All budget items approved according to spokeswoman but amendments possible
BY: MELISSA WILKINSON
Editor-in-Chief
The Nov. 30 Board of Trustees meeting was long awaited by many in the STLCC community. The board was scheduled to vote on several items in response to the budget deficit brought on by a combination of cuts to state funding, new tax laws and declining enrollment. Most notorious on the agenda was a vote on whether or not to cut up to 70 full-time faculty members.
At approximately 8:10 p.m., before voting started on any of the items, several students leapt from their seats and laid down in front of the board table, chanting “justice for faculty”, prompting the board to retreat to a private meeting room. What they discussed is not currently known.
Protests continued until approximately 9:30 p.m. when the board reemerged. They continued their meeting amid student protests with police guarding the board table from the front. According to several audience members, the board took a vote, but it is unclear what was voted on.
St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Spokeswoman Nez Savala confirmed all budget items had been approved, but could not speak to whether or not any item was amended, including the possibility of a postponed RIF vote. Savala urged reporters to ask more questions on Friday, Dec. 1 during private interviews with Chancellor Jeff Pittman.
More on this story as it develops.
Tania Robin and Stephen Buechter contributed to this article
