Salt In the Wound

Amid sharp cuts from the legislature, every state university in Oklahoma raised tuition between 9% and 10% for next year (except for OPSU, who raised theirs 11.3%). The first thing that makes me mad is the cuts from the Legislature. For example, CU's state appropriations were cut by $82,510. RSU's were cut by $178,902!! For RSU, that's a 16% cut in state appropriations as compared to last year! Am I mad at the Legislature? Yes. Yes, I am. Why are they cutting higher education money? Don't tell me that Oklahoma doesn't have enough money. We have money, learn to manage it! I'm all for people taking responsibility for their education in every way, finances included. However, these are state universities. This is called "wound."

Because I am an OSU student, I get daily emails from them. I'm sick to death of receiving at least one email a day telling me how much money so-and-so-rich-alumnus has donated. $100 million here, $50million there. Yes, a total of $66.8 million dollars donated to OSU in the last six weeks...that doesn't include T.Boone Pickens' earlier donation. And I have gotten an email about it all, sometimes 2-3 per donation. "Once fully matched dollar-for-dollar by T. Boone Pickens’ $100 million chair match commitment, as well as the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the total impact of the historic initiative will be $333.6 million for endowed chairs and professorships at OSU." And then I check out the local news. OU has received $61 million in donations over the past two months, also eligible for dollar-for-dollar matching by Oklahoma. TCC, OU-Tulsa, and OSU-Tulsa received $25 million to split between them, also to be matched. This is called "salt."

And it burns.