With the exception of a few states, funding for public universities across the country has been in sharp decline for several years, forcing hikes in tuition across the nation. The University of Alabama is by no means unaffected.

“Over the last four years, UA’s state appropriation has been cut by about $60 million,” said Cathy Andreen, director of media relations for the University. “UA’s funding comes primarily from state appropriations, tuition and fees, contracts and grants, and private giving.”

She said the University has continued operations in the face of shrinking sums appropriated by state lawmakers.

“Despite cuts in our state appropriations every year since 2008, we continue to use our resources effectively and efficiently,” Andreen said. “As a result, we have not reduced the number of students we accept; students have full access to the classes they need to graduate; we are fully staffed to meet student expectations; and classes are taught by fully qualified faculty.”

Andreen said the University has carefully responded to the decrease in state funding by reorganizing budget percentages and increasing enrollment, saving the University from major layoffs or program cuts.

“UA has absorbed the reduction in state appropriations without laying off any faculty or staff or cutting any programs,” Andreen said.

But the decrease in funding hasn’t come without consequences such as tuition hikes.

“Tuition increases are based on the resources the University needs to be able to continue to provide the high-quality educational experiences our students and their parents expect,” Andreen said.

In an interview with The Crimson White on Oct. 12, UA President Guy Bailey said the tuition increases have been a direct response to state funding dropping over the last few years.

“The interesting thing about higher education is this: How much an education costs and how much you pay for it are not the same thing,” Bailey said. “Historically, states have paid a significant part of the cost of higher education. For the last 20 years, the state’s contribution to that has gone down. Your contribution has gone up.”

Bailey said the drops in funding weren’t anything nefarious but were simply a response to higher pressure on state budgets because of Medicaid payments and more.

“The states are in difficult situations,” he said. “The pressures on state budgets have increased dramatically and in response to that, they felt like it was the best thing to do to decrease their contribution to higher education.”

Even with the cost of attendance rising over the last few years, Bailey said it would be much worse on students without the state funding that exists, reduced though it may be.

”If you wonder what an education really costs, look at what it costs to go to Vanderbilt or Emory or Tulsa, ” he said. “That’s probably what your education would cost without a state subsidy.”

While such increases continue to strain students and families financially, the Student Government Association hopes to secure more state funding for higher education, alleviating the issue and, hopefully, decreasing tuition.

“As students, we see our tuition dollars rising every year,” Meagan Bryant, executive SGA press secretary, said. Bryant said the SGA actively works to promote state funding for higher education.

She said the SGA helps UA students attend Higher Education Day every year; a day during which thousands of students take a free bus ride to the state capitol to join students from all public Alabama universities in lobbying for increased funding for higher education.

The event is a coordinated effort from the Higher Education Partnership, a state lobbying organization for Alabama’s public colleges and universities, and students at the state’s public colleges and universities.

“Students get to kind of act as lobbyists for a day,” Bryant said. “It’s a great opportunity for pre-law and political science students and really all students.”

At Higher Education Day, students have the opportunity to talk with state lawmakers. Jimmy Taylor, SGA vice president of External Affairs, said the event is the largest annual statewide advocacy event.

“When we go and there are thousands of students from each of the public universities, it reminds the lawmakers that we are a huge voting bloc,” Taylor said. Last year over 2,000 students attended from across the state.

While perhaps the most visible, Higher Education Day is not the only instance of higher education advocacy carried out by the SGA.

Among other things, the SGA supported the Sept. 18 amendment proposing to dip into state emergency funds. Taylor said the amendment was necessary but not sufficient.

“There needs to be serious reworking of our [state education] budget,” he said. “Everyone knows the amendment was just a Band-Aid. It was only temporary; nobody’s denying that.”

Taylor said without the amendment’s passage, students of higher education would have begun to feel effects of rising tuition, course fees and other expenses immediately and dramatically.

He said though there may be agreement that the state of funding for public higher education is in jeopardy, there isn’t agreement on much else.

“Everyone knows that something needs to change for our budget to work, but there’s definitely not a consensus on what that is,” Taylor said.

And while an increase in state funding may be miles away, Andreen said the legislature has taken at least some steps to stem tuition’s recent rise.

“Under a state law that was passed in the spring 2012 legislative session, state appropriations will be based on a rolling 15-year average,” Andreen said. “As a result, state appropriations are expected to remain relatively flat in the next few years.”

Andreen said regardless, the University will keep delivering.

“UA continues to provide the opportunities that enrich students’ educational experiences inside and outside the classroom,” she said.