My farewell article went out the window when the state house announced the Higher Education Finance Bill. The bill lowers a student's financial responsibility for their portion of tuition from 46 to 45 percent. Which is an $80 savings for students, right? No. Tuition increases are not taken into account. This bill is one step forward and two steps back.
I don't blame the Higher Education Finance Committee. I blame Gov. Tim Pawlenty who set the targets for this committee. It is obvious that our governor does not think highly of higher education and its role in Minnesota . Because of the governor's targets, monies the committee had to work with were limited. The chair of the committee, state Rep. Bud Nornes, seems to have forgotten about the enrollment adjustments that are guaranteed to the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College and University system. At one point, the legislature guaranteed that if enrollment increased, they would balance the added expense by adjusting each school's allocation accordingly.
The governor of our great state may stand on a platform of “no new taxes,” but when you get down to the truth of the matter, increases in tuition are a tax increase on students and their families. Don't be fooled by his back door taxes and his sly casino-like behavior. He is nothing more than a two-faced, self-righteous, pompous ass that will stop at nothing to hold his party platform.
Look at the increases in all areas of public benefits; these costs are being carried by the poor and uneducated. It is proven that for every dollar spent on higher education in Minnesota , six dollars in revenue are returned. If you could put ten dollars away at the beginning of your education and receive six hundred when you left, would you do it? My guess is that many would be willing to invest more than that. Why doesn't our governor see this? Is he blind or is he is willing to sell out students for his own political gain?
The tuition hikes students are suffering through are a direct result of the legislature not abiding by its own laws and fulfilling its obligation to adjust allocations based on enrollment.
The best that we can hope for now is that when the senate and house get together in conference committee, the senate will stick to its guns to ensure that their proposal, which was more favorable to higher education, will remain intact.
It's not to late to call legislators. Don't be afraid to call the governor's office either. Tell him what you think of his so-called targets. He missed the target and hit higher education and already financially overburdened students instead. |
