During testimony before the Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on K-12 Education/Higher Education on Feb. 27, 2009 in Carson City, three of our students – Nicholas Blevins, Brithany Thomson and Angela Broadus – shared their own stories regarding the value of their respective educations at the University.

Their words truly do help humanize why higher education in this state is important, and their personal experiences bring great light, shadow and color to the question of why we must continue to support higher education. In their words are the qualities and capacities of spirit that spur an individual to resolutely seek a college degree.

I wish to express my appreciation to these students for sharing their stories to those gathered in Carson City that day. Their stories clearly convey the impact of budget reductions on their lives.

Testimony before Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on K-12 Education/Higher Education - Friday, February 27, 2009

My story: Nicholas Blevins, Senator, Associated Students of the University of Nevada

I am a second year political science major and ethnic studies minor. I am a native Nevadan from Las Vegas, a graduate of Rancho High School, and a Hispanic, first generation, low-income college student from a single-parent household. My mother is still caring for my younger sister and my sister’s six-month-old daughter on less than $30,000 a year. Because of my background I have always known it would be a long, hard road to accomplish my dream and earn a college degree, go on to law school, become a public servant, and serve as a Nevada State Senator or Assemblyman.

At the age of five my parents divorced, and my sister and I lived in a car with my mom for a short time. We then moved to a rundown trailer park. My mom worked three jobs, but went to all our school functions. She was finally able to advance in her career and provide us with a better place to live; although we didn’t always get what we wanted, we always had what we needed. She always pushed us to finish school and to pursue a higher education because she knew so many more doors would open up for us.

In high school I accomplished more than I thought possible, including graduating 8th in my class. I knew I would have to work hard and apply for financial aid to put myself through college, but I didn’t mind. I actually looked forward to being able to say I did it myself. I chose to attend the University of Nevada, where I could receive a quality education for an affordable price. It has been a challenge, but I have made it this far with financial aid and by working two jobs.

You should know that there are many more like me at the University of Nevada. We could have taken the short term solution and worked three or four jobs and made a pretty good amount of money. Instead we have our eyes on the long-term goal: to improve our lives, the lives of those closest to us and our communities. In order to do so, I need a degree…WE need a degree.

When I heard of the Governor’s proposed budget I began to worry about the future of the University and the dozens of students like me who would not be able to afford to attend anymore. Last March I was elected into the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada to seek solutions for the issues facing our University and students. All the while I have been worried about everyone else, but just recently it hit me: what is going to happen to me? If these cuts cause a drastic raise in tuition, will I be able to afford to continue my education at the University, on two jobs and financial aid? We have already seen the impact of budget cuts to important programs such as the math and writing centers. Tutoring used to be free, but now is free only for low-income students. While the cuts so far have preserved classes, the reductions in these and many other services are impacting all students either directly or indirectly, and the impact will be devastating if further cuts are made.

Drastic tuition increases would hurt more than it would help because so many people are in the same boat as me. We could take fewer classes and work three or four jobs instead of two, but that means we would stay longer and it would cost us, the University and the state more money in the long run. And many students who do take this route end up dropping out of school. That doesn’t sound like a solution to me. Many students who are making sacrifices like I am are doing it willingly and proudly. Many have benefited from a quality education from a public school system, and it is my hope that those who have gone before us will help me and the many others have the same opportunity to reach our goals.  When I do reach my goal, I understand I will then give back to my community and future generations.

My Story – Brithany Thomson, Graduate Student Association President

When I was born in 1983, the United States was in a similar economic recession.  Ronald Reagan was president, MTV was in its infancy and Atari was better known than the Internet. 
I was raised in rural Gardnerville, Nevada, the youngest of five children.  My parents were small business owners who did janitorial work and house cleaning.  My mother always made sure we did well in school, paying close attention to our math and reading skills.  We grew up poor, but my parents always managed to make ends meet.  When I was younger, the church was always there when times got tough, and would help out with food and clothing when needed.  My parents ended their nine year marriage when I was 10, and my mother raised us.  We would visit our Dad every other weekend.    

