Students must register to vote

The University of Pittsburgh has already… Students must register to vote

The University of Pittsburgh has already announced a tuition increase for next year. After last year’s 14 percent hike, all students are in agreement that action must be taken to stop such increases. The correct action to take is not to lobby or protest Pitt’s administration. Its hands are tied, bound by the state legislature’s repeated funding cuts for education. Without adequate funding from the state, Pitt must seek other revenue sources to maintain its programs, and it is a necessary evil that students be that replacement source.

The legislature, therefore, must be lobbied. Fortunately, students possess a commodity every politician is willing to make concessions to possess – their votes. It is a fact that politicians will only work to serve segments of the population that can offer them a majority of votes, ensuring their re-election. Hence, segments of the population that vote in large numbers are more likely to have legislators respond to their petitions.

Students do not vote in large numbers. If we are to lobby the state to increase funding and unburden the University and unburden ourselves, the number of student voters must increase. Students must prove they have a bargaining chip at the legislative table. Therefore, every Pitt student must take advantage of the University-wide voter registration drive before the Oct. 7 registration deadline. Then, they must vote on election day. Only then will lawmakers respond to student lobbying efforts. Only then will education funding be increased. Only then will the University be unburdened, and only then will students see relief from tuition increases.

Kevin Washo Jr.

President of the Student Government Board