Tuition hikes would jeopardize Mich's future

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There are few decisions that impact students and their parents more than tuition increases. Therefore, it was welcome news last week to find that despite continuing cuts to both the state and university budgets, tuition might not increase.

However, it will take a collaborative effort on the part of both the state government and the university to effectively stave off tuition hikes.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s budget plan, released Sept. 8, included an additional $30 million cut to higher education, which would result in a proposed $130 million overall decrease in the state budget for colleges and universities. That, combined with the fact that the university raised tuition by 5.2 percent for the 2009-10 school year, potentially is catastrophic for the average MSU student.

MSU Trustee Melanie Foster said last week that the board has no intentions to raise tuition any more than it already has — unless the university doesn’t get the funding it has been promised by the state.

In that case, it’s up in the air.

The state has two weeks to decide whether or not it will slash all of the $130 million proposed in the governor’s plan. In order to protect students from higher tuition, we first and foremost urge the state to reconsider these expansive cuts before the Sept. 30 deadline. The Michigan Legislature currently is reconsidering eliminating the Michigan Promise Scholarship and we are hopeful that they also reconsider these massive cuts.

We also hope the MSU administration is fair to students regardless of whether the state comes up with its funding. We hope the voice of students is represented, heard and considered when the MSU Board of Trustees meets in October.

This is no guarantee that a tuition hike is off the table. We would urge the state of Michigan to provide its promised funding. If, however, Michigan goes back on its promises, we would still hope that MSU keeps its word not to increase tuition. If both the Legislature and MSU are serious about keeping tuition affordable, they need to work together to ensure promises are kept.

President Barack Obama even has made recent visits to our state urging more education for young people, especially as Michigan seeks to lead the nation in newer and greener jobs. But if tuition costs are exorbitant, more and more low-income Michiganians won’t be able to afford the training necessary to help develop and hold these new jobs. As long as the state refuses to invest the necessary funds in education, Michigan never will become a true center of innovation.

We realize this is not a normal economic time and that no one, whether they be politicians or university officials, is thrilled at the prospect of funding cuts and tuition hikes. But precisely because these are unsure times, both parties need to realize that sound investments need to be made for the future.

Investing in higher education is a direct investment into the future of our state. In a few years we all will be out in the world. It’s up to those who hold the purse-strings to decide how much they want us to stay.

As students, we are the future, and if those in power don’t keep their promises, the future will look a lot less promising.

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