I played sports in junior high and my grades were good.  I was on the Pop Warner Football team in Douglas County, the only girl among 30+ boys.  I also tried my hand at boys wrestling and did fairly well.  I landed a spot on the National Junior Honor Society. 

I continued on the same path in high school, making the honor roll and participating in sports.  At 15 I had a dream: I wanted to attend college and get a job that would pay a decent wage.  I didn’t want to grow up poor and stay poor.  I didn’t know how I would do it, my parents surely couldn’t afford college for any of my older siblings, and I would be no exception.   I tried hard in high school and it paid off. 

The “Millennium Scholarship” came along.  It allotted $10,000 for students to go to college in Nevada (as if I would have gone anywhere else).  If you qualified you would continue to receive money each year from this fund.  I graduated from UNR in the spring of 2007 with my B.A. in sociology and $257 dollars left from my Millennium Scholarship.  I had a 3.50 GPA, and was accepted into the Masters program at UNR in the fall of 2007.  Today, I am the graduate student body president at UNR, I still have good grades and I will have my M.A. in sociology in just a few short months.

I am the face of the low income, first generation college student, raised in a single parent household, Millennium Scholarship recipient, UNR alumnae and native Nevadan.  Today my dream is to be a professor here in Nevada, hopefully at UNR.  However, I am beginning to worry.  Will there be a sociology program left at UNR in a few years?  Will there even be a University for me to teach at?  Where will my kids go to college?  But more importantly, how will people like me muster up the money to pay for a college degree?  How will students that are low income, first generation, who come from a single parent household get a degree?  I got a chance; will others like me get one?  Not if you cut funding and increase tuition for higher education here in Nevada.  That will make a college degree something that most Nevadans cannot afford. 

I am proud to have climbed a very tall ladder, and I am on my way to living the American Dream.  Will others like me have the same opportunity?  If you are shaking your head yes, then support higher education funding. 

My Story – Angela Broadus, M.A., Graduate Assistant

I am a doctoral student in the Social Psychology Interdisciplinary Program. When students are accepted into the program, we are assured that UNR and our program staff will do all they can to provide us graduate assistantships while we complete the PhD program. The doctoral program is usually a five to six year commitment, so it is important for students to have this funding stream in order to survive, pay their bills and, in many instances, help support their families.

I and several other graduate and undergraduate students have been very fortunate to work at the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT), a grant-funded center at UNR. Until this year our jobs have been fairly secure. However, with reduced state funding and UNR’s resulting budget difficulties, plus the ending of multiple grants, we now face a challenging situation. At the current time, CASAT has four social psychology graduate student assistantships. However, for the 2009-2010 school year, funds will allow for only 1.5 graduate students, leaving 3 students scrambling to find other assistantships. Although Nancy Roget, CASAT Director, and other CASAT staff are working long hours to apply for other grants, the situation remains dire. The financial situation currently at UNR and projected for this next year has significantly reduced the possibility of finding other assistantships. As such, many of us may be forced to decide whether we file for student loans (and put ourselves further in debt), try to find a job off campus that will accommodate a doctoral program (strongly discouraged by the program staff), or give up on the dream of obtaining a doctorate.

Nevada needs more alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment professionals. The rate of methamphetamine use in Nevada is 3.5 times the national average, and this statistic alone helps demonstrate the need. Yet, 70 percent of workforce in alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment is over 40 and fewer than 6 percent are under 30. It is important that quality, educational programs – such as those at UNR – continue to train and prepare professionals to provide technical assistance, evaluation, research, and other services to those in need.

I decided to pursue a doctoral degree and chose the UNR Social Psychology Interdisciplinary Program because it offers such a wonderfully diverse educational opportunity. To be forced to give up that pursuit would be heartbreaking. The lifeblood of a university is its students. If potential graduate students learn that UNR no longer can provide assistantships, many students will look for their education elsewhere. That would prove disastrous to our 40-year-old Social Psychology Interdisciplinary program, and ultimately to the state.