Special Session Looms – Act Now
Our legislators are on break until May 13, but we aren’t!
Help us keep the UW and higher education at the top of our elected officials’ minds by taking action today. Click here to send an automated message to your legislators while they contemplate the budget this week. Better yet, consider contacting them at their district offices – they’re back in our neighborhoods this week – by clicking here, entering your address, and clicking through on each legislator to find their district phone number.
What to tell them?
- Adequate state funding keeps tuition affordable. The financial investment the state makes is directly tied to the cost of tuition. Washington is currently ranked second to last nationally in state funding per-student. We need real commitment to supporting higher education, not gimmicks that will reduce access and quality
- The Senate majority’s proposed 20% surcharge on international students isn’t a feasible or fair way to fund higher ed. The money would flow directly to the State General Fund, so even though UW students would pay more than 80 percent of the projected revenue, the University would only receive a fraction of those funds – – while risking a sharp decrease in international student enrollment.
- Investing in the UW makes sense. A new study tells us that 25,000 STEM jobs are going unfilled in Washington because our state does not have the graduates to fill them. For every $1 the state invests in the UW, more than $22 is generated back to the state economy.
Thank you for taking action. Your voice truly makes a difference.