{"id":3760,"date":"2013-02-22T10:23:01","date_gmt":"2013-02-22T15:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/?p=3760"},"modified":"2013-02-27T21:35:01","modified_gmt":"2013-02-28T02:35:01","slug":"voices-of-trinity-suffering-sequestration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/2013\/02\/voices-of-trinity-suffering-sequestration\/","title":{"rendered":"Voices of Trinity:  Suffering Sequestration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Note:\u00a0 a version of this blog also appears on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/patricia-mcguire\/sequestrations-human-sorr_1_b_2750811.html?utm_hp_ref=dc\">Huffington Post<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>Below is a message that I am sending to President Obama and Congressional leaders.\u00a0 If you would like to add your story of the likely impact of sequestration on you and your family, please use the comment box below, or send me a message at <a href=\"mailto:president@trinitydc.edu\">president@trinitydc.edu<\/a>, and I will add your comment to the letter.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>An Open Letter to President Obama, Speaker Boehner and Leaders Pelosi, Reid and McConnell:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Sequestration, though still only a threat, is already causing profound anxiety among people and families in the Washington region.\u00a0 Should sequestration come to pass, countless citizens will suffer real economic harm, as will numerous institutions of higher education in this region whose students may have to drop out if family income is reduced through federal furloughs or loss of federal business.\u00a0 You have heard from the large industry leaders &#8212; Defense, Education, Healthcare, Business, Nonprofits.\u00a0\u00a0 At Trinity Washington University, I have asked our students, faculty and staff to tell me how sequestration will affect them.\u00a0 These messages from members of our community put a human face on the draconian reality of sequestration should it come to pass:\u00a0 (all responders asked to be anonymous; there is so much real fear within the federal workforce and people who depend on federal services&#8230;)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 I work for the the Federal Government, Department of [anon].\u00a0 Currently, both me and also my younger daughter are attending Trinity.\u00a0 She will be completing her Undergrad in Psychology in December and I&#8217;ll be completing my Master&#8217;s program at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0 As an employee working for [department], I am very concerned about how the possibility of the furloughs will affect our family from a financial perspective.\u00a0\u00a0 I have heard that if it does occur, that it would be 1 day per week starting in April and continue for about 6 months.\u00a0 Since a large portion of the tuition that my ex-husband and I pay for my daughter is generated from our incomes, for my part, this could potentially result in me coming up with my portion for her Fall 2013 tuition a little challenging.\u00a0 I worry about that because I really don&#8217;t want my daughter to have a lot of student loan type debt when she completes her degree program.\u00a0\u00a0 Also, just the way the smaller paycheck will affect my normal budget is a concern.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve already stopped eating out as much and whereas in the past family trips with my kids\/grandson were a little pricey, we&#8217;re just driving to our destination this year to try to save money.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, a much larger impact is the uncomfortable feeling of how what you thought was a secure job is subject to cutbacks like any other position.\u00a0 There was a time when most people employed by the Federal Government felt &#8220;secure&#8221; in their positions even when cutbacks and layoffs were happening in most other industries.\u00a0 Well, this is a lesson for all of us that this is a very &#8220;false sense of security&#8221; and has created an increase level of uncertainty in my life personally.\u00a0 Given the talk and jokes I hear from other Federal Government employees, I&#8217;m sure a lot of folks feel the same.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 For my family, the sequester would probably result in much more difficulty for me getting my foot in the door with a federal position. Financially speaking, we&#8217;re just treading water as it is with my wife as the main bread-winner until I can find a good position with the federal government. The lead time for a new federal position is already painfully long, and we fear that the sequester would mean that the months long wait could turn into years- all the while I continue to accrue student debt and interest on said debt with no way to pay it down, and we get stuck in a financial quagmire. Those are our worries for the sequester.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 The sequester could cause a furlough and as a federal employee, I need the money to pay for rent, food, etc.\u00a0 This can literally land us all on the streets. \u00a0I try not to worry about it, but the reality is there.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em><em>[From a staff member]:\u00a0 The husband of a friend of mine got his notice that he would be one of the ones placed on a recurring furlough. Enclosed with the notice was a brochure called &#8220;How to Budget your Money Successfully.&#8221; It is beyond appalling that the government, who caused the furlough mess by being unable to handle a budget themselves, would presume to lecture the employees paying the price for that how to handle their own money. It&#8217;s actually rather offensive, and a sign of how truly disconnected our government is from the real lives of its citizens. The lack of sensitivity, even in the current political climate of thoughtlessness, leaves me speechless! Needless to say, they are very worried about how they are going to cover their expenses, especially as she has had a very hard time finding a full time job in the current state of the economy.