As Alex Sinn mentioned in the article “Show us the money,” Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas has recently appeared before the state legislature in Lansing to request more funding. Student Senate President Andrew Plague accompanied him to show his support for the cause.

It may seem odd that we need more funding, as students look around and see the plethora of construction projects on campus. But the university needs help in order to sustain itself. We know that GVSU performs well academically and has seen a steady increase in enrollment for the past three consecutive semesters. It should be rewarded for these accomplishments. However, Haas said our university is the only public university in the state that has received declining state funding in the past 30 years.

Our university not only receives the lowest amount in the whole state, but it also receives less than others of comparable size. In the fall of 2014, GVSU had around 25,000 students enrolled, while Central Michigan University had 24,000 students. You’d think we’d receive similar amounts, but this is not the case. During 2014-2015, GVSU got $2,835 per students, and CMU got $3,647. The state average is $5,079. Though both of these are lower than the average, GVSU still sits at the bottom of the ladder.

It is important that GVSU students, faculty and staff take part in encouraging our Michigan state representatives and senators to support our university. An opportunity for this will take place on April 16, when students can determine who their representatives are and send emails to them. 

However, students do not need to wait for April 16 to contact their representatives. To find the names of your specific legislators, visit www.bit.ly/findyourmilegislator. Once you find your representatives, the Lanthorn encourages you to exercise your voice as a Michigan constituent and send an email to your legislators. 

Why should you do this? It’s really quite simple. The amount of funding GVSU receives from the state legislature directly relates to how much you as a student have to pay in tuition and other fees.

The average loan debt GVSU graduates faced in 2013 was $29,492. In the future, this number could decrease if we received more funds from the state. College students and their families already have a lot of costs to worry about. More funds means less burdens.

For the vast majority of the time, the state legislature doesn’t get much attention; the focus of the politically-minded tends to be on a more national level. However, this is a case in which contacting your local legislator could directly affect your life.