Students should be heard when it comes to higher education funding

Susanna Karth, President

Midland College Student Government Association

While students are in college, they are basically insignificant to the rest of the world. It is only after students graduate that the world begins to pay attention to them.

I learned in government class that students hardly ever vote, and so their views are not as important to the legislature as the views of the people who do vote. Is this one of the reasons the Texas legislature seems so willing to cut higher education funding?

The Midland College Student Government Association (SGA) was scheduled to go to Austin this past February. I was looking forward to spending time with my friends and attending the state SGA conference. I was also looking forward to visiting the Capitol and meeting our representatives. I was extremely disappointed when we weren't able to go in February due to inclement weather. 

So, when the trip was rescheduled for early April, I felt like we needed to make up for lost time. We had gathered signatures for our petition asking the legislature not to cut education funding. We had studied information about the budget shortfall and college enrollment statistics. We were ready to talk, but I don't think our representatives were willing to listen.

I suppose they were frustrated. I probably would be too if I were them. But I got the distinct feeling that they really didn't care about what we had to say. What was going to happen would happen no matter what we tried to do about it. Representative Craddick was very polite, but he changed the subject. He began by saying how he was in favor of community colleges, and then he asked us if we had toured the capitol yet. We didn't have much of a chance to talk. I'm shy, so I know I could have been a little more forceful if I had tried, but I think he would have still changed the subject as fast as possible.

Our visit with Senator Seliger was a little more productive, although he spent more time discussing the allowance of concealed handguns on campus than education. He seemed more willing to talk with us than did Mr. Craddick, but I still got the impression that what we had to say wouldn't affect his decisions in the slightest.

After the visits, I started thinking. Do they not realize that the students of today are the professionals of tomorrow? If funding is cut, tuition will rise. When tuition rises, fewer students are going to be able to afford to go to college. The only reason I can afford to go to school is because of the multiple scholarships I have managed to earn. What about the students who have even less money than I?  Do they not realize how a funding cut now will affect the workforce ten years from now? Or do they know and just not care?

Students should matter to legislators. Statistically, people who are more educated vote more. Students may not vote while they're in college, but they typically do after they graduate. I'm a registered voter, and yes, I did vote during the last election, but I'm just one voter and I fall into the insignificant student demographic. It is very frustrating to want to make a difference but to have no ability to do so.


Midland College Student Government Association, students and advisors, on the steps of the Texas Capitol Building