Your Right to Higher Education and Our State Economy

Under Fire
• The Arizona State Legislature has proposed cuts to the University System that would total nearly $243
million, or approximately one-quarter of the entire budget, with a total reduction of $388 million in
Fiscal Year 2010.

• Such a cut would be absolutely devastating to the University system which, if passed, would require
elimination of Colleges, thousands of lay-offs and radical hikes in tuition that could easily exceed
100%.

• Business leaders have stated in the Arizona Board of Regents meeting that this would severely harm
the local economy and compromise their ability to successfully conduct business in this state.

What could this mean for you?

• If you’re an undergraduate: decreased class offerings and more difficulty finding the classes you
need, fewer financial aid options, extreme increases in tuition, slower time-to-degree, larger class sizes,
fewer books in the library, decreasing campus maintenance, fewer departments and major options, the
loss of valuable faculty members, loss of extracurricular programs, fewer jobs on campus, less access to
technology, less advising, and loss of prestige of the university, making your degree worth less.

• If you’re a graduate student: fewer teaching and research opportunities, significantly higher tuition,
less financial aid and financial support from departments, much larger classes and heavier teaching
loads, fewer class offerings, eliminated programs and departments, less advising, loss of faculty, and
decreasing prestige of the university, making your degree worth less.

• If you’re an alum: decreased value of your degree as the school’s reputation suffers and less
opportunity for your family members to also attend a state school.

• If you’re a business owner: fewer chances to work with the university on construction and innovation
projects, fewer qualified employees to choose from, fewer clients and customers as students and faculty
leave or are laid off, more foreclosures and a softer housing market and less tourism.

• If you’re an employee: decreased benefits, declining services and maintenance of the university,
layoffs, pay cuts, a ‘climate of fear’, increasing parking and other costs, less support from
administration and fewer jobs available.

• If you’re a member of the community: fewer opportunities for you and your children to get a college
degree, decreasing quality of education in the state, fewer outreach programs and services, less
spending on construction projects, less access to research and innovation, fewer services in the library,
fewer performances and exhibits, and massive job loss for the community.

Extreme cuts have not only been proposed for universities. Cuts to K-12 funding have also been
added. Arizona is already 49th in the country for elementary and secondary public school funding.
 The Arizona Legislature will be voting on these cuts very soon.
It is urgent that we act now!

What can you do?

• Contact your elected officials as soon as possible.

• Tell them that you vote on education issues and that you care about the future of education and
employment in the State of Arizona.

• Join students and members of the community in protest. Do not let education die in our state.

Arizona Board of Regents:

http://www.abor.asu.edu/

Arizona State Legislature:

http://www.azleg.gov/

Arizona's Governor:
http://azgovernor.gov/

House Appropriations Committee

Chairman: John Kavanagh jkavanagh@azleg.gov (602) 926-5170
Vice Chairman: Andy Biggs abiggs@azleg.gov (602) 926-4371

Senate Appropriations Committee

Chairman: Russell Pearce rpearce@azleg.gov (602) 926-5760
Vice Chairman: Al Melvin amelvin@azleg.gov (602) 926- 4326

Senate: http://www.azsenate.gov/
House: http://www.azhouse.gov/

At the National Level:

Senator John McCain: http://mccain.senate.gov/public/

Senator John Kyl: http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Representative Raúl Grijalva: http://grijalva.house.gov/
Representative Gabrielle Giffords: http://giffords.house.gov/

Who is willing to fight for the quality of education in the State of Arizona?

• Graduate and Professional Student Council: http://www.gpsc.arizona.edu/

• Associated Students of the University of Arizona: http://asua.arizona.edu/

Do not allow Arizona to lose access to quality higher education. The effects of these decisions will
be felt for decades.

Follow this process and learn more about what you can do at:
sallygradstudent.blogspot.com