Dive Summary:
- Around a dozen protesters from the NC Student Power Union student group held a demonstration Wednesday morning outside the North Carolina Department of Administration in Raleigh.
- According to the group, Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed budget cuts, which come as the state's Senate considers closing some University of North Carolina system campuses, could price students out of a college education and that any closures would likely hurt historically black colleges and schools in poor, rural communities.
- McCrory last week proposed cuts of more than $140 million in state funds to the UNC system next year--as well as a 12% out-of-state tuition hike at UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and four other campuses--and state Senator Pete Brunstetter, a top Republican budget writer, suggested the number of UNC campuses could be cut back from 17 to 14 or 15.
From the article:
... "I've worked hard to be able to go to school," said Western Carolina University student Thomas Allison. "We've seen tuition increase and we've seen budget cuts, and we see the effects in all of our schools. I don't want to lose my education and I'm willing to work for it, but if it gets too much, there's only so much you can do." ...