Civilized is telling us to shut up" Hahah love you guys ((( )))

[jonnda]

Did he ever work for zero? No. Has the faculty received a raise in several years? No. Was he fired from Disney? Yes. Did he waste Columbia College money on a home renovation? Yup. I hope something better comes along.

[GeoAl09]

exactly! i mean wtf is this person thinking, if your homeless why the fuck are you going to a 20K a year school? why not a community college or something?

[dangerousdashie]

17,624 views, 64 likes, 11 dislikes, 110 comments, a room full of people in this video, and only 34 people sent in recommendations to the SGA when they were accepting student recommendations. Its like kony 2012 all overagain, everyone wants to share videos, no one wants to do anything.

[Dex A]

People don't realize that Columbia owns about half the south loop...... why? We're paying for that crap not President Carter's salary. Maybe Columbia should stop trying to....monopolize the south loop or something they don't need all those buildings.... iMacs in every computer lab? C'mon now its not just HIS salary. The school itself is pretty darn high tech and spiffy.

[David Veerkamp]

i live there now and after this happened like every one here bought apartments and are moving out.