I certainly remember the challenges of paying for college. Tuition seemed outrageously expensive, but it was not the only expense. There were books, room and board, and a host of other living expenses. The financial aid was never enough, and I realized that I was going to have to repay the loans eventually. As they added up, that prospect became intimidating to say the least. With the job market in the sorry state it is currently in, I feel for the students who are facing massive debt without the prospect of meaningful employment. It makes sense to me that these students would be protesting as part of the Occupy movement. However, I worry that there might be something many are overlooking.

Now that I am sort of on the other side of things, working in higher education, I have learned something I failed to appreciate as a student. Simply put, there is an important relationship between how we vote and how much difficulty we are likely to have paying for college.

As an employee of a state university, I have seen countless Republican administrations cut funding for higher education. The result of these cuts is that the institutions have no choice but cut budgets and raise tuition and fees. They have to cover their operating expenses, and cuts can only go so far before entire programs are eliminated. As a result, tuition and fees increase. At the same time, these Republican administrations tend to cut financial aid programs. Not only do students and their families experience rising costs; assistance in paying these costs dries up.

College students and their families need to realize that the costs associated with higher education are going to continue to increase as long as they keep electing Republicans at the state and federal level. Affordable public education is simply not among their priorities. When money becomes tight, education is one of the first things they cut.

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