Cuts hurting UK students

I have been teaching at the University of Kentucky for almost seven years. Last week, one of my students told me that she would be moving home for the remainder of the semester because her financial aid package could not be processed even though she was guaranteed the aid at the beginning of the semester.

She was not hysterical or angry, but as she spoke tears started running down her face. She is an excellent student who has the will and the drive to make something of her life despite her economic disadvantage, yet she is being denied this deserved opportunity. UK has endured budget cuts almost every year I have been here, and if Gov. Matt Bevin goes through with his proposed cuts, many students will fall victim to the same problem.

While administrative overhead in American universities is out of control — and UK is no exception — enacting budget cuts will not help students. UK will simply respond by raising tuition. This only makes a good education further out of reach for many students who already struggle to pay for it. I beg Bevin to find a way to reduce UK spending while putting as little of the financial burden as possible on the students.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Cuts hurting UK students."