Students raise awareness and seek more state support

University Park, Pa. — Student and University leaders will spend next week discussing Penn State's appropriation in the Commonwealth's 2009-10 budget. The University will seek to ease the burden on students and their families during difficult economic times.
 
The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) will hold Tuition Awareness Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, on the Old Main Patio. The event is the latest in a series of initiatives by students to gain further financial support to manage the cost of tuition.
 
Students rallied for additional state support on Feb. 9 outside Old Main, hoping for legislators to extend greater appropriations than proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell in his annual budget proposal. The governor has recommended a cut in the currrent year's appropriation of $21.2 million. He plans to freeze appropriations for next year (2009-2010) at that lower level for a flat appropriation. The rally also encouraged Rendell and legislators to include Penn State students, along with the students of the three other state-related universities, in a tuition relief proposal put forth by Rendell that would provide direct aid to students and their families. The governor's proposal offers thousands of dollars in aid only to students attending the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education and the state's 14 community colleges. 
 
"Our governor has clearly forgotten that we exist," said George Khoury, president of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, at the Feb. 9 Penn State rally. "We should be proposing a plan to help all students in Pennsylvania."
 
UPUA leaders also are seeking a forum with Rendell to discuss appropriations to the University and support for students. Students plan to travel to Harrisburg on Wednesday, March 18, for the annual Rally in the Rotunda at the Capitol to ask for additional support for the University from state legislators.
 
Meanwhile, President Graham Spanier will be in Harrisburg on Monday, March 2, along with the leaders of the other state-related universities, to address the House Appropriations Committee hearing on state funding to the University.
 
Penn State has received five cuts in state appropriations in the past decade. This fiscal year has seen two mid-year rescissions. In total, more than $48 million has been cut from Penn State's appropriation.
 
"As always, the governor's budget proposal is the first step in the funding process," Spanier said. "We will spend the next several months discussing with state legislators the funding needs for Penn State, its students and their families. We understand the circumstances the state is facing, and we are pursuing many ways to continue to provide our services to our students and the state at the same level of quality."
 
An aggressive cost-savings program over the past 18 years at Penn State has resulted in internal cuts of more than $200 million and created new efficiencies, savings that directly translate into reduced increases in tuition for students. This year, Spanier has imposed mandatory budget cuts in all units and has asked all of the University's units to find additional areas for savings. The University has already announced a salary freeze for 2009-10.
 
Spanier agreed that Penn State students should be included in any tuition-relief proposal. Rendell's aid plan, proposed for incoming freshmen, when fully in place for four years could help about 31,000 Penn State undergraduates who are Pennsylvania residents. That represents about 60 percent of all undergraduate Pennsylvania resident students – the largest portion of students who need help out of any institution in the state.
 
"It is commendable that there is such interest in helping students and their families continue to pursue educational opportunities," Spanier said. "We feel it is imperative that our students receive the same support. There are a number of majors in various fields that are uniquely offered only at state-related institutions. Students graduating in these kinds of fields — which include agriculture, engineering, science and business fields — are critical to the needs and future of the Commonwealth."
 
Penn State's appropriation from the Commonwealth has been flat since the start of the decade, while the Consumer Price Index has increased by more than 22 percent. During that same time period, the state's budget has increased by 45.9 percent (see graphic).
 
"We understand the economic difficulties facing our state and the nation, and we are sharing in the sacrifices that need to be made," Spanier added. "Ultimately, however, the long-term growth of our economy will be tied to education and knowledge creation in the state. Declining state appropriations are pushing the burden for tuition onto our students and their families, hindering those educational opportunities."