Chicago State University students host walkout over state budget

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Students at Chicago State University sent a message to lawmakers with a walkout and rally Thursday as Illinois schools continue to bear the brunt of the state budget crisis.

Protesters walked from the school to the Dan Ryan Expressway near 95th Street and briefly blocked all northbound lanes Thursday morning.

Students are calling on lawmakers to pass a budget and keep the school open. Without money from the state, the university may not be able to make payroll. State funding makes up 30 percent of the university's budget.

The situation is even more dire at Western Illinois University in Macomb, where they are firing 30 faculty members to cut costs while it waits for long-overdue state money.

When asked about the dire situation facing the state's public universities, Gov. Bruce Rauner referred ABC7 to a letter they sent to lawmakers on Jan. 13 encouraging them to ask the state's public universities what reforms they are willing to adopt to cut waste.