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Date
Contact:
Tom Davis
Troy Office of University Relations
334/670-3196
tomdavis@troy.edu
Office of University Relations
253 Adams Administration
Troy, AL 36082
(334) 670-3196
(334) 670-3274 (fax)
| Troy State University rallies to combat unfair treatment of higher education |
| More
than 500 Troy State University students, faculty and staff rallied
on campus Monday to protest proposals that would force Alabama
higher education to bear the entire burden of proration in state
budgets. Several speakers, including student government leaders and Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, urged supporters of higher education to contact their state legislators immediately to ask that proration be imposed at 6.2 percent to both K-12 education and higher education. An order by a Montgomery circuit court judge last week could mean an 18 percent cut for Alabama’s colleges and universities. "It is wrong for Alabama’s leadership to create a dividing line between K-12 and higher education," the Chancellor told a packed house in the Adams University Center Ballroom. "We want to share our part of the burden, but not more than K-12." The TSU Chancellor noted that in the 1990s, more than $600 million had been shifted from higher education budgets to K-12. "Higher education has had enough," Dr. Hawkins said, urging students, faculty and staff to contact their legislators and the Governor’s office. "Bad things happen when good people do nothing." Student leaders said a higher education rally has been planned for Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. at the Capitol Complex in Montgomery. "If the Governor’s proposal is passed, your tuition could increase to $4,000," SGA President Heather Hines, a senior from Alabaster said. "I don’t think we can handle that. We can’t let this happen." TSU leaders announced last week that 18 percent proration could mean a 40 percent tuition increase, the layoff of at least 60 employees throughout The TSU System and cutbacks in several programs, most notably in the fine arts. SGA Vice President Katy Peel, a junior from Selma, said higher education shouldn’t be asked to bear the full weight of the proration load. "Governor Siegelman says he cares about the children of Alabama," she said. "Well, I’m a child of Alabama. Does he care about me?" |