Dear Chairperson Epstein and President Bharucha:
My name is Tammy Kim, and I’ve been teaching as an adjunct in the Humanities and Social Sciences for the past three years.
While I appreciate this difficult moment in CU’s finances, I write to implore you not to undercut a most critical aspect of the school’s identity. For my part, as a social justice lawyer, writer, and teacher, I have drawn on Cooper’s legacy to engage students in thinking around domestic and international human rights issues. I believe that keeping CU tuition-free and accessible to all students is of paramount importance in fostering an environment and community of altruism and liberated thinking.
Moreover, as articulated by the Occupy Wall Street movement, student debt can be a debilitating burden to many, especially those whose aspirations and talents are not rewarded by market economics. Coming from a working-class background and then entering the non-profit and literary fields, I am battling considerable student debt from the costly private schools I attended. I am grateful that my students at Cooper have not yet faced these challenges, and I hope that this will continue to be true.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
E. Tammy Kim
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etkwrites.tumblr.com