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Today, the Director of Legislative Affairs, Matt Harvey, submitted a public comment to the Board of Regents on behalf of the United Government of Graduate Students regarding the growing inequity of higher education funding in the state of Colorado. The University has a commitment to provide a quality, affordable education to graduate and undergraduate students alike - and CU's reliance on tuition as its primary revenue stream places a disproportionate burden on students, and limits access to the Â鶹ӰԺ's vibrant student community. The full text of our public comment is below:

UGGS General Comment to the Board of Regents

Over the past several years, much attention has been raised regarding rising socio-economic inequality in the United States, and the role of civic and public institutions in perpetuating it. Our University is not an exception to this concerning trend. While the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated many of these social cleavages, it is not the root cause. Higher education has been perpetually plagued by systemic funding issues. The Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR), The Balanced Budget Amendment, and the Gallagher Amendment have placed a stranglehold on the state budget and Colorado's future. The antiquated tax structure caused by these and other legislations benefits large corporations and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of the public at-large. As a result, the University of Colorado has had to become increasingly reliant on funding from private sources, federal grants, and student tuition and fees. This, in turn, has a significant impact on student recruitment and the composition of CU’s student body.

The State of Colorado’s budget for higher education is limited, but that is because of our tax structure, it is not because the state is inherently poor. Colorado’s higher education system is held back by this regressive taxation system, which disproportionately benefits the wealthiest stakeholders within the CU system. On this basis, the Board of Regents and the Colorado General Assembly have failed in their mandate to provide an affordable, quality public education to its students. We see consequences of this action today, as the University is pushing for in-person classes and student housing this semester, in order to maintain the out-of-state enrollment numbers required to sustain itself - placing our most vulnerable student populations at a disproportionate health risk and funnelling responsibility for this difficult transition to colleges and departments on campus.