MSU College democrats call for student action on Promise

In order to save Michigan’s future, we need all hands on deck.

Right now, Lansing politicians are like a crew navigating a ship toward an iceberg — and we are on a collision course heading toward catastrophe. Michigan is going to be in grave danger if we don’t start making a commitment to our students, who ultimately will be tasked with leading our state in the future. Over time, that includes supporting and funding higher education. Right now, that means reinstating the Michigan Promise Scholarship.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on campus today urging the state Senate Republican leadership to act and reinstate the Promise Scholarship; we need to join her efforts. Every student during the next week needs to contact his or her state Senator and urge them to fund the Promise Scholarship and our future.

The Michigan Promise Scholarship, the first universal college scholarship, sends a message to every student that he or she must continue their education to be successful in a 21st century economy. More than 96,000 students counted on the Promise to help pay for college this year alone. That was until it was cut this year by the Legislature as a way to balance the budget. Even though it has been eliminated, the fight is not over; we must keep our Promise to those students and our commitment to Michigan’s future by reinstating funding for the Promise.

The elimination of the Promise Scholarship isn’t the only cut to education. In fact, during the past 30 years, funding for public universities significantly has declined. In 1977, state appropriations for public universities stood at 64.6 percent of the total general fund revenue; today, they stand below 30 percent. This year alone, appropriations for the 15 public universities were reduced by $43.9 million, on top of cuts to work study programs, financial aid and the Promise Scholarship. During that same period of time, tuition prices have skyrocketed in an attempt to pay for the gap left from dwindling state appropriations.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Lansing is representing the best interests of students. When will our legislators realize that we are Michigan’s future? We are at a crucial point in our history, and we can’t afford to balance our budget woes on the backs of students any longer. We have ‘paid the piper,’ suffering through countless tuition increases, rising book prices and swelling living expenses. When we thought it couldn’t get any worse, Lansing politicians slashed the Promise scholarship for 8,600 MSU students.

Enough is enough. Students should not settle for elected officials who merely try to rearrange deckchairs on a ship set to sink. We need real solutions to protect Michigan’s future, and that starts with investing in our students through the Michigan Promise Scholarship.

Through meaningful reforms, we can reinstate the Michigan Promise Scholarship. By slowing down the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, increases set to take effect this year, $160 million in revenue could be provided, enough to cover the $100 million to reinstate the Promise to 96,000 students statewide. This credit for some Michigan families has been 10 percent since 2008, but the original legislation that created the EITC mandated an additional 10 percent be added to the credit for the 2009 tax year and beyond, making the credit an overall 20 percent. However, this credit increase could be reduced and subsequently used to fund the Michigan Promise instead.

Even with this specific way to save the Promise, there are some who refuse to help steer the ship away from catastrophe. Don’t be fooled, this is not a “tax increase” on our families; instead, it would simply phase in the EITC increase at a slower rate. But Lansing politics as usual are getting in the way of reinstating the Promise. It is time that Lansing hears from students loud and clear that we support meaningful reforms to invest in education. We need real leadership to steer the ship away from catastrophe.

Please join me in contacting our legislators this week and urging them to phase in the EITC and reinstate the Promise Scholarship. You can find out who your state senator is by visiting senate.michigan.gov or calling (517) 373-2400.

As Michigan is heading full-speed ahead toward disaster, we must demand action to invest in students by investing in tools that equip them for success. It is no surprise that businesses will continue to look for states that have a highly educated work force; this means that we can’t let Michigan fall behind. We must invest in education and our future by reinstating the Michigan Promise Scholarship. Don’t let the hopes of a brighter future sink because we didn’t act; call your senator today and demand they fund the Promise Scholarship.

Mitchell Rivard

social relations and policy junior and president of MSU College Democrats