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Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: Opinion

Georgia colleges are about to receive a major backhand to the face and this time we can't the abuse quietly.

The Governor and our state legislators have just proposed their budget reports for the 2011 fiscal year and if all goes through as is, 32 percent cuts will be made to the budgets of institutions of higher education across the state in FY 2011.

The estimated total of the budget cuts are $385 million taken from the University System of Georgia. These cuts will vary from school to school, but all schools are bracing for the possibility of losing multiple millions of dollars from their budget come next year.

ABAC will take this budget cut hard and many people connected to the college are bracing for the worst. If these cuts are put into play it means that programs will be cut, jobs will be lost, and tuition will undoubtedly spike. This may make higher education impossible for many students currently enrolled or planning to enroll.

We all have to do something about this issue and can not accept that this is just the way things are going to be. We have to force our state Congress to understand that higher education is a vital part of what allows our economy to function.

Sure, it may cut back on costs now, but what will the economy look like when the workforce is full of those with only a high school diploma and no specialized training. Imagine what Tifton will look like in a few years as the money in the community dwindles after the college loses one third of its funding.

There are many different areas that the state's elected officials can look to cut into if they are that desperate to ensure their own wallets are decently stuffed. It is not fair for them to cut so deeply into the already rapidly declining budgets of the state's universities and other educational institutions.

Please, I ask that everyone--from students to faculty to family members and friends--be aware of what's being planned to happen to our colleges.

I ask that we all contact our local legislators and let them know that this will not stand!

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Editorial Note: For Contact Information and a sample form letter to send to your legislators protesting the cuts, please see "Links" on The Stallion Online home page and click "USG Budget Cut Appeal Form Letter."

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