At a time when funds from the state are rapidly decreasing, student governments, such as the ASUW and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS), are looking toward the federal government to increase its role in higher education.

In the 2009–11 biennium, the state is facing a $2.6-billion shortfall, and the UW received a 26-percent cut to its budget. By fall of 2010, students in the University of California system will face a 32-percent tuition increase due to a lack of state funds, and Arizona State University may have to close two campuses because of state budget cuts. Higher-education institutions around the nation are looking above local boundaries in hopes of filling the holes left behind from state deficits.

“It’s a hot topic right now, because states across the country are facing difficult economic times, even though higher education has previously not been a typical role for the federal government,” said Jonathan Nurse, assistant director for federal relations in the UW Office of External Affairs.

Nurse said that state governments will continue to be at the forefront of higher-education interests, but the current presidential administration is friendly toward higher education, which means there is the potential to get a lot more accomplished at the federal level.

One of the ways the federal government has become more involved in higher education is the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (SAFRA) in the House of Representatives. The legislation would eliminate banks from the federal-loan program, which would result in roughly $80 billion in savings that would be directed toward increased aid to students, such as Pell Grants.

ASUW Senate Chair Jed Bradley said the SAFRA legislation has prompted increased involvement with the federal government and led to the ASUW’s decision to contact the UW Office of Federal Relations.

“We’re still very focused on state, because that’s where most of our funding comes from, but we are getting into federal issues when it comes to federal bills that are important to students, such as SAFRA.” Bradley said. “It’s the first time in quite a few years that we’ve actually gotten our hands dirty on the federal level.”

GPSS included federal lobbying position statements for the first time in their 2010 session legislative agenda. Sarah Reyneveld, GPSS vice president and lobbyist, said that they are more invested in issues at the federal level because graduate and professional students receive 90 percent of their aid from the federal government. The work-study program is the only need-based aid they receive from the state.

“I see us stepping up our lobbying efforts to do more in Washington, D.C., and strengthen our relations with members there,” Reyneveld said. “There could be a potential shift from state to federal lobbying efforts, but it’s also good because we have a lot of interest in federal policy in general.”

Washington universities aren’t alone in their increased interest in the federal government’s role in higher education, as reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California system, is arguing that state support for higher education is declining, which results in burdensome cuts to state universities.

However, the federal government may not hold all of the solutions. Given the current economic downturn, massive budget deficits, and a looming debt crisis, Nurse said that, although the government has an increased focus in higher education, they have their hands tied.

“They want to be spending the money on important priorities, but essentially, it comes down to where the money is,” Nurse said. “They’re faced with a fiscal reality that they need to address.”

Yet with the SAFRA legislation, the potential expansion of Pell Grants and initiation of new tax credits for students, some feel that there is reassurance that help is on the way from the federal government.

Reach contributing writer Katie Burke at news@dailyuw.com.