Last week Associated Student Government passed a piece of legislation that could drastically affect the state of the Kansas University.
Resolution Concerning Support of Funding For Higher Education SR 09005 is a resolution originated by ASG President Jonathan Krueger and sponsored by Senator Bo Moddelmog at the Jan. 21 meeting of ASG last Thursday.
The resolution outlined the current state of the economic disinvestment of universities by the Kansas government over the last two decades. The resolution goes on to stress the ever-growing importance of a college education in today’s job market.
It contains some impressive figures (state university budgets have been cut by 78 million dollars over the last year) and some interesting statistics (2 out of every 3 undergrads will now graduate with student loan debt, the average being around $23,186).
But what is most note-worthy about the resolution is not how it addresses the problem, but how it addresses a solution. The resolution decrees that ESU must team up with the Emporia Chamber of Commerce to combat the threat of a shrinking university budget. By joining forces, the resolution states, the institutions can “publicly express its support for reversing the downward trend in state higher education funding”.
A teaming up of the community and the university? Yes! Finally! Talk about an idea that’s way overdue. We’ve been advocating a stronger relationship between campus and community for years!
The school is filled with students with money to spend on food and entertainment, and the town is full of businesses dying for customers. Why aren’t they just solving each other’s problems?
Emporia used to have a rich, thriving relationship with the Emporia community. Back in the 70s this city was the ideal college town. But as the local economy began to whither, both the school and local businesses began to narrow their focus inward, thus breaking that pivotal relationship. It is only through the rebuilding of this cycle that we can expect to see financial growth, throughout our town and the state.
We would love to see a strong relationship rebuilt between the community and the campus. Imagine the results – local businesses getting the customers they need not only to stay open, but to thrive. This will grant them the freedoms to expand, to try new things and to appeal more to their college-age audiences. We could see a sprouting of new businesses and products that we as college students will really want, instead of having to drive out of town to get them.
The current state of the Kansas budget is dire, to say the least. We all, students, politicians and teachers alike, understand that there will never be enough money to go around to everyone.
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