Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 15, 1993                   TAG: 9310160302
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TECH LEADER URGES STUDENTS TO FIGHT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

``The main thing we can do as students is take a stand,'' Ronnie Stephenson told about 250 students who gathered in Squires Student Center Wednesday evening.

Stephenson and other student leaders from around the state met last month with Gov. Douglas Wilder. ``We're finding that most of the students at the university are uninformed about what's going on,'' he said.

He cited statistics given to him by Wilder showing that tuition and student fees have become the primary finacial support for the school. Three years ago, state funding played that role. He pointed to numbers that show that by 1994, higher education will be receiving 13.5 percent less of the state's general fund budget than it received in 1990. Meanwhile, the percentage of the general fund budget earmarked for Medicaid has increased 98. 5 percent and the percentage for corrections has increased 24 percent.

``To what extent is the increase mandated for these other programs?'' he asked. ``This is something that will affect the future of Virginia as well as for Virginia Tech.''

Students wanted to know, among other things, how the additional cuts would affect tuition, if certain majors would be affected and what they could do to affect legislators opinions.

``When cuts like this come through, they affect everyone here,'' Stephenson said. He urged the students to attend a rally scheduled for Wednesday on the campus Drillfield. The noon rally is to be held simultaneously with other rallies scheduled at publicly funded universities in the state.

Wilder has told colleges to prepare for cuts as high as 15 percent to ease the state's budget shortfall of $500 million. Since 1990, higher education funding has been cut 18 percent.

The governor is to present his two-year budget plan to the General Assembly in December.

Jim Shepard, executive director of the SGA, told the crowd, ``We need you to vote, and we need you to talk to your parents about voting ...We have to know how our legislators are going to stand. This is a state of emergency.''

After the forum, students were encouraged to sign petitions and to continue asking questions.

Nick Rush, the Republican candidate for the 12th District House of Delegates seat, fielded some of those questions.

``You've got to make your voice heard,'' the 25-year-old candidate said.

``You can never give up.''