If all goes according to plan, New Jersey politicians will be flooded with faxes and e-mails asking them to support funding for higher education before Gov. Jon Corzine announces his proposed 2010 budget on March 10.
As part of the Student Government Association’s campaign, "Against the Budget cuts!", SGA is urging students to visit www.njcollegepromise.com where they can send a message to their NJ state legislators, Jess Pepe, SGA president said. Legislators will receive the messages via fax and e-mail. The process takes two minutes, and she is strongly urging students ask their parents visit the website and send letters as well.
The site, developed by the external relations directors of nine NJ universities, asks NJ residents to fill in their permanent address. It then finds the relevant legislators and generates a customizable letter, which it will fax and e-mail to the legislators’ offices.
To promote the campaign the SGA plans to have laptops set up on Main Street in the student center from which students and faculty can send these letters.
They will be there Monday through Friday in March, April and early May, on the following dates, an SGA flyer states.
- Mondays: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on March 2, 9, 23, 30; and April 6, 13, 20 and 27.
- Tuesdays: 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on March 10, 24, 31; and April 7, 14, 21, 28.
- Wednesdays: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 4, 11, 25; and April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29.
- Thursdays: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on March 5, 12, 26; and April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30.
- Fridays: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on March 6, 27; April 3, 17, 24; and May 1.
Pepe spoke about this year’s campaign to fight budget cuts.
"I think it’s going to be a lot stronger than last year," she said. "I feel more confident because I have a table set up every day of the week for the month,and because of the website it will be a lot stronger," she said.
In 2008, the SGA waged an unsuccessful campaign to fight budget cuts. According to an analysis of the 2008-2009 Recommended Budget by the NJ Office of Legislative Services, the state slashed funding for state higher education services by 6.6 percent.. The state cut funding for William Paterson University by $4.1 million, down from $41.3 million in 2008, a summary of the NJ budget indicates.
The Conference
The SGA is also planning a conference to discuss ways to fight the budget cuts.
"I am looking for student leaders of NJ to come together and discuss both similar and different goals and objectives the schools have when dealing with state and federal funding," Pepe said. "I have sent out invitations to every president or advisor of every SGA in the state inviting them to join the William Paterson SGA on Sunday, April 5." Pepe said she has e-mailed more than thirty New Jersey institutes of higher education and has already heard back from Rutgers, Middlesex and Kean, among others.
The funding for the event will come from the SGA’s "conferences line," a portion of the student government’s budget designated for conferences. The last time this line was used was in June 2007.
The 'Petition Team'
More aggressive plans are in place to fight the potential budget cuts. After consulting with Pat DeDeo, director of external relations for the university, Pepe decided to form a "petition team" that would lobby individual districts. She said she has been in contact with New Jersey’s nine public institutions of higher education and Rutgers. These petition teams would target legislative offices more individually. For example, WPU’s SGA would call and schedule meetings with legislators for Districts 25, 26, 27 and 35, she said.
The Letter
Below is the letter that New Jersey College Action Network will be generating for New Jersey residents to send electronically to their legislators. NJCAN encourages senders to customize their letters and include information such as their relationship to the state university.
"I understand that right now the FY 2009-2010 state budget proposal is being prepared. As a supporter of the state colleges and universities, I believe deeply that college opportunity is important to the future of New Jersey.
Therefore, I urge that you:
--Keep tuition affordable by not making cuts in basic support to state colleges and universities;
--Increase student financial aid dollars in order to avoid further increasing students’ debt burden; and
--Invest in state college facilities to serve more students, create jobs, grow the economy, enhance student security and protect the environment.
Given the current economic crisis, access to college is more important than ever before. I support you in taking these steps to help New Jersey prosper in the years ahead."
History
The percentage of the state budget devoted to funding higher education is half what it was two decades ago, according to the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Because New Jersey colleges lack state funding, the burden of educational costs has shifted to the student. According to the NJASCU, students are now responsible for 55 percent of educational costs, up from 25 percent in 1989.
And New Jersey spends less than most other states on higher education, on both a per-capita basis and per-$1,000 income basis, 32nd and 43rd respectively, according to the NJASCU. Consequently more high school graduates in New Jersey either do not seek college degrees or go to school out of state, according to the National Center for Education Studies.
For details visit www.njcollegepromise.com.
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