{"104521":{"#nid":"104521","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Students Rally for State Investment in Education","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAlina Staskevicius\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nUndergraduate Student Body President\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs you have undoubtedly heard, the state of Georgia legislature faces the difficult task of balancing the overall state budget. In a time when the state is experiencing a tax revenue shortfall exceeding $1 billion, there is little doubt that the amount of state funds Georgia Tech receives in fiscal year 2011 (which begins July 1, 2010) will decrease even more than it has in the past two years. Fewer state funds can translate into a decrease in Georgia Tech\u00e2\u0080\u0099s overall budget - and thus fewer campus services and resources available to students, larger class sizes, lesser course availability - and\/or increased furloughs for faculty\/staff and increased tuition for students. As students, we recognize that Georgia Tech is highly likely to see additional budget cuts due to the tax revenue shortfall; however, we believe that those cuts should be proportional to the amount allocated from the state budget to Tech in fiscal year 2010.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs students, we have drafted letters and emails, and held meetings with decision-makers within the legislature to make sure that our voices are heard. Along with members of other universities and colleges in Georgia, we rallied at the state Capitol on March 15. I believe that we have truly conveyed that legislators should invest in our education because a more educated populace means more jobs and more dollars in Georgia.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOur student priorities include the following:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Enabling Tech students to adhere to reasonable graduation timelines;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Remaining competitive on a national and global scale;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Maintaining access and affordability to Georgia and non-Georgia state residents; and\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Attracting and keeping esteemed faculty who significantly contribute to Tech\u00e2\u0080\u0099s reputation. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe budget cuts as proposed would adversely and drastically impact the previously stated priorities. We respectfully urge legislators to find new sources of revenue to preserve the vision of public higher education - an investment in the state\u00e2\u0080\u0099s future. By identifying new revenue sources, the state can maintain its investment and sustain the quality of public higher education. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on the state\u0027s budget challenges and the potential impact on Georgia Tech, please visit the Budget Update Web site \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/budgetupdate\u0022\u003Ewww.gatech.edu\/budgetupdate\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"As you have undoubtedly heard, the state of Georgia legislature faces the difficult task of balancing the overall state budget. In a time when the state is experiencing a tax revenue shortfall exceeding $1 billion, there is little doubt that the amount of state funds Georgia Tech receives in fiscal year 2011 (which begins July 1, 2010) will decrease even more than it has in the past two years. Fewer state funds can translate into a decrease in Georgia Tech\u00e2\u0080\u0099s overall budget \u00e2\u0080\u0022 and thus fewer campus services and resources available to students, larger class sizes, lesser course availability \u00e2\u0080\u0022 and\/or increased furloughs for faculty\/staff and increased tuition for students. As students, we recognize that Georgia Tech is highly likely to see additional budget cuts due to the tax revenue shortfall; however, we believe that those cuts should be proportional to the amount allocated from the state budget to Tech in fiscal year 2010.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Shortfall in state budget may cause decrease in Tech\u0027s budget."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2010-04-06 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:29","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-04-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2010-04-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"719","name":"CRC"},{"id":"1766","name":"final exams"},{"id":"21931","name":"healthy habits"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EParents Program\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=rpocklington3\u0022\u003EContact Rachael Pocklington\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-3920\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rachael.pocklington@vpss.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}