Well, the aftermath of the budget signing the other day is in. There's been a 145 million dollar cut (about 15%) to higher education in Massachusetts. Of course, this comes AFTER the UMass Board of Trustees said they would NOT raise fees any higher if Governor Patrick's budget for higher education, which included level funding (which would have been a first in decades I believe) for our state colleges and universities. Instead, the state legislature has decided to add deep cuts, which will likely lead to a fee increase when the Board next meets. Even with the full effect of the 1500 dollar increase that was partly staved off by stimulus funds last year, it seems unlikely the Board will feel it can keep fee levels at their current level.
Massachusetts is shooting itself in the foot. We are a service based economy, and the only way to ensure we continue to have workers who stay in the state is to fund our higher education system. Our per capita funding is already dismal, with MA being in the mid to upper 40's for funding across the country. With this cut, I wonder if we'll hit dead last. Maybe that would wake up some of the people across the Commonwealth who have accepted these cuts year after year.
I sent out a statement to fellow student government officials at UMass Boston. I'm hoping they get back to me with some edits and jumping on board. This is not going to be easy to get together. It's a holiday weekend. But after some of our USG officials sign on, I'm hoping to send it to other campuses across the state to try and get more sign ons from SGA members. It is time that we all collectively stand up and say no to these cuts. We have stood idly by for too long. It's time to fight.
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