Kean Federation of Teachers Plans Student-Alumni-Faculty Rally/Car Caravan Protest over Kean University’s Academic Program Cuts

UNION, N.J.—Kean University students, alumni and faculty will hold a “Caravan for Kean” car protest and rally, using social distancing, on Thursday in downtown Union, N.J., to vigorously oppose the university’s surprise announcement that it will cut, suspend or reorganize several academic programs and lay off or furlough dozens of faculty and staff.

The Kean Federation of Teachers said the cuts are primarily in the arts, indicating that the university believes its majority brown and black students don’t deserve, want or need these courses.

“Kean educates mostly minority students. By cutting courses in the arts, Kean is saying its students don’t deserve or need these classes. This is unacceptable and socially irresponsible,” KFT President James Castiglione said.

“Kean University has been treating the arts as dispensable and students of the socioeconomic background we serve as undeserving of music, art history and theater education. This is a social equity issue,” said Music Conservatory Coordinator Thomas Connors.

Castiglione criticized the way the university has handled the entire budget process and is asking for Gov. Phil Murphy’s intervention to save Kean for current and future students.

“Kean made these cuts in secret, never consulted with those affected or the appropriate governing bodies, used false or misleading enrollment data, and failed to provide any budget presentation or explore alternatives to these cuts,” Castiglione charged.

“We know the university has taken a serious financial hit, and we would like to sit down with the university and work collaboratively to try to find savings that would prevent program eliminations, thereby strengthening, not damaging, Kean’s reputation as a high-quality university offering a diverse array of degree programs,” he said.

WHAT:             Rally and Caravan for Kean

WHEN:             Thursday, June 18, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

WHERE:           Rally with speakers: 3:30 p.m.

Union Township Municipal Lot (staging area)

1023 Jeanette Ave., Union, N.J. 07083

Caravan: 4:20 p.m., an organized drive in a slow procession through Union

on Morris Avenue toward Kean University, terminating in several campus

loops from the Morris Ave entrance, exiting through Green Lane and back.

The initial faculty reductions involved nine tenured faculty members and two lecturers, including all five faculty members in the Music Conservatory, the sole faculty member in theater education, all four faculty members in the economics department and one in sustainability science. In addition, 18 professional staff members are being laid off, a loss so enormous as to be catastrophic to the university’s ability to deliver quality student support services. Castiglione said the university wants to “right size” departments based on student-to-teacher ratio, which is likely to result in additional faculty layoffs. These reductions are in addition to December’s layoff of all three art history faculty members.

Kean offers the state’s only bachelor’s degree for theater education certification. “Without this program, the path to prepare highly qualified drama teachers is closed,” said Rachel Evans, coordinator of theater education.

Art history associate professor Jacquelyn Tuerk Stonberg said the cuts are counterintuitive based on job projections in the arts. “Jobs in art history are projected to grow 9 percent faster than all other occupations over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, providing more job security and mobility,” she said.

The rally and car caravan are intended to make a strong statement by students, faculty, staff and other community members that the university should reconsider the cuts and support a robust academic program.

“The cuts will be devastating to students. The university is telling incoming freshmen who have paid their deposits and declared majors in music, theater education and sustainability science that they cannot pursue their intended courses of study. To drive down enrollment during a fiscal crisis is obviously ill-advised,” Castiglione said.

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