Students rally at state Capitol to call for higher ed funding

About 600 march in Denver to call attention to crisis

Students march Wednesday afternoon toward the Capitol, where several hundred rallied to urge state lawmakers to support funding for higher education. Photo by Cynthia Pasquale

By Cynthia Pasquale

About 600 college students from throughout Colorado marched Wednesday, March 3, from the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus in Denver to the state Capitol to call attention to the need for higher education funding.

Students from the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Metropolitan State College and others gathered on the west steps of the Capitol to "let the people in this building know that higher education is the future," said Andrew Bateman, president of the Associated Students of Colorado and student body president of Metropolitan State College.

While each student who spoke was from a different campus, they echoed the same theme: Students, parents and the future of the state will be affected if higher education is not a priority.

"I was just inside meeting with legislators," said Jack Kroll, student body president at the University of Colorado Denver. "If they want to make this a great state, we need to fund our education. Let's make sure that come next year, we are in school."

Students carrying signs and shouting "save our schools" filled the Capitol steps as lawmakers looked down from balconies above. "If higher ed was a bank, they would have saved it already," read one sign; another: "We Are the Students. Invest in Us."

One student from Colorado State University challenged legislators: "Are you going to be our allies or are you going to be accomplices?"

Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, asked the students to "stand with me to ensure you're not just here today. Colorado voters need to know that we need real higher education for the future. Direct your anger and your frustration to the ballot box."

When Middleton said that legislation that would boost funding for higher ed might not happen this year, many in the crowd booed.

"We don't want to wait until next year," Bateman said. "We need a long-term solution so we don't have to do this every year."

Bateman also said student groups support the general concept of tuition flexibility. A task force appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter is considering a recommendation that would allow colleges and universities to set their own tuition in an effort to help fund the institutions.

Currently, only 3.3 percent of the University of Colorado's funding comes from the state.

Ritter hopes a recommendation from the task force will be on his desk this week.

But Bateman said, "We will not support the Legislature's deferring the issue of tuition to the institutions. We will not let them pass the buck. If tuition goes up, it is (legislators') fault."