The Capitol Building--Lansing, MI
Just two years ago, I decided to attend Kalamazoo College, a small liberal arts school with big opportunities and a big price tag to go with it. While the average cost of attendance hovered just below $40,000 these past two years, grants from the college and my Michigan Promise scholarship have allowed me to attend “K” with minimal student loans.
With my stepbrother headed to school soon and a new baby brother at home, financial aid isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifesaver. Unfortunately, the state Senate failed to recognize the burdens facing me and many other Michigan students when they voted to eliminate the “Promise.”
The fact of the matter is that nearly 100,000 Michigan students rely on the “Promise” to defray the rising cost of tuition, room and board, textbooks and other fees. The state of Michigan created the “Promise” in 2006 to emphasize the need to increase the number of college graduates, and as of the last time I looked, that need has not gone away. In fact, one of the messages that resonated from the recent National Summit at the Renaissance Center was the need for a highly skilled and educated workforce. As Michigan continues to work toward a diversified economic base, education is the centerpiece of the 21st century economy we need to pull us out of the current recession and toward a prosperous future.
Cutting the “Promise” is not only cruel to those who rely on it most, it is shortsighted. If Michigan is going to move forward, the state must foster educational programs that produce the best minds in the world. We cannot hold on to our young people if we provide no incentive for them to stay in Michigan.
As students, we are always told that we are the future. Our state legislators need to reflect on what they are doing and realize they are putting Michigan’s future at risk.
The fight to “Keep Our Promises” has continued well into the summer. On July 15, the MSU College Democrats hosted a rally with Lieutenant Governor John Cherry, and in just a few days the SVSU Dems will host a similar event. If you could not make it up to Lansing for the MSU event, there is some great video footage posted on YouTube. If you’re on facebook, be sure to follow the developments of the “Keep Our Promises” campaign by visiting http://facebook.com/keepourpromises.
Alexander Morgan blogs regularly at http://abmichigan.blogspot.com/.
