Dear Governor Casey:

I am concerned about my future. Because state funding cuts to Penn State may result in greater tuition increases, many students may not be able to return next semester.

Your recent funding cuts have forced this University to slash library hours. Student organizations may lose necessary funding and important staff and faculty positions remain empty. But most seriously, your recent call to keep Penn State's 1991-92 funding at this year's levels and your abandonment of the Tuition Challenge Grant Program may ultimately force a sharp increase in my tuition.

In your election campaign you said the states' billion-dollar budget deficit was trumped up by your Republican challenger. You also said you supported education. But you now admit that the state has a serious budget problem and one of the first things you cut is education funding.

As governor, you have a responsibility to support higher education, a responsibilty that should be an even greater priority since Pennsylvania ranks 47th in the nation in higher education funding.

This responsibilty is not a new burden.

In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morril Land-Grant act allowing states to sell land to endow institutions of higher learning. Their goal was "to promote liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life."

Less than a year later, in April 1863, Pennsylvania decided to take part in the bill and pledged its support to provide affordable education to everyone. Your job as governor is to carry through that pledge, yet your recent actions have done just the opposite.

By forcing our library, the symbol of academic integrity, to reduce its hours and acquisition of new materials, you are hurting Penn State's academic standards.

By forcing a funding reduction for student activities and a hiring freeze, you are harming Penn State's social and academic environment and placing a strain on the services these groups provide to students.

And finally, by reducing funding you guarantee that our tuition will increase for the 24th year in a row.

I'm not asking for much -- just an affordable quality education. I understand that the price of services and products, including education, goes up every year, but why must students bear all of the cost?

Penn State already has one of the highest tuitions among land-grant universities in the country and my fellow students and I already provide a greater portion of our school's income than the state.

You may argue that you just gave my school $16 million for a new convocation center. However, this convocation center will benefit my school's athletic department more than the quality of my education. We would rather have the $16 million to keep our library open and updated, to allow student groups to continue functioning and to keep tuition from increasing.

Sincerely,
Penn State student

United we can make a difference. Show your support for increased higher education funding by signing and mailing this letter to:

Robert P. Casey
Governor of the Commowealth
255 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120