Representatives from student governments from all four ASU campuses gathered Monday to create a University-wide coalition against cuts to state funding of higher education.
The governor’s proposed budget will cut approximately $80 million from ASU’s funding next year, something that will affect every student at the University, said Associated Students of ASU Polytechnic President Dominick Hernandez.
“Even though each campus is different with its own particular needs and unique student population, at the end of the day we’re all ASU,” he said. “When a $78 million budget cut comes down to ASU, it doesn’t say Tempe or Polytechnic or Downtown or West. It says ASU.”
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the best course of action to effectively advocate for a strong higher education system in Arizona, said Undergraduate Student Government President Jacob Goulding.
Hernandez said all plans are still in “the rough draft phase,” but the broad goal of the coalition is to get students involved in the fight and create one united voice to approach the Arizona Board of Regents and the Arizona Legislature.
Leaders from all branches of student government said the cuts will impact the quality of education at the University, something all students should be concerned about.
“The quality of their education is going to follow them long after they leave college,” Hernandez said. “It’s about the value of their diploma. It’s why they went to ASU and not to another state school or down the street to the University of Phoenix.”
Associated Students of ASU Downtown President Christian Vasquez said decreasing the quality of education at ASU will affect students’ ability to get a job following graduation.
“It sends a bad message to employers about our future employees and our quality of education,” he said.
Tempe students are also concerned about how the cuts will affect their cost of attendance, Goulding said.
“Tempe students are concerned about how much their tuition will increase due to the budget cuts as well as the likely effects on their programs,” Goulding said. “Students don’t know which programs will be exactly affected, but they are anticipating rising tuition coupled with a decrease in financial aid.”
Another concern at the Polytechnic campus is the reduction of already minimal student services, Hernandez said.
“I know for Polytechnic, the students are really concerned in regard to the quality of education and maintaining student services on our campus,” he said. “The last cuts really decimated the campus.”
Goulding said the undergraduate governments are hoping to include the Graduate and Professional Student Association and other student groups in future plans.
Student leaders will meet again via phone conference Wednesday to discuss more concrete plans of action.
“This situation is unacceptable,” Goulding said. “Students must fight back.”
Reach the reporter at keshoult@asu.edu
