College cuts will hurt

Ignorance is expensive. So why aren’t we decrying the consequences of huge budget cuts to higher education that occurred in Olympia this April? Public universities were founded with the idea that there is much public benefit in an educated citizenry, but things have changed.

Watching the paradigm shift, former EWU President Stephen Jordan used to joke that university funding had eroded from state-supported to state-assisted and was approaching “state-abandoned.” His joke, funny at the time, has become an all-too-true reality.

Treat higher education as something for the elite, and it will become just that. To grapple with the problem of lost funds, Washington universities have hiked tuition 28 percent over the next two years, and that is just for now.

There may be more cost if Olympia budget cuts continue. The cost could be in lost job opportunities for our youth and ourselves, since many jobs now require a bachelor’s degree. Education is expensive, but ignorance is more expensive to our youth, ourselves and our community.

Contact Gov. Chris Gregoire at www.governor.wa.gov/contact/ default.asp. Support equal access to higher education by keeping tuition down. Tell Gov. Gregoire you oppose more cuts in the state budget to higher education.

Patricia Chambers

Spokane