Social relations and policy sophomore Kaitlin Aprill, one of about five undergraduate MSU students at the meeting, said since the elimination of the Michigan Promise Scholarship, she has been concerned about state higher education funding.

“That just showed that the state government doesn’t really care that much about education,” Aprill said. “I just wanted to hear what other students had to say and what the representatives had to say.”

The Michigan Promise Scholarship was cut from the state’s budget last year to eliminate a $2.8 billion deficit. There were 8,200 MSU students slated to receive up to $4,000 from the scholarship.

Members from ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, and the Council of Graduate Students, MSU’s graduate student government, testified about the need to increase funding for financial aid by finding new revenues and reforming government.

Marvin Yates, ASMSU’s director of governmental affairs, said he hopes lawmakers look at “out of the box” ideas to fund higher education.

“I believe they need to reconsider (revenues),” Yates said. “The biggest thing I think is to not cut financial aid anymore and to restore some financial aid.”

Students from Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University and Northern Michigan University also testified.

Following student testimony, the representatives asked the students various questions. One question asked multiple times was what cost cutting measures students have noticed universities taking.

Rick Shipman, director of the MSU Office of Financial Aid, attended the meeting and said some representatives seemed uninformed about the large cutbacks MSU has made in recent years.

“Our proof is over the past two years — an 11 percent budget cut,” Shipman said.

Some students suggested tax increases to improve higher education funding. Republicans at the meeting said the best way to find new funding is in reforms.

“I am concerned that there are committee members that are saying ‘There is no way I can talk about a tax increase; there is no way I can consider major restructuring without changing the way we do government,’” Shipman said. “Well OK then, get it done because we have students waiting to enroll for next fall and they can’t wait for the state to restructure government.”

State Rep. Bill Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, a member of the subcommittee, said the state Legislature needs to look at all options before considering tax increases and revenue enhancements.

“First, we need to say what kind of reforms or tightening of our belt have we done to find revenues, and if we are short, then have a serious discussion about where to get the additional revenues to meet those priorities,” Caul said.

The meeting is part of a series of hearings at which the subcommittee will take testimony from different organizations about higher education funding before finalizing next year’s budget, said state Rep. Joan Bauer, D-Lansing. The next budget year begins Oct. 1.

“We have asked (students) to come and testify and share their thoughts on how the budget of Michigan impacts them,” she said. “After all, they are the real customer of this whole higher education system.”