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Printer-Friendly ModePersistence, creative solutions needed to keep grads in Mich.
The Vanguard Vision
February 8, 2010 —
When the news arrived that students across the state, including 1,400 on our own campus, were saddled with a broken Michigan Promise that zapped $4,000 of government aid for college into nothing, it wasn’t surprising to see students upset over the loss.
Even when SVSU stepped in to cover the first $500 installment, there still was (and still is) unrest over the absent $3,500.
Now, even months later, college students have not agreed to let bygones be bygones. At Gov. Granholm’s final State of the State address, hundreds demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the Michigan government’s lack of initiative to create a budget that restores the scholarship. According to SVSU’s Student Association, hundreds more will return to Lansing in March with a declaration authored by Michigan college students.
What is impressive to us is to see so many students, many of whom are on the brink of graduation, still showing a vested interest in state politics and promoting support for higher education.
Granholm gave her eighth address Wednesday. It may not be inaccurate to say that many college students were unaware of the previous seven. We don’t intend to wag a finger of shame with this speculation, but rather we see that although students are hurting for funds promised to them when they were in high school, the results of the government’s actions have catapulted higher education into a position where it is an issue of focus in the state.
The state of the economy has made it increasingly difficult for students to avoid racking up large debts to pay for college, even at the most affordable universities and community colleges.
The national unemployment rate continues to hover around 10 percent, and the teenage unemployment rate is nearly triple that at 27.1, according to recent statistics. In this environment, toiling away for an entire summer to pay for the next semester of school is no longer the reliable cushion it once was. Even some of the smartest, hardest working college students are running into barriers and accumulating debt that pushes financial stability years further down the road.
By combining as a unified front known as the student voice, legislators are more likely to consider the risks involved with allowing college graduates to be the biggest export in the state.
The college-age group isn’t typically the population that votes, which gives legislators a reason to focus their attention elsewhere. But without educated individuals sticking around to fill jobs, the state will continue to suffer. It’s our duty to make sure we stay on the radar, reminding our government officials that we are a long-term asset and must be a priority.
A central message of Granholm’s speech was creating jobs one way or another. The term “economic diversification” was also key. It’s clear to us that balancing the budget is a complex task to say the least. However, we know that change is imminent, that the heyday of the auto industry has come and gone.
Granholm highlights clean energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, film, tourism and homeland security and defence as sectors worth investing in. We don’t expect a wealth of jobs to appear overnight, but it’s time we start raising our expectations for what we want to see soon.
We need a budget that helps propel Michigan in the right direction, and we’re on the right track convincing legislators that those who have a college education are the ones who will steer us in this direction in the near future.