Union College Students Rally Against State Education Cuts

Union College students join other college students to lobby House and Senate Representatives on educational funding. From left to right: Union Admission Counselor Jaclyn Jones, student Ricky Ball, Sen. Robert Stivers, student Lakita Hampton, student Kalyn Hampton, student Jennifer Church and President Ed. de Rosset.

Union College students join forces with college students from other private institutions from around the Commonwealth to lobby against proposed educational funding cuts.

Sisters Lakita Hampton and Kaylen Hampton, along with student Ricky Ball attended the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities' (AIKCU) Lobby Day event at the State Capital during the recent General Assembly. All three students met and discussed the impact of proposed education funding cuts with State and House Representatives from across the state.

Like 98% of Union students who receive assistance in some form at the college, the Hampton sisters and Ball used the opportunity to tell their personal stories. Both the Hampton sisters and Ball said they wouldn't have been able to attend college anywhere without state aid.

Union students rely on state aid programs. In fact, 64% of students attending Union College receive assistance from state aid programs like the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), the College Access Program (CAP) and Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG). Education cuts in the budget would mean less available resources for students who depend on this funding.

Recent reports indicate that Governor Ernie Fletcher has submitted his proposed $14.9 billion spending plan to the Appropriations and Revenue Committee for mark-up. The committee met behind closed doors to address the budget concerns. Several representatives, along with Rep. Bob Damron of Nicholasville, the vice chairman of Appropriations and Revenue have indicated the need to increase the proposed budget figures for education. However, with a $300 million budget shortage, the committee will be hard-pressed to fill the gaping hole in educational funding.

March 5, 2004

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