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SGA to push for additional school funds

By Michael C. Butz

The trip, organized by the Student Government Association, is scheduled for March 28.

The students also will meet with members of the Ohio Board of Regents as well as attend legislative sessions to better learn the legislative process.

SGA Treasurer Patrick Seamus O'Malia, one of the trip's principle organizers, said now is a good time to go.

"This is the first time in a long time that the state of Ohio has taken a serious look at what education means and how to go about funding it," O'Malia said.

"Because of the fact that Ohio is re-evaluating its position on the issues, it's a good time for us to be there," O'Malia said. "It's a window of opportunity."

According to the Ohio Board of Regents' 2005 Performance Report for Ohio Colleges and Universities, in 2005-06, tuition at four-year universities in the state was 45 percent higher than the national average ($7,941 in Ohio compared to $5,491 in the country, which makes for a difference of $2,450).

In 2003 Ohio's per capita research expenditures were only 80 percent of the national level, showed the report.

Statistics such as this point to additional problems for Ohio in the long run.

In 2003, about 23.3 percent of Ohio's adults of age 25 and older held a bachelor's degree or higher degrees or left Ohio behind the national average of 27 percent.

Also in 2003, Ohio's per capita income of $29,938 was 95 percent of the national average of $31,487 (a difference of $1,549).

The percentage of state expenditures for higher education in Ohio dropped from 16.9 percent in 1980 to 12.7 percent in 2003, according to OBOR's Web site.

Although there are a range of financial aid options available to students, according to Project on Student Debt, a nonprofit that analyzes the impact loans have on a student's ability to attend college, about two-thirds of recent graduates carry student loans and their average debt has increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade.

They also report that due to the new interest rate scheduled to take effect in July 2006, will result in payments that are 20 percent higher than the 2004-05 rates, more than doubling the total interest paid over the life of the loan.

Due to all of these factors, O'Malia feels this is an important issue for SGA to pursue on behalf of CSU students.

"This is something that really applies to everyone on campus," O'Malia said.

Still, O'Malia doesn't expect things to change overnight.

"This process will obviously take at least a year," O'Malia said. "The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly."

If SGA's efforts are successful, however, O'Malia feels that momentum will pick up around Ohio's other campuses.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop a piece of legislation that not only CSU, but all of Ohio's universities can get behind.

"If this works for Cleveland State, the next step from there is finding a bill we can support," O'Malia said. "By doing that, we pick up allies."

To assist in preparing for this trip, SGA enlisted the help of CSU's Senior Adviser to the President for Government Relations, William J. Napier.

Napier interacts with officials in Columbus to represent Cleveland State, and served as vice chancellor of OBOR for 12 years.

"Bill Napier has been a huge asset," O'Malia said.

Students who attend the trip will be required to participate in mandatory informational meetings beforehand in order to discuss appropriate attire, the proper way to address legislators and communicating clearly.

According to O'Malia, this is imperative to the success of the trip.

"The people who get the most done are the people who actually have a respect for what goes on," O'Malia said.

Students who have questions about attending the trip should contact SGA at (216) 687-2262 or csu.sga@gmail.com.

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