Here is a nice little story from the Salt Lake Tribune that covered the Rally at the Capitol last Friday:

Utah students rally against proposed ed-funds chop
Snow College president says invest in, don't cut, education

By Brain Maffly
The Salt Lake Tribune
Photo by Francisco Kjolseth/TSLT
January 31, 2009

Snow College President Scott Wyatt had been there before, on the steps of the Utah Capitol, speaking out against slashing college and university budgets. As student body president at Utah State University in 1987, Wyatt warned the cuts could corrode Utah's economic vitality.

That was the last time Utah slashed spending on higher education. This time it's worse, with proposed cuts of 15 percent for next year on top of retroactive cuts as high as 7 percent on this year's budget.

"Education is the solution, not the problem. It's not the cost, but the investment. We are the engine," Wyatt said Friday to a 400-strong contingent of students who converged on lawmakers. "For every dollar we invest, we get seven back. When times are tough, that's when you invest."
USU and Snow students, who traveled two hours by bus and carpool, dominated the festive rally with their sheer numbers.

"What's going to happen to our country in the coming years? These budget cuts are a stop-gap measure," said Emily Phillips, a Snow freshman from Salt Lake City. "They are cutting our future."

Phillips' Ephraim contingent carried signs announcing "It's raining at Snow," and sported blue and white umbrellas under a crystal blue winter sky. Snow students "Rickrolled" the rally with a rendition of Rick Astley's cheesy 1980s hit "Never Gonna Give You Up," an MTV video that would have disappeared down a memory hole if it not for an Internet gag that revived it.

Although few appreciated the students' Astley reference, the Web played a key part in Friday's display of student activism thanks to the Internet networking of USU senior Danielle Babbel. The anthropology and geography major launched a Facebook page to rally Utah students to the defense of higher education.

"It has been a great communication tool for us. We've been able to connect with students at every college," said Babbel's classmate, student vice-president Jackson Olsen, who organized the rally. He was pleased with Friday's showing, saying it dispelled "rumors of student apathy."
To uproarious approval, Snow's Wyatt urged lawmakers to tap more than $500 million in "rainy day" funds and issue bonds.

"We have access to $1 billion. That money can take the sting out of budget cuts," he said. "We can handle a 4 percent cut, but we can't handle 20 percent cuts."

USU English major Emily Arnold fears cuts of that magnitude will dismantle programs and increase class sizes. "This institution needs to be preserved the way it is," said Arnold, who graduates this year. "I'm here for the students who will come after me and for my children."
No matter where the budget ax falls this session, college students and employees can expect higher tuition, fewer class offerings and student services, and layoffs next year, with broad implications for access to and quality of a Utah college education. No other question looms larger than that of affordability.

Wyatt recalled how his mother earned 90 cents an hour as a USU student in 1955. At that rate, it took 117 hours to cover her $105 tuition. Now, a student has to work 672 hours to cover USU's $4,400 tuition.

"If you don't have your parents' backing, you can't get very far," said Snow's Emily Phillips, who chose the tiny Ephraim school because it offers high quality courses at a price half that of the University of Utah.