TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students rallied together Thursday in protest of the University System of Georgia’s proposal to cut about $560 million from the state budget. The protest was sponsored by the ABAC Student Media and the ABAC Student Government Association.
The protest gave ABAC students, and faculty, a platform to express their dislike of the new proposals that would not only cost 34 ABAC faculty members their jobs, but also raise fees for students across the state.
Jacob McWhorter, managing editor of ABAC’s newspaper “The Stallion,” and also the moderator for the protest, opened up the afternoon encouraging students to use their right to stand up and protest the budget cuts.
“I have heard people say that we do not have the right to come out and protest and they are wrong,” McWhorter said. “We do have every right to protest this.”
Moments later ABAC Associate Professor of History Galt Brown took center stage to not only speak against the cuts, but also to explain to students the opportunity that they have to make a difference.
“You have an opportunity that is rare,” Brown said. “What you have to say does matter and you now have the opportunity to speak your voice.”
ABAC President David Bridges told students that the actions they take during the protest will not be the difference maker, but rather their actions following the protest. Bridges informed students to express their opinions to the people that could really make a difference. Bridges informed students to express their opinions to the people that could really make a difference.
“Your own self-interest is most loudly heard when it comes from your mouth or from your pen,” Bridges said. “Higher education can be torn down in one day because of the cut and it could take generations to get it back.”
After the designated speakers talked to the audience, the stage was open to anyone in attendance to get up and share how the cuts would affect them.
When the open microphone was presented it was Stephen Aaron, a political science major at ABAC, who made his way through the crowd first.
“Everyone is here (ABAC) to better their education, and their future,” Aaron said. “If they make these cuts, then they are castrating our future.”
Aaron’s thoughts were not rare amongst the angry student body as one after the other they made their way to the stage to share their thoughts with the audience. Among those who went up to speak was social science major Jamie Parish.
“It won’t stop with these cuts alone,” Parish said. “If these cuts do go through then there will be something else they will want to cut later on.”
Students are planning to carry their voice to Atlanta on Monday as they are going to meet at Georgia State University and march to the Georgia Capitol.
Many of the 70 plus ABAC protesters plan to participate in the march.
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