 "Photo: Olivia Lewis / UCD Advocate")
 "Photo: Olivia Lewis / UCD Advocate")
Student governments across Colorado are getting ready to make some noise. A Feb. 17 rally at Auraria was one of many held this month at public universities around the state, and is part of a continuing series of events designed to raise awareness and build support for higher education funding. And that message is one that UC Denver student government members say they hope to see delivered to the capitol on March 3 by hundreds, if not a thousand, of students.
The students’ message is clear: Higher education funding needs to be moved off the budget chopping block.
The student body presidents of Metro and UCD both spoke at the Feb. 17 event, as did Cynthia Negron, UCD student government’s director of legislative affairs.
The idea behind public education was to make an education available to everyone, Negron said, but that opportunity runs a risk of falling apart the more state legislators cut funding for higher education.
“All I can think is, ‘Why aren’t we being supported?’” she said. “To me it’s all about access, especially on our campus.”
According to Negron, about 230 people—at last count—signed up to be contacted with more information about the issues brought up during the rally. She said those people form part of a support base that she hopes will return for the march on the capitol on March 3.
That event will also feature speeches from students and possibly legislators. There may even be an announcement about a possible solution for the budget.
The event focuses on starting a conversation about possible solutions—now.
“The purpose is to say you need to make education a priority,” she said. “We’re here, we’re paying attention, and we have some ideas.”
But it’s not just about drawing a big crowd and making some noise in the Tivoli Commons.
“[Rallies] not only inform an audience but they establish a presence,” said Jack Kroll, president of UCD’s student government. “We are a presence that needs to be listened to. We’re willing to come together to voice our concerns.”
Kroll said the organizers of these events are particularly looking to make students aware of the cuts to higher education funding, and then make legislators aware of students’ concerns.
“[Legislators] really have to play favorites with what gets cut and what doesn’t get cut,” Kroll said. “Quite frankly, right now, education is not something that’s on the top of their minds.”
Higher education ends up on the budget chopping block because legislators face two realities related to higher education funding. It’s one of few areas in the state budget that doesn’t have state constitutional protections on how low it can be cut. And when faced with the need to cut one program or another to reduce state spending, higher education becomes a likely candidate because it doesn’t affect older voters—who show up at the ballot boxes more regularly than young voters.
But Kroll isn’t convinced these priorities are appropriate.
I think it’s ridiculous to spend millions and millions of dollars on prescriptions to Medicaid when citizens over the age of 60 don’t exactly have a long time left on their tax revenue clock,” he said. “I believe if you invest in the future and not the past […] you’re going to get a greater return on your investment.”
Educated citizens earn more over their lifetime, he argued, and that means more tax revenue for the state to work with, and a greater ability to fund services.
“If we give people the tools to provide for themselves, we will not have to provide for them in the future,” Kroll said. “How many people in this state do we have on Medicaid who could have had high-paying jobs if they’d had an education?”
Ultimately, he said, state legislators shouldn’t be in a position where it has to choose between covering health care or covering education. But to fix that, the state constitution and provisions governing spending like TABOR would need to go.
John Karakoulakis, director of legislative affairs and spokesperson for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, said the state has assembled a committee to work on finding solutions for higher education funding.
“They’re really hitting the ground running and they understand the timeline and the time crunch,” he said. The committee members are trying to take a realistic look at the system and fix more than just the short-term problems created when the funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which have been used to backfill some of the budget cuts like those to higher education, run out in fiscal year 2011-2012. That will mean addressing accessibility, affordability, and the public’s perception of higher education.
“Part of the planning process will be to look at what other funds are out there, but no one is under any illusions that there’s a big oasis out there of money that hasn’t been touched,” he said.
And students getting involved is great, he said. “The more people that kind of understand what’s going on and are educated about it, the better off we are in the long term.”
“I think it goes beyond the budget,” Negron said. “I think education needs reworking in a lot of ways.”
The March 3 rally is expected to draw potentially up to a thousand students. All three UC campuses will send students, as will both Colorado State University campuses and other community colleges and public universities.
Music and speeches start at the Tivoli Commons at noon, and the march to the capitol will start at 1 p.m. Supplies for sign-making will be provided.
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