We appreciate The State News editorial board recognizing that the ASMSU “Higher Education, Higher Priority” rally is “a step in the right direction” (“ASMSU has right idea, but needs better execution,” SN 10/8). The higher education rally is Oct. 22 at the Capitol.
In light of the last several years of eroding state appropriations for higher education, ASMSU will unite with 14 other Michigan public universities to bring higher education to the forefront of the debate in the weeks preceding November’s election.
ASMSU has, through the Student Association of Michigan, worked to unite and empower public university students across the state, gaining both their support and participation in the rally.
Despite our efforts, it would seem there might be some confusion regarding the intent of the higher education rally. In full realization that the state has set the fiscal year 2011 budget, the “Higher Education, Higher Priority” rally doesn’t seek to change the past, but rather to actively shape the future of higher education in Michigan.
The rally brings together students from MSU and other public universities, all of them concerned about the future of their education and all of them eligible voters.
By extension, the rally seeks to address Michigan’s new leadership before the crucial November elections and charge them with promoting affordable, high quality education for Michigan’s public university students. To reiterate, the rally does not seek to undo the past, but rather to improve the future of education in Michigan.
The question was asked, “What actually will change in the immediate future with higher education funding?” Since the summer, ASMSU has advocated at the federal and state levels for greater higher education priority in financial appropriation. State Advocacy Week provided the capstone for that period of time.
Unfortunately, higher education appropriations were cut by 2.8 percent overall, but at the same time this decrease was far less than what MSU and others were expecting for the fiscal year 2011 budget.
So really, the question shouldn’t be “what will this rally do for monies that have been appropriated,” but rather what countless public universities and their students have already done to ensure the financial impacts on education appropriations were minimized as much as possible.
This rally is not about short-term results, it reflects an investment of our students’ time and effort to ensure higher education remains affordable and that efforts are made at the state as well as university levels to minimize financial impact on low-income students.
Finally, it aims to ensure Michigan continues to provide globally competitive, quality education to its public university students.
Christopher Schotten, ASMSU Student Assembly chairperson
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