ASWSU met with Pullman City Council Wednesday to discuss state and federal education budget cuts, including those proposed by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
Both groups met in Butch’s Den to present the work they have carried out over the semester.
Tucker Senter, deputy legislative affairs director, said there is a bill which could see a major drop in median family income award levels.
“Essentially what this bill does is it will raise tuition by five percent. The bill, as it’s ran currently, will drop the MFI from 65 percent, which it is right now, to 25 percent,” Senter said. “I testified against that bill on Monday. There is a substitute bill that the bill sponsor dropped as well – it’s still pretty bad but it’s not as bad as the original bill.”
Senter said damage control is the main focus when fighting this bill.
“With the budget, we only have limited resources on what we can do there,” he said. “Our goal is to keep [MFI] at 65 percent, but obviously there’s still going to be some decreases because the pool of money, which that 65 percent comes out of, is going to be smaller no matter what we do.”
Council member Eric Fejeran spoke on the federal issues and budget cuts, briefly giving his opinion to the audience.
“I do also share the frustration with everything that’s going on at the federal level, especially with regards to the Department of Education, and just education in general,” he said. “I know how important that funding is, especially to low-income students.”
Council member Nathan Weller asked how ASWSU was responding to federal action as City Council tries to navigate those same situations.
Community Affairs Director Amina Hussein said ASWSU is committed to putting students first.
“We are working alongside WSU students to make sure their needs are met. A lot of us [are] filled with uncertainty,” Hussein said. “There is more work to be done on campus as the school year closes, but we are 110% aware and we will always stand by our students.”
ASWSU then asked City Council what their plans are to get people to stay in Pullman after graduating from the university.
WSU students make up a large amount of Pullman’s population. In 2022, more than 17,000 students were enrolled at WSU’s Pullman campus, with the total population of Pullman sitting at just over than 32,000.
Council member Parks said she is working to dispel mental barriers that keep locals away from the campus, such as limited parking. She said she shares ASWSU’s hopes that Pullman can become a home for WSU students.
“There’s a project that Mayor Benjamin and Council member Gaither and I are working on about [how to keep people living in Pullman after graduation],” she said. “We want to get you guys downtown, but also, I want our community members to come [to the WSU campus].”
ASWSU and City Council also discussed what they can do for veterans in the community, what areas of each community can be improved, and the paving of Orchard Drive.