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 <\/em><em><em>I currently work part-time for the federal government under the student pathways program. I have just received an e-mail today saying that I will be furloughed if a decision is not made by March 1st. This will greatly impact me being that I support myself as a student and depend on my job for funds towards my education, transportation, food and etc.<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 Well, considering the instability in our government, I am no longer considering employment with the federal government.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a faculty member]:\u00a0 My wife is an employee of [department]. We keep praying that her position is safe. I don\u2019t know how much the sequestration would affect us. We have to support our daughter who is a junior at [a major university] &#8230;<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From an academic advisor]:\u00a0 Many of the students whom I advise in our School of Professional Studies graduate programs are or have been members of our nation\u2019s military, especially in the Master\u2019s in International Security Studies program. Unfortunately, tuition reimbursement programs for service men and women are not immune to the effects of sequestration. Cuts to tuition reimbursement will undoubtedly negatively impact our students\u2019 abilities to progress toward completing their degrees. Sequestration means completely reevaluating plans for financing and continuing their education.\u00a0\u00a0 My students will be directly affected by the sequester, but what this means for me, personally, is an inability to help the students I advise progress toward their goals without the help of programs that should be available to them. For me, I feel it is also a lesson in disempowerment.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From an administrator]:\u00a0 My husband, who works for the [department], says that managers there have spent countless hours already planning for different scenarios.\u00a0 If the sequestration does go into effect, it will likely mean that my husband is furloughed, at least some, and our family finances will be impacted.\u00a0 Even if sequestration doesn\u2019t occur, the threat of it has already led to wasted time in government offices preparing for the possibility.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a faculty member]:\u00a0 Sequestration is likely to have an immediate impact on my family. My wife, a\u00a0legal resident of the United States,\u00a0is currently applying for a green card that will allow her to work freely in the United States and to travel back and forth to her home country without having to undergo the tiresome and\u00a0humiliating visa application process every year.\u00a0\u00a0 The sequester will hit parts of DHS, including those that process immigration applications. Every day that our applications are delayed is one fewer day of economic and personal freedom for her. It is also a blow to the country&#8217;s economy. As a highly trained researcher who speaks several critical languages, she would be able to find work in a variety of areas. This is impossible under her current status.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 This impending sequester\u00a0has both my husband and I on edge.\u00a0 We are federal government workers and believe we will be furloughed. This will be a major blow to our finances.\u00a0 At this point, we are unsure as to how many days we will be furloughed.\u00a0 There will be no spending of extras, no vacations, no anything!\u00a0 We&#8217;ll barely just be able to pay the mortgage and car notes.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 I work for a contractor with [a federal department]. There is a lot of uncertainty. Our contract is up for renewal soon and we really don&#8217;t know, how, if and for how much the contract will be renewed. The [department&#8217;s] employees will have to take one day week off for about 22 weeks if the federal sequester takes place.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em>[From a faculty member]:\u00a0 When I initially thought about the impact of the federal sequester, I believed my husband and I would not be directly affected.\u00a0 But I shudder at the indirect impact it may have. Indirectly, I am extremely concerned for the futures of my two adult sons and my undergraduate students.\u00a0 Both of my sons may be impacted as one works directly for the government and the other is a government contractor.\u00a0 They have been informed that \u201cthings\u201d may change.\u00a0 Even worse, they have not been informed on what the \u201cthings\u201d are that may change.\u00a0 Moreover, many of my students believe that the federal sequester will negatively impact their financial stability and that of their parents and other family members.\u00a0 They are concerned because the threats may involve multiple furloughs or the devastating loss of jobs that are already providing insufficient incomes.\u00a0 On a daily basis, many students struggle to buy textbooks, pay tuition, or make ends meet while participating in what is essentially a three step process.\u00a0 Step one is to earn a degree, step two is to find a job, and step three is to begin a great career.\u00a0 My sons have successfully completed the first two steps, but have not quite reached step three.\u00a0 Further, if the sequester is allowed to occur, it may affect my students\u2019 abilities to even think about completing the first step, which may diminish all hopes of ever accomplishing steps two and three.<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em><em>[From a staff member]:\u00a0 I am a district resident and I know that the impact of the federal sequester will take away many jobs. \u00a0\u00a0Such interruption of employment in many households will be devastating.\u00a0 The budget cuts\u00a0 \u00a0will lead to more unemployment and many persons will have to find new employment, and probably take a cut in salary. This is not the time for citizens to sit quietly and keep their heads in the sand.