The Murder of Public Education
(In response to Katie Shoultz’s Feb. 17 article, “Student protesters play dead to send message to ABOR.”)
No matter how Arizona’s higher education bureaucrats try to brand it, privatization is the murder of public education.
Privatization forces voices out of decision making, increases the cost of attendance, eliminates departments and programs, and decreases the overall quality of our education.
According to President Crow, “We have... decreased the cost, and increased enrollment from low-income families, all with decreased funding.”
Yet, this statement is deliberately misleading.
First, cost has not decreased for students. According to the Arizona Board of Regents website, the amount of debt at graduation has increased significantly.
Over the last year, the average debt for undergraduates has increased by 4.4 percent to $19,946, and by 16.3 percent to $42,097 for graduates. Students with debt also grew by 4 percent for undergraduates and 8.2 percent for graduates.
Second, correlation does not imply causation; increase in university enrollment is a national trend. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 18- to 24-year-old enrollment increased from 25.5 million to 29.5 million from 1997-2007. The report states that this enrollment growth can stem from population increases, among other factors.
Last, while the University has been defunded $100 million dollars since 2008 according to ASU’s website, what is alarming is Crow’s deliberate attempt to continue this austerity. According to The State Press’ ABOR tweets, “Even if someone wants to give us more money from the state, we don’t want it,” Crow stated.
Thus, the die-in last Thursday was a symbolic portrayal of the murder of our state’s only public universities.
Francisco Torres
Undergraduate Student
