Over the past decade, it has become painfully obvious that higher education has become less and less important to the legislators of Ohio.

Whereas it’s understandable and obvious that the entire budget can’t be dedicated to higher education, the decrease of money designated to higher education is going to directly affect the economy of the state.

With less money being provided to the state universities across Ohio by state taxes, fewer potential college students are going to be able to afford college tuition.

Sadly, the problem isn’t just for the individual students, who are struggling to pay the tuition, and the teachers, who are getting paid less.

As fewer students are going to college, there are fewer skilled workers who are able to stimulate the state’s economy. The intellectuals and the innovators won’t be grown out of Ohio, and instantly, the state would be at a disadvantage.

Ohio’s economy is already struggling, and stripping the state of its human resources isn’t going to help the problem.

Ohio’s funding is going elsewhere, but it’s time that we tell legislators that higher education is (and always will be) a focal point of prosperity for the state.

With better education from state schools, students will be more inclined to stay within the state and make a local difference.

Future educators (who received a good education themselves) will be able to breed the next generation of Ohioan innovators, and the trend will continue.

Future chemists and biologists who graduate from Ohio schools will help Ohio become one of the foremost states in the nation with cures and inventions that will pace the way to a new future.

Attorneys, doctors and writers who achieve success have the ability to bring the state prestige, tourism and new clientele, all contributing to new ways of helping the state’s income.

But none of this is going to be possible if we as students don’t step up and make a difference.

Legislators have constantly said (through their voting) that they don’t think that higher education is important, but if no one is there to say otherwise, they’ll never know the truth.

We must support organizations like the Graduate Student Senate, the Undergraduate Student Government and the Coalition Against Rising Tuition in their fight to make the capitol aware of their mistakes.

This situation affects all of us, and it’s up to all of us to get involved and make a valiant effort to make a difference.