For the last few years, UMass Boston-and the entire state college system-have suffered through significant tuition and fee hikes. UMB has now hit the $10,000/year mark for in-state undergrads. In fact, our tuition and fees have doubled in the last 5 years, and quadrupled in the last decade. State

budget cuts to higher education have been acute since about 1980. Massachusetts has shifted its fiscal resources away from public higher education and toward prisons, law enforcement and the courts, and The resulting fiscal pressure on public colleges has led directly to higher charges for students, year after year after year.

This means that Massachusetts-the Education State itself-has consistently been placed among the bottom 5 states in the nation (currently #47) for spending in its public colleges for the last few years running. Despite the fact that a majority of Massachusetts students go to public colleges.

When coupled with drastic cuts in federal aid to higher education over the last 30 years, things look increasingly difficult for students at largely working-class colleges like UMB. It will be important for students here to pay careful attention to developments around tuition and fee hikes this year, and work closely with student government to demand that our campus administration joins us in lobbying heavily at the state and federal level for more public money for higher education in general, and UMB in particular.

Jason is a student in the Public Policy PhD Program, and member of the UMB Tactical Media Group. E-mail him at [email protected].