The Honorable Frank Lucas

2405 Rayburn House Office Building

United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Lucas:

My name is Acelynn Bradshaw and I am a freshman at Northern Oklahoma College-Gateway

Program in Stillwater. I plan to transfer to Oklahoma State University and major in History. I am
investing in my future by investing in higher education. However, higher education is becoming
increasingly expensive. Higher education funding is an important issue and we as a state need to
reevaluate our current status.

Oklahoma leads the nation in higher education cuts. Tulsa World reports that, “Tulsa Community
College saw a nearly $9.1 million cut in state funding over the past three fiscal years, including a
nearly $2 million decrease from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2018”. This is just one example;
all of our Oklahoma colleges are suffering. These budget cuts have led to staff and faculty
layoffs, which can be detrimental to our education because loss of faculty and staff takes away
certain classes or programs intended to help us. Budget cuts have especially been harmful to
smaller colleges because they are having to raise tuition, leading to fewer students being able to
afford it. Representative Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, an adjunct professor at Oklahoma
City University, has said, “Higher ed, in my mind certainly, is one of the core services of
government. If we don't make that investment, then our children leave, and they don't come
back” (Mcnutt, “Oklahoma's Higher Education Chancellor”). I absolutely have contemplated
moving out of Oklahoma when I graduate college, and I know I am not the only one.

Lawmakers need to put more focus on higher education, seeing as how it is the foundation of our
lives. Almost every single one of us is attending college with the idea that it will help us lead
more successful lives. The continuous cuts to higher education are putting our quality of
education at risk. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities states, “With many states facing
revenue shortfalls in the current or upcoming fiscal year, state lawmakers must renew their
commitment to high-quality, affordable public higher education by increasing the revenue these
schools receive” The low funding our schools and universities are receiving is damaging us.
Research faculty that could bring in grants are being targeted by other universities with higher
faculty salary (Mcnutt, “Oklahoma Higher Education Requests”). I urge you, Representative
Lucas, to vote yes on any laws or bills that will provide more funding to higher education.

I am a first-generation college student from a lower-middle class family, so college is a whole

new territory for me. I receive Oklahoma’s Promise and Pell Grants, but I still have to take out
student loans to afford my education. It has been really tough beginning this process without
someone being there to guide and mentor me. There is a substantial amount of people in the
same situation as me that do not go to college because they simply cannot afford it and they do
not believe student loans are worth it. Many low income students from my high school are not
attending college, and they are not the only ones, “In 2015, 58 percent of recent high school
graduates from families with income in the lowest 20 percent enrolled in some form of
postsecondary education, compared to 82 percent of students from the top 20 percent” (A Lost
Decade in Higher Education Funding). More state funding for higher education would reduce
the cost of college for students like me, which would allow more of us to attend college.

Oklahoma is one of the leading states in higher education cuts, and that needs to change. A
college education is something every person should have the right to attain. With the current
status of higher education funding, it is not possible for many people to attend college. Those
who are already in college are experiencing a downfall in quality of education due to budget cuts
that cut classes and programs aimed to help students. You have the opportunity to help raise
higher education funding and I urge you to take that opportunity for the sake of students like me.

Sincerely,

Acelynn Bradshaw
 Works Cited
Harkins, Paighten. “Oklahoma Now Leads Nation in Cuts to Higher Education in Addition to K-
12 Education, Study Finds.” Tulsa World. 13 Jul. 2017.
https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/oklahoma-now-leads-nation-in-cuts-
to-higher-education-in/article_c11ce44f-d10d-57cd-b201-7f8d1b4ff4a3.html. Accessed
24 March 2019.

Leachman, Michael, et al. “A Lost Decade in Higher Education Funding State Cuts Have Driven
Up Tuition and Reduced Quality.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 23 Aug. 2017.
https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/83618/TuitionReducedQuality.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 24 March 2019.

Mcnutt, K.S. “Oklahoma's Higher Education Chancellor Making the Case for a $100 Million
Increase.” The Oklahoman. 21 Dec. 2018.
https://newsok.com/article/5618278/oklahomas-higher-education-chancellor-making-the-
case-for-a-100-million-increase. Accessed 24 March 2019.

---. “Oklahoma Higher Education Requests Funds for Faculty, Financial Aid.” The Oklahoman. 9
Nov. 2018. https://newsok.com/article/5614422/oklahoma-higher-education-requests-
funds-for-faculty-financial-aid. Accessed 24 March 2019.