The past Wednesday, President Theobald and Temple Student Government representatives attended a state budget appropriation meeting in Harrisburg to say their piece on the longest budget impasse in the state’s history.
The meeting made clear what we have considered all year—the impasse could create very serious, very expensive consequences for the Temple community.
It could raise tuition for in-state students, restrict services at Temple Hospital and the university.
Representatives from Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University—Pennsylvania’s other state-related institutions—also presented the issues the schools may face if the impasse is not resolved by June 30, the last day of the state’s fiscal year.
Theobald sent an email to students following the presentation, explaining that $150 million usually allocated to academics at the university is still lacking from the state. He asked students to sign up for Temple Advocates Legislative Outreach Network which spreads awareness about Temple’s budget.
“The reality is,” the email said, “that without state action, we will be looking at a massive budget deficit.”
Ken Kaiser, Temple’s CFO and treasurer told The Temple News the impasse is giving the university pause on some projects. The university, in turn, has taken out a line of credit to continue operating as normal.
Kaiser added Temple may be forced to start operating as private if it can’t depend on money appropriated by the state.
TSG student body president Ryan Rinaldi told The Temple News he believes the possibility of privatization goes against the core mission of the institution.
“It’s incredibly concerning to think that tuition could nearly double for in-state students and that would hurt enrollment a lot,” he said.
We urge every person at Temple to consider the effects—financial and academic—that privatization could have. Let TSG and state representatives hear your voice, before it’s too late.
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