The University of Massachusetts has provided many of us with the opportunity to educate ourselves about our passions, mature socially and figure out how to have a real impact on the world around us. For those of us who are in-state students, this has been the only affordable option. As for out-of-state students, they have benefitted not only from UMass’ growing reputation, but also from the New England Regional Student Program that provides tuition discounts for students pursuing majors not offered in their state of origin. Put simply, we owe a lot to UMass.

The crisis facing our university, which can be seen as an example of what is facing many institutions of public higher education, is a shortage of money. As I mentioned before, the government is cutting back and public higher education is an easy target. And with many private options, the recent belief that people go into debt for the sake of a degree, and the fact that public higher education isn’t a priority on political radars; these cuts can be made without second thought. But what this all means is less money for UMass.

In the past several years alone, the administration has made significant budget cuts in order to save money. I have served on UMass’ Budget Planning Task Force, a body of students, staff, and faculty that has regularly discussed these issues. The university has also found new and innovative sources of funding for and due to research within its walls, but the numbers still come up short.

Federal stimulus funds were able to help fund the university since its most recent fee increase in 2008, but those funds have dried up, too.

In moments of absolutely overwhelming odds and apparent political certainty, it becomes easy to resort to political shortcuts and generalizing of the groups involved. However, we all have something at stake here.

Of course you can call your state legislator and ask them to help fund our school. Tell your state representative to support Amendment 732, which asks the state government to pay for a $23 million cost-of-living increase for faculty and staff. This amount has been covered by the government in the past, but now the burden has passed onto the university. Potentially, this is one of the most significant expenses that an increase in our fees could pay for.

The phone call is the first step. The second is to just keep this issue alive. Have conversations about it with your parents and friends; most of all, just care.

Political ambivalence is a powerful enemy and if someone doesn’t speak up for what they’re passionate about, louder people will get the government to support what they care about – that’s how democracy works. Despite all the arguments about a corrupted system where little value exists in speaking up and exerting force, people power is a tremendous force to be reckoned with. As popular sentiment in the Middle East topples dictators once seen as eternal titans, let us not forget our system can and does work. We just need to believe in it and speak up.

Mike Fox is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].