Editorial: Breakfast and Politics great opportunity to understand Corbett

Pitt students will finally have the chance to meet face to face with a high-profile — and highly criticized — government official. Pitt students will finally have the chance to meet face to face with a high-profile — and highly criticized — government official.

Gov. Tom Corbett will visit Pitt as part of Breakfast and Politics in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room this Friday at 7:30 a.m. The event, formerly known as Pancakes and Politics, usually features a local politician who gives a speech and answers students’ questions over breakfast.

Thanks to Graduate and Professional Student Assembly President Nyasha Hungwe, who reached out to the governor’s office this year, students will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of Corbett and his budget cuts — which have caused enormous concern in the Pitt community.

It’s not often that Pitt students have the opportunity to meet with such a pivotal figure, especially one that has made such provocative cuts to the funding received by Pennsylvania’s state-related universities.

Over the past two years, Corbett has proposed to cut Pitt’s state funding by half of what it was before he took office. Last year, Pitt saw a 22 percent reduction in state funding.

That slash put the administration in a difficult position as far as setting the University’s budget for this school year. Ultimately, Pitt implemented an 8.5 percent increase in tuition for in-state students and a 4 percent increase for out-of-state students.

As a result, Pitt students aren’t exactly on good terms with the governor. Thankfully, on Friday, their questions will be heard.

During a question-and-answer session, Corbett will answer pre-screened questions from the audience, and attendees will have the chance to write in additional questions during the event.

More than likely, Corbett will try to justify his budget proposals and general position that universities in the state deserve cuts to their state appropriations.

He hasn’t yet said how cutting state funding will work to lower tuition, which seems to be a huge void in reason to slash funding in a politically expedient way.

Even though the questions will be reviewed, the governor must make clear his reasoning for these extreme cuts, as well as address the criticisms of many students who have been aversely affected by them.

The fact that he is taking questions is commendable, but who cares if it doesn’t bring results?

Thankfully, it seems like the student body is taking advantage of the free event, and tickets have been selling rapidly. But to make this event a success, we must make sure both to gain an understanding of Corbett’s proposals and to work to convey if and why change is needed.

The governor will also visit the Swanson School of Engineering and the Center for Energy, so Pitt’s accomplishments and contributions to research and the local economy will be prominent.

Corbett is the perfect person to bring to campus at this time, and we applaud GPSA and the Student Government Board for working to make this event happen. We are in prime position to demonstrate our importance to the state and our need for state funding.

If all goes accordingly, Friday will bring a wealth of knowledge to us — and to Governor Corbett as well.