3.23.2009

**TAKE ACTION** Support Full Funding for Higher Education

Funding for USM institutions is at risk!  The House Appropriations Committee voted to decrease funding by $20.3 million last week.  Take 2 minutes to let your elected representatives know how important it is to support higher education (if you are an out-of-state student, feel free to use your campus address).

Click this link to TAKE ACTION to send an email message to your legislators letting them know that you support full-funding of the Governor's budget.  The sooner you send, the better.  Forward this link to your friends, parents, neighbors, and professors so that legislators hear how important funding higher education is (they can use this specific link).  It only takes a few minutes by simply entering your address and editing a pre-drafted message.  Be sure to let your legislators know your role in the USM (student, faculty, etc.).

A cut of $20.3 million will ensure tuition is not frozen for in-state undergaduates, lower the quality of programs for all students, and could threaten pay/job security for faculty and staff.

If you have further questions, please email me ASAP at joshmichael@umbc.edu or call me at (410) 294-8581.


Read this message from the USM website:

Support Higher Education Funding 
Oppose Legislative Cuts to Higher Education
Governor O’Malley’s FY 2010 budget proposal for the University System of Maryland supports the overarching goals shared by the state and the University System of Maryland:
  • provide access to high-quality and affordable programs and services;
  • ensure that the state’s public higher education system sustains its critical role in advancing Marylanders’ quality of life—intellectually, economically, socially, culturally, and in areas related to health.
The Department of Legislative Services is reccomending the General Assembly cut the USM funding by $5.7 million dollars and possibly more. Ask your legislators to reject this cut and fully fund higher education to maintain the quality, affordability and accessability of our public universities.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHY THEY TRYNA TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US?!!
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!
TELL'EM WHAT U REALLY THINK!!!

Unknown said...

I received the following reply from one of the delegates:

"Pat,

Thank you for your e-mail. It is great to hear from you!
We are fully funding Higher Ed and are freezing Tuition.
Hope you and your family are well!

Sincerely,

Delegate Jimmy Malone
"

Josh Michael said...

@Pat - Thanks for posting your response from Delegate Malone. While the original intent, through the Governor's budget, was to fully fund higher ed and freeze tuition; the proposed budget amendments from the House cut $20.3 million from the budget. Cuts in the Senate have amounted to $9.4 million. And, the Governor may have a new proposal integrating the two-year hole for tuition freeze. Note that while cuts are proposed in the House and Senate proposals, they both still want the Board of Regents to freeze tuition.

So, Delegate Malone may be referring to original intentions, but recent actions change the outlook.

To all others, keep reminding legislators how important higher ed is.

Anonymous said...

I am not going to do it.

Josh Michael said...

Thanks for your comments. It's unfortunate that you personally don't care. Many students at UMBC and across the USM do care about their cost of college and want to express that sentiment with their legislators.

Ryan said...

I received this reply from Delegate Malone:

"May I please have your home address?"

Josh Michael said...

@ Ryan: Delegate Malone receives a lot of emails from UMBC student, being that he represents UMBC. He sometimes like to sort out whether he really represents the UMBC student or not (by home address). When he responded to me in that manner, I simply responded that my parents live in Ellicott City, but I reside on campus at UMBC. In this case, he does represent me in Annapolis. You can respond in that manner if you would like as well.

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