Dear Editor,

 College should be a place of learning and expansion. Instead, the budgets that stimulated college growth are being cut. Many students have heard of these proposed changes but seldom look into how it affects them. We all know that a higher education means more pay and better opportunity in very competitive job markets, but what people are not realizing is the competition that is increasing to get into college.

There are many reasons the completion college is increasing. One expense is the most obvious the problem of figuring out how colleges pay for their most important tool to a student, a teacher. The simple answer is they cannot. This means layoffs for many employees of the schools. With fewer teachers there are fewer classes which mean fewer students will be able to enroll in the school, or if they are enrolled, will not be able to take a class they were looking forward to. If the school’s applicants are fortunate enough to be accepted into the school, they may face a class that has doubled in size and not receive the original attention they thought they was available.

There are ways colleges are making up for the lack of teachers. They are encouraging online courses or using computer labs where they can fit large numbers of students into the lab and have one or two teachers on hand to assist he students. While a number if students do fine and excel in online courses, many say nothing compares to having a normal classroom setting. Computer labs are more of an online course with a teacher only there to explain if help is required. Students are not forced to pay attention as they would in regular classroom.

It does not simply end with teachers, however. A budget cut’s reach extends out and grapples with tuition. Over the past several years, the average cost of college tuition has increased and shows no signs of slowing. There are many confident students who are striving to attract a college’s attention in the hopes of a scholarship being awarded to them. However, budget cuts are making it so that the numbers of scholarships are decreasing drastically.

College is supposed to put a barrier between graduates and others in the workforce to separate graduates from the crowd. While this can help to weed out anyone who may be trying to coast through college, it can also hurt those who wish to be the best they can be. When we examine the number of courses that are being removed, it may take students more than four years to receive a degree. This means that for students more money is being paid in tuition, sometimes even at the loss of classes per semester. Also, undergraduates may be put on a waist list due to upperclassmen filling up the classes first.

Does it seem fair to allow our state to promise us education only to be told our universities must cut corners to accommodate its students? If education really is the most important asset to our country, then our state should show it by funding schools. By not paying attention to society and the world around us, we are losing touch with what will inevitably affect our futures.

We should all realize the drastic effects budget cuts can cause; we must stand up and say enough is enough. Just as sure as we are that teachers do not wish to lose their jobs, we should not want to lose the great promise of education. We should, under no circumstances, be told our education costs too much. Where would our country be without the educations of our forefather.

We live in a politically active nation that has proven to us change is just a vote away. Why wait until it is too late to do something? As a student body we must stand up for our education and show we will not settle for second best. The opportunity has been given to us, and we must not wait. Acknowledge to others we will not stand by while our futures are sacrificed. Stand up for education and for those who promise to support us.

Ryan Young

Freshman