Dear Towson University community,
As our Nation and State continue to weather through this unstable economic climate, our policymakers must ensure that higher education is kept affordable for all students, especially those who come from low-income and middle-income families. While the Governor and the General Assembly have made tough decisions to keep cuts to higher education budgets as minimal as possible, there is no question that these cuts have had drastic impacts on the University System of Maryland (USM) and the 180,000 students who attend USM institutions.
The Senate Budget Committee proposed a $5 million cut to the USM budget, and this week, the House Appropriations Committee is proposing to cut nearly $20 million from the USM budget. What does that mean for you? That means higher tuition and fees, less financial aid and scholarships, further delays in construction of much needed academic buildings and residence halls, and fewer course offerings. That means thousands of dollars more of student loans and lesser opportunities for many Maryland families. While budget cuts are necessary during this unstable fiscal climate, budget cuts of this magnitude could be detrimental to the State?s future and Maryland?s national leadership in ensuring access to affordable and quality higher education.
The University System of Maryland Student Council, which is composed of representatives from all USM institutions, is asking you to take action and urge your legislators to oppose these drastic cuts. This will only take less than 5 minutes of your time but your participation is crucial in ensuring that legislators know that such cuts would have negative effects on making education affordable. Go to: {http://capwiz.com/usmd/issues/alert/?alertid=61099101&PROCESS=Take+Action} . You may insert language from the Talking Points which appear on the right hand side or write your own message to legislators. Faculty, staff, university presidents, and other higher education stakeholders are uniting to express opposition to these cuts. I hope you will join us in this effort.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via {emmanuelwelsh@gmail.com}
Sincerely,
Emmanuel Welsh
Chairman, Student Council
University System of Maryland
