It is commendable of the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education to propose a bill to bring more finding to MSU, but it is unlikely the bill will pass.

The subcommittee sent on a bill that would give $22 million more in state funding to MSU. The recommended budget gives MSU the maximum seven percent increase. The proposed budget will be passed on to the House Appropriations Committee for review next week.

MSU President M. Peter McPherson testified before the subcommittee in February and asked for more funding for the university. McPherson said in his testimony that the university could repeal its tuition guarantee to increase revenue. The tuition guarantee states an increase in tuition would not exceed the rate of inflation plus 2 percent.

MSU has been consistently underfunded compared to the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. MSU receives $8,140 per student compared to $10,235 for Wayne State.

While the proposal of increased funding is promising in the fight to close the funding gap, it’s not likely the bill will pass. This is not the first time efforts have been made to increase funding for MSU. It hasn’t passed before and probably won’t pass this time.

The funding gap has existed for several years and little has been done to close it. Even though there have been efforts, it is not likely to decrease or be eliminated entirely in the near future.

However, political officials should not abandon efforts to put MSU on equal footing with the state’s other research universities. While the process may be gradual, the issue should be pressed.

Politicians have given many reasons for the gap. Some argue U-M has more engineering students and has spent more on research than MSU. It is also argued that Wayne State has more graduate and professional students.

However, there are many reasons why MSU should get as much or more funding. Legislators should take into account affordability of higher education. MSU has made a commitment to keeping tuition at an affordable level and should be rewarded for that.

It should also be considered that MSU has more in-state students than U-M. Out-of-state students pay higher tuition, bringing in more money for U-M on top of its higher funding. The Legislature should focus more on funding the education of its own taxpayers and not out-of-state residents.

MSU also has more on-campus housing and an extensive study abroad program that deserves increased funding.

Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education should be applauded for working to close the funding gap between MSU, U-M and Wayne State. However, it is likely their efforts to increase funding for MSU will not become reality.

It’s about time legislators have pushed for increased funding for MSU and they should continue to push for more funding, even if it will take a long time to get it.