Students to lobby in Montgomery

Students, faculty members and other individuals interested in showing their disapproval of the proposed education budget will have a chance to do so Thursday at the annual Higher Education Day Rally on the Capitol steps in Montgomery.

The rally, which will begin at 11 a.m., is sponsored by the Higher Education Partnership and is meant to remind state representatives of the importance of funding Alabama colleges and universities. A free lunch will follow at noon.

Gordon Skipper, executive director of the partnership, said this year's rally is more important than previous years' due to the proposed budget cut to higher education. Gov. Bob Riley's proposed budget calls for a $400 million cut to the state education budget, with the biggest funding cuts to 4-year colleges and universities.

"We are proposed to receive a 14 percent cut to our funding, as opposed to a three percent cut for K-12," he said. "There will be $90 million less available for the universities."

Skipper said he encourages students and faculty members to participate in the rally Thursday to show legislators that students are important to Alabama's future.

"The state cannot make progress if state education is not funded in our universities on a comparable basis," Skipper said.

SGA President R.B. Walker said the SGA will be taking four buses to Montgomery for the event, and all students are encouraged to come. The buses will be leaving from the parking lot of the Moody Music Building at 7 a.m. Thursday. Breakfast will be provided, and a back-to-school scholarship giveaway will also take place on the trip.

Walker cited the budget cut as the main reason students should be interested in attending the rally.

"All we're asking for is an equitable budget," he said.

The Crimson White reported that Government Relations Director William Jones said if the proposed 2009 education budget were to pass, the University would lose almost $29 million in state funding.

"It would take a tuition increase on the order of 25 percent to replace those lost funds," Jones said. "We are not implying tuition will increase by 25 percent; the University will seek every possible way to deal with any budget cut that minimizes the impact on students."

Walker said students will have a chance to talk with legislators about their concerns not just about funding, but about textbooks, safety issues and ticket scalping.

"It's so important that college students have a presence in Montgomery," he said.

"I really want to stress the importance of this because the legislature in the state has an overwhelming amount of influence on higher education, and, since the University of Alabama is the flagship of the state of Alabama college system, we should really be leading the way and setting the agenda for higher education in the rest of the state."

Students are not officially excused for the trip, but Provost Judy Bonner said in an e-mail that John Vincent, president of the Faculty Senate, sent a letter to all faculty members explaining the importance of higher education day. Bonner said students have been encouraged to speak with instructors prior to missing class if they wish to attend the rally.

"Students and faculty have participated in this event for several years now. I am not aware of students experiencing problems with this in the past," Bonner said. "But if it is a problem, the SGA and the Faculty Senate could work together to develop a resolution to the problem next year."

Other institutions that are members of the Higher Education Partnership include Auburn University, Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Troy State University, Troy State University at Dothan and Montgomery, University of North Alabama, University of South Alabama, University of West Alabama, University of Alabama at Huntsville and Birmingham and the University of Montevallo.