Higher education budget a bust

Governor Chris Christie wants to artificially cap tuition increases in New Jersey four-year public colleges at 4 percent. This is one of the few good things that comes out of Christie’s higher education budget. If approved by the Legislature, the spending plan would follow $62 million in mid-year budget cuts. Together, the cuts would likely result in tuition increases, fewer new faculty hires and cuts to several scholarship programs.

The budget cuts Christie proposes against higher education goes against his original promises on the campaign trail that are detailed on his Web site. Christie states on his own Web site, in a list of 88 ways he plans on fixing New Jersey, that he wants to provide grants to public colleges that offer curriculum in the wind and solar energy industry, as well as for teacher certification programs. Yet now that he is facing the reality of a budget gap of $11 billion, he needs to make some decisions that will affect higher education.

According to the proposed budget as listed in “N.J. colleges brace for more cuts,” an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer, funding for state colleges such as Rowan is set to decrease by 17.7 percent, with county colleges suffering 8.6 percent losses and financial aid for students decreasing by 4.9 percent. Community colleges will already be losing money through the budget and this program is not going to be helping students who choose to go to community college first. Rowan University President Dr. Donald Farish is quoted in the article, saying that he is against the budget and that it would set back the state’s higher education at least four years. “The state is, in essence, ever-so-gradually extracting itself from its historic commitment to creating affordable, high-quality education,” Farish said. How can we, as students of Rowan, support a budget that the president of our own college doesn’t even support?

If you are at Rowan on a NJ STARS scholarship, be prepared to have to pay some extra money and find another way to afford college. While Christie is proposing an increase in state aid, there simply may not be enough money to fund the program. The scholarships for those students are currently under review. If you are in the EOF program, prepare for cuts in student funding. While its understandable that the state’s budget needs fixing, Christie’s proposal is going to hurt seniors in high school and college students tremendously. Rowan’s EOF Web site clearly states in large typeface that Christie’s proposed budget will cut the program by 8.7 percent.

We understand Christie’s intentions as he is trying to solve a consistent problem. Yet as college students, we are the ones who will ultimately suffer. We are the ones who will not be able to afford school. We will have more student loans to pay off after graduation because there may not be enough financial aid.

This budget might be good for the state, but no good can come to Rowan through these proposed education cuts.