ATLANTA -- State officials have their choice of two messages from student groups that converged Monday on the Capitol to protest possible cuts to higher education.
One group, wearing business suits and speaking in soft tones, called for a modest increase in tuition to help address the state's budget shortfall.
"We're not against a tuition increase," said Katie Barlow, student government president at the University of Georgia, standing inside the lobby of the Capitol. "... Our tuition is low compared to our peer and aspirational institutions."
The other group, clad in jeans and chanting in bullhorns, opposed any tuition increases, calling instead for an increase in income taxes for those earning more than $400,000.
The groups agreed on a $1-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes and in their opposition to increases in student fees, which aren't covered by the HOPE Scholarship.
Outside, 500 or so students chanted and held homemade signs with slogans like "raise hell, not tuition."
"Raising taxes is better in some respects," said Stuy Lewis, a student at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. "If we raise taxes, then everybody pays -- people who are going to school and people who are not going to school. The goal would be to get as many people a higher education as we possibly can."
After their rally, the jean-wearing students paraded to a nearby park to chant some more. The suit-wearing students, the heads of the student governments at about half the 35 public colleges in Georgia, prepared for an afternoon meeting with House Speaker David Ralston and to sit in on a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee that writes the House version of the budget.
"We want a seat at the table," Barlow said.
Ha! Wait until they go to work and reality sets in. I remember my college days, I was dumb as a rock. Its good that they want to voice their opinion, but it is what it is. The well has run dry!
Well you know what they say... the squeaky wheel gets the oil. They are the ones most vocally and publicly decrying their sentiment so they may be the ones to get heard and get their budget cuts reduced, whereas those of us in the work force can't not show up for work and go to Atlanta to protest so our voices are not being heard. Maybe we (the work force) should do that too (go protest in the streets) or we are going to find the budget ax coming our way & swinging away from the educational programs and more heavily over to the work force and we are going to get laid off.
"Raising taxes is better in some respects," said Stuy Lewis, a student at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. "If we raise taxes, then everybody pays -- He/She has that right. They yearn for socialism. They want others to pay for them. Here is a thought......have your parent(s) save for your education, work while in high school to save for your education, get a job, and get a loan. Ahhhh....personal responsibility or just tax everybody else?
I'm glad to see today's youth get fired up about something. I only wish it wasn't about spending more of my tax dollars.
And with all due respect Stuy Lewis, please refrain from commenting on tax increases until you've had a few years in the work force. Your perspective will change.
ha-ha Baron, we both railed on Stuy at the same time. His real problem is his socialist professors - rampant in higher education institutions.
We shouldn't be too hard on Stuy. I can't imagine what his tax bill will be in the yrs to come as his generations pays off (or maybe not) the ridiculous debt this generation has laid on him.
ha-ha he has NO idea.....unfortunately my kids will have the same one :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw
This video says it all - "Stupid in America"
The more money spent on education, the more stupid the grads become.
Shouting in bullhorns, and yelling to raise income taxes! Sound familiar? Obama, Pelosi, and Reed would be proud.
Newsflash: Most of use who are in college are working, we pay taxes and vote. It's called public education for a reason. If students had to pay for every bit of it it wouldn't be public would it. BTW, if you want to stop paying taxes, get off my publicly funded roads, stop hunting in my publicly funded parks and forests, and stop using my publicly funded fire and police services. Not to mention our publicly funded military that works hard so you can sit in your A/C'd house counting ways to take form us who are just trying to work our way up the ladder.
To a certain person...its sad to hear that you are such a square that you obviously have no opinions and your comment shows how weak you are to conformity.
To the rest of YOU PEOPLE...you all obviously are not college students, nor probably have had the opportunity to obtain a higher education, nor have children that have the opportunity, so you all wouldn't understand the value of education OUTSIDE of the extrinsic values of a degree. We won't even go there, but THINK, if they start cutting at the top (ie. universities) then they will, undoubtably, cut at the bottom ( ie. early childhood programs OR WHAT YOU CALL "DAYCARE")...THE ONES YOUR PRESCHOOLERS GET TO ATTEND FOR FREE WILL EVENTUALLY BE CUT. I am absolutely appalled to see that YOU PEOPLE are not standing behind the most revolutionary group of people. Just imagine a bunch of [filtered word] off college students...the possibilities are endless. These students that are raising hell, are trying to make a livelyhood and have been in these programs, spending time and money, with only 1 year till graduation and these "suits" want to black ball them. Looks like YOU ALL need a little education yourselves.
You all sound like you would rather spend tax money to restore your credit so you can charge it up and get yourselves in debt, rather then invest into the best path for creating JOBS which is EDUCATION!
wcrissma You are quite an angry individual to randomly hurl insults at everyone and you are so off base I don't even know where to start. And I'll keep this factual, not personal.
Some of us who post here have degrees - quite advanced ones at that, some don't have any college at all. Many of us, myself included, have kids or grandchildren in or about to go to college. So, yes, we are affected, believe it or not.
