This February 1, students from community colleges across Washington state converge on the capitol in Olympia to send lawmakers there a message: stop defunding our future.

The recent cuts to the state budget in the wake of a huge shortfall have taken their toll on higher education, and Pierce students are feeling the pinch; tuition went up by $400 last year, and it could go even higher following another round of budget cuts.

Students from Pierce were joined by students from TCC and others, carrying banners, signs (“Don’t cut the solution,”), and even a cardboard cutout of President Obama.

On the steps and in the capitol, students spoke about what higher education meant to them and the importance of state funding.

Other speakers included Mike Baumgartner, who proposed an amendment to our state constitution to protect higher ed funding, and Dr. Gerald Pumphrey, current president of the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges.

“I do not believe they [legislators] really have suffered from defunding higher ed over the last few sessions, “ Pumpreys said. “They just haven’t paid a political price for that,” Pumphrey added.

He noted that many colleges have already gone as far as they can in cutting non-essential services.

“As we go into the next round of cuts, we’ll continue to take reductions across the college, but more is going to have to start coming from instruction, which impacts the availability of classes for students,” Pumphreys said.

In regards to the foreseeable budget future, Dr. Pumphreys admits that further cuts in the short-term are all but certain.

“The goal is to keep it as small as possible in this session,but there’s 6,000 students at my school, …6,000 votes begin to speak in a language they understand,” Pumphreys said.

I asked him what parents and students can do to support higher ed funding.

“Most effective, see them in person. […]Then, a hand written letter still matters. […]if there’s a handwritten letter that’s gonna float to the top of the pile. […] Following that, a telephone call or email. But numbers of contacts probably matter a lot more than format,” Pumphreys said.

Without support for higher education, Pumphreys said, our economy is likely to remain dire.

“It’s not a luxury for an individual and it’s not a luxury for our society,” Pumphreys said.

Pierce student and rally attendee Sam Roberts was concerned about the effect cuts will have on the future.

“If they keep cutting higher education, they’re going to force the people who have goals set to give up on their goals. They’ll be working at dead-end jobs where they can’t advance their employment,” Roberts said.

If you’re concerned about the future of higher education in Washington, please tell our legislators! Go to http://www.leg.wa.gov and click on find your district for contact info.