\u00a0 \u00a0The slashing of the federal budget can cause chaos in our society.\u00a0\u00a0 I think that Congress is taking a stand against raising taxes on the rich to protect special groups.\u00a0 \u00a0I do feel that this is chaotic behavior on their part.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em><em>[From a student]: I am a veteran\u00a0and attending the graduate program by the use of my 9\/11 GI Bill.\u00a0 I have not been able to get a definite answer but would like to know if the sequestration will effect this benefit. [We are working on getting the answer.]<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>[From a faculty member]:\u00a0 The Federal sequester will affect me in a totally selfish manner.\u00a0 It will affect my classroom and the students you have entrusted to me.\u00a0 As you are aware, Trinity has many students that are from generational poverty and that fact coupled with so many of them being under-resourced academically, the seat time that they miss with me affects me and the University\u2019s pass rates for their foundational math classes.\u00a0\u00a0 Pass rates affect retention rates.\u00a0 Retention rates affect graduation rates.\u00a0 Graduation rates affect poverty rates.\u00a0 And poverty rates affect the general well being of the communities that we all live in, live around \u2013 or blindly drive through.\u00a0\u00a0 We (Trinity) have everything in place for them to succeed, but I need my entire student roster here.\u00a0 I need a full classroom for the student-centered methods to work properly.\u00a0 I need all struggling students participating in our Monday Mathematics program.\u00a0 I need all students engaged and present for the Friday Labs.<\/em><em>\u201cWhy are many of our students going to miss class with the federal sequester?\u201d<\/em><em>This sequester (from what I have read) is going to cut many of the unemployment checks that our students\u2019 families receive.\u00a0 For many of my students, the only financial support that they receive from their families is money for the metro.\u00a0\u00a0 Metro costs have gone up almost 60% in the past few years (we actually did a comparison of the metro rates in class today), but unemployment benefits have not gone up at a comparable rate.\u00a0 And the federal sequester is going to cut unemployment.\u00a0\u00a0 Many folks will argue \u2013 why don\u2019t they just get a job.\u00a0 I wish it was that simple.\u00a0\u00a0 It is not.\u00a0 And that is a topic for another day.\u00a0\u00a0 The fact remains that our students need whatever small assistance they get from their families to get here \u2013 to get on-campus.\u00a0\u00a0 A cut of even $3.50 in federal assistance ($1.75 one way for many students) \u2013 will result in one less day one of my students will be on-campus.\u00a0 <\/em><em><em>And all students will be affected \u2013 the pedagogy for foundational math (Math 101S) is written for student-centered, collaborative learning.\u00a0 If my attendance is cut in half or even in thirds \u2013 I will have to do some quick rewriting of lesson plans and adjust for the rest of the semester.\u00a0 I am proud of what we have been able to do here and anything that affects the pass rates that have been worked so hard at to achieve \u2013 just really boils my blood.<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>[From a student]:\u00a0 I am a student and a federal worker. The sequestration will affect me in several ways. First, my family is already facing financial challenges. The looming furloughs will make those challenges even more difficult. Tuition assistance from my agency pays for my courses here at Trinity. At this point, I am not sure how sequestration will affect the tuition assistance program, but I am sure that it will.I work in Springfield and have to drive into DC for classes. A 20 percent reduction in pay, because of furloughs, and rising gas prices will also affect my commute from work to school. The challenge will be difficult, but we are trusting in God to provide our needs and to see us through<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sequestration will harm our nation in countless ways, and in particular, the harm to the students and families of our community &#8212; not only at Trinity but throughout the Washington region &#8212; will be a grave injustice, an immoral result of political posturing that will have devastating consequences for the citizens of this nation.<\/p>\n<p>Mindful of the impending harm that will come to my students, faculty and staff, and the anxiety they are already suffering, I implore Congress and the White House to find a sensible and just solution to the current impasse.<\/p>\n<p>Sincerely,<\/p>\n<p>President Patricia McGuire<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>See my blog on the Huffington Post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/patricia-mcguire\/college-scorecard-flaws_b_2707702.html?utm_hp_ref=college\">&#8220;A Scorecard Is No Way to Pick a College&#8221;<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow me on Twitter @TrinityPrez<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An open letter to President Obama and Congressional leaders about the likely harmful effects of sequestration on Trinity students, faculty, staff and their families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[509,146,14,822,6,19,787,20,23,24,25,26],"tags":[125,598,1158,1157,360,1156,600],"class_list":["post-3760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-civil-human-rights","category-district-of-columbia","category-education","category-higher-education-2","category-media","category-living","category-political-issues","category-politics","category-social-issues","category-social-justice-issues","category-students","category-trinity","tag-congress","tag-federal-budget","tag-federal-furlough","tag-federal-government","tag-president-obama","tag-sequestration","tag-white-house"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitydc.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}