What most of us share is a love of country, a desire for less government control and hope for a governmental balanced budget - all something certain groups of people seem to be missing and for some reason don't want.
What we do know is that there is no more money to spend. The money is gone. The taxpayers are broke and so is the government. What part of that don't some of you understand? If you make $50,000, you cannot spend $70,000. No matter how bad you want to, it is a losing model. You will eventually go bankrupt. That my folks, is where we are at as a state and as a nation.
The government needs to cut at the top, middle & bottom of every program, not just education, everything. Wake up & smell the coffee. The "New Normal" is here.
Okay well you need to go present your logic to Mr. Obama...if we are going to spend "money" on something, especially money you say we DONT have then...would you rather FORD, GM, or UGA get it? How about Sallie May or KSU? THINK! You need to re-read my arguement bc it is quite ON topic and you forgot to include your "facts".
So, if you children and grandchildren will be afftected why not stand behind these young people? Tax money is MEANT to be spent!!! SO SPEND IT ON EDUCATION!!!
It is sad that everyone is melting in this pot of conformity...it makes me sick....the new "normal"....HA! you need to wake up and drink some coffee, then maybe you can make change...just like these students are doing.
Actually I would rather neither of them get the money. I would like for you and I, the taxpayers, to keep their money rather than it being taken from us and given to someone else like GM or UGA who are perfectly capable of raising tuition or selling more cars to make ends meet.
I completely comply with that...but "our" gov't sees fit otherwise. WE MUST STAND FOR SOMETHING! Honestly, being a college student today, I'd still rather see the money go to our troops...just sayin...
It amazes me to see your cries for independence but heavy undertones for support. You yearn for someone else to cover the cost of your education because you feel that you are entitled to it. Maybe so, but lets consider. Have you ever made less than an A on a test, have you ever made a B on a report card, have you ever skipped a day of class? If you answer no to those questions, then, I applaud you as you do and are truly taking advantage of what’s provided. However, knowing that this is not the case, I say you have failed. You have failed not only yourself but all those from which you demand support. Yet, you still demand that others pay for something that benefits you yet you brush it aside without the upmost concern. If you wish to raise taxes to pay for education, then I say that the minimum academic standing to be enrolled be raised. If you expect more form the general populous should it not coincide with them expecting more from you? I am a college student; I work full time to pay my bills, and I expect to and pay for my own tuition. It seems that the cries from my piers these days are everyone else should pay for what will be mine. We cannot support the good of the minority at the cost and ailment of the majority for this is morally backwards.
You're a college student and you don't even know what the heck your PEERS are standing against...c'est dommage. These students don't want HANDOUTS!!! What do you think tuition is for??? And if you check, these schools that are a part of the Univeristy System of GA are state-funded schools, and our lovely USGA decides how to allocate our state funds. So if you read the article again, these people's PROGRAMS are at threat, not their financial aid. These people are being threatened with the costs that the state originally "thought" they could maintain.
And to say that I've failed those that I demand support? You have failed your fellow CLASSMATES! You accuse them of being selfish and prideful. Even worse, you accuse them of hipocracy and generalize the majority according to the slack minority. I am appalled that we have ideas like this alive in our generation which cause those to fail to realize the importance for this protest. You have failed your future generations. And your poetic "If you expect more form the general populous should it not coincide with them expecting more from you?", what the heck does that mean? The general populous doesn't expect NADA from me! WHY? BECAUSE THEY EXPECT IT FROM THE SAME PLACE I DO! THE GOV'T! I'm not taking it...they are. Look at Richmond and Columbia County schools...who taxes their citizens more?...CC....And who has a better school system?...CC! Why!? Because the students reflect the money spent by their gov't on education...savvy-vous?
Your story isn't uncommon...and what does missing class one day have anything to do with what myself, my family, and my friends have all paid for? You're working fulltime to pay bills and tuition, so you def. don't even meet the standards for being taxed...you're in a winning situation...if that WERE the case. You say you work to pay for your education?? Well if they cut our school's funds and raise tuition...you'll be paying for more than just your education. Is that fair? Who's to judge what anyone is entitled to? I say EVERYONE!!
The course you chose to take in your rebuttal interest me as only the last paragraph is on topic. The rest seems to be a mislead attack with perhaps an attempt to anger or exact some un-warranted revenge. However, let me make my point clear. I am against a tax increase and I am against any cut in education. Thus, tuition increases and cuts in frivolous spending would seem to be the obvious options. Correct, I may not make enough to fall into the subject tax bracket but this lends haste to my point. Very few if any college students will fall into this bracket. Thus, an increase in tax is asking someone else to pay directly for your benefit as the tax increase wouldn’t hinder you in any way. And, No, I don’t want to pay anymore then I have to for my education; however, I am willing to do what it takes to get it. If that means paying more, then so be it. Remember, no one is forcing you to get a college education. It is something you want. If you don’t like the price then go elsewhere.
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