LYNDONVILLE- Vermont's spending on higher education has decreased close to 30 percent since 1980.  Students and faculty at their respective colleges will be rallying on October 20^th, in hopes of making the Vermont Legislature more aware of this growing issue.

State appropriations for Vermont Sate Colleges (VSC) has decreased yearly for decades, but many Vermont higher education students are unaware of this issue.  Vermont ranks dead last out of all fifty states when it comes to state spending per full time student.

Lyndon State College professor Tim Sturm explains that the decrease has been a steady trend, "This is my thirteenth year, and if we do the arithmetic, state funding has decreased each of those years by approximately one percent".  This trend is forcing students to fork out more money each year to pay for tuition, which, according to Sturm, adds up to an average debt of $27,000 for every student who earns a Bachelor's Degree.

According to Theresa Conant, the President of VSC United Professional, students aren't grasping the gravity of the situation, "I don't think students quite understand the gravity of a debt like that, because it's building slowly.  You're not making payments while you're in school".  "Many of our graduates are looking at long term debt as a consequence of their having gone to the Vermont State Colleges", adds Sturm.

The purpose of the October 20^th rally is to increase awareness about the growing problem, in hopes that the overall message will reach state representatives.  Conant, and other VSC officials want students to be aware so that they can spread their concerns on the issue.