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The Carrier Editorial
Elminating GTEG harms students, college and state
Georgia’s proposed budget
for the coming year says one
thing to Georgia residents in
private institutions: you can
fend for yourselves.
If Gov. Sonny Perdue’s pro-
posed budget passes the state
legislature, the Georgia Tuition
Equilization Grant would be
completely eliminated.
For more than 30 years the
GTEG has assisted students
wishing to pursue a private
college education. It is the only
scholarship given to students
in Georgia that is neither need-
based nor merit-based. More
than 400 Berry students rely on
the GTEG as their only source
of state tuition aid. Eliminat-
ing this program would leave
these students, and thousands
of other young Georgians, with
no monetary support from the
state.
The main argument for
removing GTEG is the current
economic crisis. The budget
and finance committee seem to
think that it is a small and rea-
sonable action to stop providing
private college students with
the meager $600 a year that the
GTEG affords. They argue that
this cut, which will save the
state $29 million, is a necessary
sacrifice in turbulent economic
waters, even citing their cut of
state institution funding by 10
percent.
What they fail to realize is
that, while they are eliminating
a small amount of funding for
public college students, they are
doing away with 100 percent of
the funding they give to public
college students.
Another consequence of this
cut is the effect it will have on
enrollment at private colleges
and universities. It stands to
reason that a high school senior
choosing between a private
school, where he will receive no
tuition aid from the state, and a
public school, where the major-
ity of his tuition would be subsi-
The Carrier editorial reflects a consensus of the The Carrier’s editorial board.
the CARRIER
Berry College
Recipient of Georgia College
Press Association’s Senior
College General Excellence
Award, 1988-1998, 2000-2002, 2004
Campus Carrier
490520 Berry College
Mt. Berry, GA 30149
(706) 236-2294
E-mail: campus_carrier@berry.edu
Opinions January 28, 2010
dized, would most likely choose
the latter.
So, in a sense, the state is put-
ting private colleges and univer-
sities at an unfair disadvantage
in their competition with public
universities for students. The
elimination of GTEG is a pro-
verbial slap in the face of Geor-
gia’s private institutions. But, if
economics is their true concern,
they should consider increasing
the GTEG and not eliminating
it.
Increasing the GTEG would
encourage more students to
consider attending private col-
my first class. Though walking to go with the devil on your shoul-
leges and universities, thereby
decreasing the number of stu- Tristan Harrison class is tempting in order to save der and park in an off- limits, but
Asst. Features Editor gas, I live in the Ford building sickeningly tempting faculty spot.
dents in the state university
and at 8 a.m. in January, the walk If you go with option A, student
system.
is quite terrifying. Needless to say, parking, you end up soaking wet
It costs the state around
I usually opt to drive. and late. If you chose option B, the
$1,000 dollars to educate a stu-
Berry College offers many In a perfect world, I would faculty spot, you will most likely
dent in a private university. It
unique and enticing benefits to its park my car and stylishly strut have a ticket waiting on your
costs them nearly 10 times that
students. From the deer to the on- to class, arriving a few minutes windshield when class lets out.
amount to educate a public uni-
campus work program, students early to touch up my make-up I personally have faced this
versity student. So why not use
can look forward to having a one- and prepare for the upcoming debate of good and evil many
your money more wisely now in
of-a-kind experience while earn- lesson. I am instead, forced to mornings and can personally
order to decrease the financial
ing their degree. wait impatiently for an unavail- testify that it gets the day off to
burden in the state university
However, one thing prospec- able spot behind the Cage Center, a rotten start. On the flip side, I
system in the long run?
tive students will not be able to which is an unattractive distance am all for supporting alternative
Eliminating the GTEG hurts
find here at Berry is a decent, or from my first class in the Green methods of transportation. Walk-
students, private universities
even moderately opportune, park- building. After staking my prized ing, carpooling and taking the bus
and even the state itself. But
ing situation. While the number of parking spot, I must continue the are all wonderful ways to travel
there is still time to ensure that
Berry students far surpasses the journey to Green on foot, often in cheap and stay green. However, I
the GTEG remains in the bud-
number of faculty and staff (there heels. To make matters worse, my don’t have much faith in the Berry
get for the upcoming academic
are only 671 names listed on the walk to Green is no simple walk College bus. Its stopping times are
year. As students, we are most
faculty/staff portion of the direc- in the park. Instead, about half- hit and miss, and I’ve personally
directly affected by this cut. It is
tory) there are hardly any reason- way there, I encounter a muddy witnessed it leave prospective
our responsibility to make our
ably located student parking lots, and disastrous construction zone, passengers waiting helpless and
voices heard and let state legis-
but a plethora of off-limits faculty which was apparently supposed forlorn at the bus stop.
lators know that this proposal
spaces. Something should be done. to be completed eons ago. A lot of these issues could be
would have drastically nega-
As paying students, we should be Finally, my cute outfit marred avoided if proper student park-
tive effects on more than 30,000
able to park in a class-convenient with mud and my arms about ing were provided. Is it not pos-
Georgia college students.
area, without the threat of a petty to snap, I make it to Green and sible for the students and teach-
Take advantage of oppor-
$25 ticket lurking in the future. climb the three flights of stairs to ers to park together in harmony?
tunities on campus to contact
Aside from the trivial fine, the my economics classroom, where I I mean, hey, the deer and cows
your legislator. Tell your par-
indirect repercussions of the hor- sit, tired and often irritable, until do it. Boasting more than 26,000
ents, friends and family to peti-
rible student parking are endless, the next round of a tortuous class acres of land, why is it that Berry
tion legislators on your behalf.
as a typical day in my life here at commute.  College has not provided its stu-
While $600 may not seem like
Berry clearly demonstrates. I often As students, we are often stuck dents with convenient, accessible
much to the governor, it is of
intend to wake up an hour or so between a rock and a hard place. places to park? I highly doubt I’d
vital importance to students at
before class to get ready, prepare Parking dilemmas are no excep- be the lone ranger in my apprecia-
private colleges like this one.
for class and relax, although this tion. Say, for example, you have tion if things were to change. Berry
You can locate your state leg-
rarely happens. Instead, my typi- five minutes to get to a class and College should slam the brakes
islator by visiting georgia.gov.
cal morning consist of hitting the on top of that, it’s pouring down on their current parking situation
snooze button too many times, rain. You can either park in the and swing into a new gear.
and sleeping until I’m forced out designated (far from everything)
of bed with only 20 minutes until student parking lot, or you can
Kyler Post
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Tristan Harrison
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