I recently received an e-mail from a concerned student. She described herself as a first-generation college student who was paying her own way through school and who could not afford to complete her five-year program in architectural engineering. Because of this financial hardship, she may be forced to change her major to a program that will allow her to graduate in four years.

This hardship is not unusual. Most Penn State students have to work to help pay for their education. Chances are you or someone you know has had to work long hours to pay tuition or rent, perhaps even jeopardizing your academic performance. This could get worse, depending on the actions of our representatives in state government.

Important decisions in Harrisburg are currently being made that directly affect Penn State students. Last semester, the university submitted its proposed budget for 2001-2002. At the beginning of this month, Gov. Tom Ridge submitted his budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Included in it was the state appropriation for Penn State. This proposal is now being considered by the state Legislature, which may increase or decrease the amount of money to be given to the university. Tomorrow, the House Appropriations Committee will hear from President Spanier in regards to Penn State's budget. This is all fine and good, but what does it mean for you? What it means is the possibility that you will be paying hundreds of dollars more to attend Penn State next year.

Here's how it works: Gov. Ridge has generously included an increase of just under 1 percent more than the university received last year. This, however, does not give the whole picture. Even with this small increase, the governor's budget falls $27 million short of what the university requested. To make matters worse, the budget that the university submitted included a 6.75 percent tuition increase for the next academic year. This means that if we get everything we ask for from the state, tuition would still go up by 6.75 percent, or $441.85 for in-state students. Unfortunately, halfway through the budget process, we now find ourselves $27 million dollars behind. If the Legislature does not pick up the slack, we are looking at a tuition increase that would dwarf last year's 6.23 percent jump.

The potential for such a large increase in the cost of attending Penn State will have drastic effects on our student body. Financial difficulties already account for a number of great minds leaving this university. According to a report from the Registrar's office, 29 percent of non-returning students at University Park cite financial concerns as reasons they failed to return. Furthermore, three quarters of Penn State students work a part-time job while taking classes.

With constantly increasing tuition, students will have to work more to be able to afford their education. This means less time for studying or extra-curricular activities and a negative impact on the quality of education at Penn State.

Even with tuition increases, the university has been affected by the lack of sufficient funding from the state. Renovation and construction projects are more difficult to finance. The university has had to direct much of its fund-raising revenue to support the maintenance of Penn State's academic units, and the university has not been able to move towards decreasing general-education class size. Even with all these challenges, year after year, the university reduces its internal budgets to be as cost efficient as possible.

This situation is nothing new. During the past 30 years, support from the state, when adjusted for inflation, has been steadily decreasing. Meanwhile, because of advances in technology, and the specialization of academic fields, the cost of providing higher education has increased dramatically. This combination has meant that a larger percentage of the university's budget has come from tuition to make up for decreasing state appropriations.

As the university pleads its case this year, we will face a new challenge. Montgomery County Rep. John Lawless has made it his mission to make it even harder for Penn State to get its fair share. By focusing on two student-sponsored events, Lawless has created a media circus. This means that instead of showcasing the benefits of supporing the university to the state, we will spend a good deal of time explaining the concept of freedom of speech.

I will be going to Harrisburg tomorrow along with Gabriel Bryant, president of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, and other concerned students. We will stress that Penn State students are far more concerned by the impact of sharp tuition increases than a pair of student programs that may be considered offensive. If all of this upsets you as much as it upsets me, Harrisburg needs to hear from you directly.