Brent Quam/Winonan
Students from Winona State University joined students from across Minnesota to protest tuition increases in a rally at the Capitol last Wednesday.
The rally was organized by MSUSA, or the Minnesota State University Student Association, a nonprofit organization run by students from around the state.
MSUSA began at Saint Cloud State University in 1967.
The association is funded by a small portion of Minnesota college students’ tuition, about 45 cents per credit.
Members of MSCSA (Minnesota State College Student Association), representing students from Minnesota’s two-year colleges, also participated in the rally. Of student-run organizations in Minnesota, these two organizations have the greatest political voice at the Capitol.
The rally’s theme was “Invest Like It’s 1999.” Since 1999, state appropriations for higher education have fallen from 12 percent to 7.4 percent in 2013.
Many students chose to dress in 90s fashions to accentuate the theme. One student wore a purple gorilla suit to draw attention to the cause.
Students carried signs resembling traffic stop-signs to urge lawmakers to put a stop to the rise in tuition in Minnesota. Other students hung signs around their necks or on their backs proclaiming the amount of debt they will accumulate by graduation.
One student carried a sign featuring the popular Most Interesting Man in the World character. It read, “I don’t always protest, but when I do, it’s because tuition fees are too D**N high!”
Jerad Green, MSUSA diversity specialist and Student Senator at Winona State, said “We probably had a couple hundred students in attendance. Everyone was excited, loud, and passionate about this fight for college affordability.”
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Jeremy Miller, State Senator from District 28, which includes Winona and the surrounding area, and Gene Pelowski, State Representative, among other legislators, addressed the crowd.
Other students got the opportunity to speak personally with local legislators from their districts.
Tom Schram, MSUSA legislative specialist and Winona State Student Senator, said Minnesota lawmakers have not heard the last from MSUSA. “Students have been present at the Capitol since the legislative session began,” he said.
Green seemed pleased with the results of the rally. “I felt as though my voice was heard,” he said. “However, it would’ve been nice to speak with people who don’t see how things are now as an issue.”
Lawmakers unsupportive of MSUSA’s goals were not seen or heard from during the rally.
Green also thought the rally could have been even more effective if those affected most negatively by the rising costs of higher education in Minnesota had been given a chance to speak publicly.
“I do think it would’ve been powerful to have more testimony of students and even adults who had to leave school, who couldn’t go to school, or who had to drop out, because of the high costs of education,” Green said.
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