An Open Letter to State Representative, Mr. John Taylor, From A Temple Student

Dear Mr. Taylor:

As a rising junior at Temple, I assumed I would spend this summer choosing between fall internships or places to live, but certainly not deciding whether I would be able to continue my education at the hands of the state legislature. Now, with less than a month before the first day of the fall semester, over 35,000 of my peers and I are facing a tuition increase that may potentially double the cost of our education. Many of us will be forced to withdraw indefinitely—an act whose implications could have devastating effects on our futures, both collectively and individually.

In the 2007-2008 school year, more than half of us (63%) received need-based financial aid with the average package calculated at $5,248—HALF the cost of what just one single semester would potentially cost, should you continue voting in support of cutting the Commonwealth’s appropriations.

Though similar to Temple, appropriations regarding both Pennsylvania State University and University of Pittsburgh were passed through to the final round of consideration while, incidentally, consideration for Temple’s funding failed to advance. It seems that your personal feelings regarding the closure of Port Richmond’s Northeastern hospital have rendered you temporarily unable to comprehend the effects that your actions will have on the students in your legislative district. Are we your constituents or your pawns? How long will it be until you hear our voices too?

So Mr. Taylor, before you choose to quantify the immeasurable value of nearly 40,000 students’ education at $175 million, may I please remind you that 1 out of every 8 people in the Philadelphia area is a Temple graduate? Including you. Do the right thing by allowing us to continue our education in the hopes of a better future—the same opportunity once unquestionably afforded to you.
Sincerely,
Kami Mattioli
Temple, Class of '11