UConn students and faculty walk out to protest proposed budget changes

UConn students and faculty walked off the Storrs campus and rallied at the state Capitol in Hartford Wednesday to voice concerns over proposed changes in state funding for the university.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says there will be no cuts, but the governor notes that federal COVID relief funding for the university is no longer available.

The walkout comes on the heels of the governor's budget address last week.

In testimony submitted Wednesday to the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee, UConn President Radenka Maric said the governor’s budget proposal would leave the university with a shortfall of $159.6 million next year and $197.1 million the following year, compared to the budget requests made by UConn and UConn Health.

Maric said “the governor’s proposed budget would not cover the total amount of salary increases approved under the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the state and state employee unions.”

UConn enrolls more than 24,000 undergraduate and about 9,000 graduate students. Maric also said the budget shortfall could cause tuition rates to go up by thousands of dollars.

Mason Holland, UConn’s student body president, is concerned that a loss in funding will determine who is able to go to the university.

“Investing in education and investing in UConn is investing in Connecticut’s future. The question is: How much do these legislators and how much does Gov. Lamont really care about the state’s future?” he said.

1 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

UConn students board buses stationed outside Gampel Pavilion after walking out of classes to protest proposed state funding changes for the university. More than 1,000 students were driven to the state Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Mark Mirko / Connecticut Public

2 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

Sidratul Muntaha, 18, a UConn freshman from Bristol, Conn., joins classmates at the state Capitol to protest proposed state funding changes for the university on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

3 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

UConn Student Government President Mason Holland speaks to the crowd of fellow students and supporters gathered outside the state Capitol in response to proposed state funding changes to the university on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

4 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

Hundreds of UConn students protest at the state Capitol over proposed state funding changes on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Hartford, Conn. Patti Gonzalez, a parent of a UConn student, speaks to the crowd through a megaphone.

Mark Mirko / Connecticut Public

5 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

UConn student A.J. Bailey holds up her skateboard with a sign protesting newly proposed state funding that university officials say could lead to a rise in tuition.

Mark Mirko / Connecticut Public

6 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

UConn students hold signs calling for more state funding for their university after Gov. Ned Lamont proposed changes in his two-year budget plan that university officials say would lead to a shortfall.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

7 of 7  — February 15, 2023 - UConn Student Protest

UConn president Radenka Maric greets attendees prior to testifying at an Appropriations Committee meeting in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford about the proposed state budget changes to UConn funding.

Mark Mirko / Connecticut Public

Lamont said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that the state has provided a historic level of funding for the university in his budget plan, including the ”largest block grant ever proposed for UConn in state history.”

“Our proposal provides UConn with funding to support wage increases and brings pension and retiree health costs onto the General Fund to enhance their competitiveness in obtaining grant funding,” Lamont said.

“I am immensely proud of the accomplishments of our UConn students, faculty and alumni,” Lamont said. “UConn must remember they are accountable to the taxpayers of our state and must maintain fiscal controls, like every other part of state government.”

This story will be updated.