Downtown Montgomery sounded more like a game day college campus than a state capital Thursday, Feb. 25.
The sound of cheers and marching band music came from approximately 1,000 college students who rallied for higher education funding in front of the Alabama Statehouse for the annual Higher Education Day.
Fifty Auburn students made the bus trip to Montgomery with Aubie in tow.
Gordon Stone, executive director of the Higher Education Partnership, hosted the event that brought students from 14 public universities and colleges across Alabama.
Stone said higher education needs to be funded with one-third of the Education Trust Fund.
"I had somebody ask me the question, 'Why do y'all always ask for one-third?'" Stone said. "Because we're not down here to try to tell everybody that higher ed is more important than anything else. What we're down here today to do is to remind every single person ... that Alabama public universities make a difference. And because of that, our state must fund all of education, from pre-K through Ph.D., and you've got to have a formula."
Gov. Robert Bentley spoke to the crowd and touted his proposed education budget, which is the second largest of his term in office.
"This [year's budget] will also be the largest amount that goes to higher education, at least with the budget I submitted," Bentley said. "We'll have to wait and see what the legislature does with that."
Michael Bullington, SGA assistant vice president of external affairs, said he was happy with the 50-student turnout.
"Almost everyone from Auburn got to go into the statehouse and talk to their actual legislatures," Bullington said. "Which is probably just as powerful, if not more, than having the rally outside."
Newly installed SGA President Jesse Westerhouse said he hopes Auburn students at Higher Education Day will see the importance of higher education funding.
"The legislature will be able to say, 'These students care about this — this is something that matters,'" Westerhouse said.
Westerhouse said the event was also a chance to catch up with students from across the state.
"It's cool to see how we all share the same vision to bring funding for higher education to really benefit, not just Auburn, not just UNA or Alabama or wherever it is, but to benefit higher education as a whole," Westerhouse said.
Bullington said he hopes more students will come to the event next year and described the atmosphere at the rally as "lively."
"That's what you need to get people to come to a political rally," Bullington said.
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