Students plan to protest loss of Michigan Promise scholarship at State of the State address

From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

What's happening:

Nearly 5,000 college and high school students are expected to protest outside the Capitol the cutting of the Michigan Promise scholarship.

Ben Lazarus, a sophomore at Central Michigan University and founder of NoBrokenPromise.com, is spearheading the protest with the help of Common Sense in Government, a non-partisan group, and students from a number of major universities across the state.

“It’s hard to find leaders at the university level,” Lazarus said. “In Lansing, it’s tough to stand against both parties, but I felt it was my responsibility and I’ve been impressed with the response I’ve gotten from my fellow students.”

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“The message we’re pushing now is for students to call their legislators and tell them to boycott the State of the State address and listen to the real state of the state on the steps of the capitol building,” Lazarus said. “The stories of students and taxpayers, hardships because of their broken promises.”

They have created a Facebook page to rally support around the Michigan Promise. You can join it by clicking here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=115556985977

The Scholarship's impact on Michigan students:

Students at Grand Valley, such as sophomore Janelle Cranmer, know first-hand the difficulties caused by the lost scholarship money. GVSU students were billed $500.

“For some of us like myself, paying for next month’s rent and food is now in question,” Cranmer said.

Said GVSU senior Gregory Hatt, “I think because some students are suffering so much, that’s translating into a lot of motivation and drive to help rally other students and other people in the community that are upset.”

Read the full article:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/02/students_plan_to_protest_loss.html