We all pay too much for college.
Every year we have to give up more money because university officials tell us they are getting less funding from the Michigan Legislature.
The truth is, everyone from students to lawmakers to the leaders of this university have a hand in how much we have to pay.
ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, is trying to get students active and involved in lowering tuition. It has launched an advocacy program that will educate students about higher education funding and is busing students to the Capitol this week to meet with legislators.
There is truth behind its advocacy fervor: Students need to be involved in advocating for their interests.
If legislators never hear from us about high tuition costs, nothing will change.
Face-to-face meetings with legislators is a step in the right direction, but everyone must do their part.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been pushing for a long time that the next generation's jobs will require a college degree. A well-educated workforce, she has said, will reduce unemployment and improve the economy.
It's time for Granholm and the Legislature to take action and work to improve funding.
It's important for politicians to know that underfunding higher education doesn't just hurt students; it hurts parents paying for college and the state's progress and growth.
Maybe seeing MSU students, interested and concerned, will make them think twice before cutting money for college.
Here at MSU, there are more than 40,000 of us. If we utilized our sheer number, we'd be pretty tough to ignore.
But MSU officials and other public universities need to examine how they spend money.
The MSU Board of Trustees and President Lou Anna K. Simon devote a lot of time to assuring students that their goal is to make college more affordable.
Yet tuition keeps rising.
Tuition rose last year, and there's no guarantee it won't increase this year. Even with an increase in state funding, there's no promise that tuition won't rise again.
Instead, the university might decide to allocate that funding elsewhere, such as to campus programs and projects.
It's great to expand, but any improvements are useless if no one can afford to come and use them. With a finite amount of resources, MSU must use them wisely and prioritize.
Of course, MSU doesn't have much incentive to stop raising tuition. Even though students complain to themselves and their peers, MSU officials don't hear it. And enrollment keeps going strong.
As long as the money keeps coming in, why change?
It seems the only way MSU and the Legislature will rise to the occasion is to hear students' voices. If students are tired of just complaining to people who don't listen, then getting involved with ASMSU's advocacy is a start.
Maybe then we can see some real change.
