The Capitol building has seen no shortage of protests in since Governor Snyder announced his budget plans. Students and teachers from universities from all over Michigan came to rally against cuts to higher education. A group of students from Michigan Technological University drove nearly 10 hours to attend the rally in Lansing.
The budget proposal would cut 20 percent of funding to Michigan’s 15 public universities. Speakers at the rally included Michigan house minority leader Gretchen Whitmer and Lansing mayor Virg Bernero.
The state of Michigan is facing a 1.4 billion dollar budget shortfall and Governor Snyder stresses that there have to be cuts to education.
Michigan State University expects to see a 13 percent decrease in state funding in the 2011-2012 academic year. Tuition for public universities has increased nearly 80 percent in the last nine years.
