The Undergraduate Student Government is leading a letter-writing campaign to ask all the state legislators to fight cuts to higher education.

USG members said they would like to raise $10,000 within days to send 30,000 letters to OSU students’ parents asking them to contact the state lawmakers.

The funding for this campaign will be strictly voluntary and come entirely from private sources wanting to donate money — not through any university sources, said Richard Gunther, chairman of the fiscal committee and coordinator of an ad hoc working group on student support for higher education.

Gunther made a short presentation to University Senate last night to speak on the behalf of the campaign and the rising concerns of funding cuts.

After making a presentation to the senate last month on the possibility of a $7.7 million cut from the university, students and faculty contacted Gunther saying something needed to be done.

“The alarm bells went off when the cuts were made,” Gunther said. “If we don’t receive the kind of increase the governor is proposing and this downhill slide in funding continues, then this campus will face dire consequences.

“We have already seen 600 faculty and staff positions get cut along with the graduate students being asked to pay more in tuition,” he said. “We have been belt-tightening long enough.”

After getting inquiries from students and faculty, Gunther put together a group of people he thought would be interested in finding a solution. The group includes USG, Council of Graduate Students, the University Staff Advisory Committee, the Alumni Association and the American Association of University Professors.

“We decided we needed to indicate to legislators we care about the quality of education, and that the cutting of the budget is not something we will tolerate any longer,” Gunther said. “We have been silent for far too long. I learned at the Statehouse they never get letters from students or faculty saying they support funding for higher education.”

This encouraged the group to send out letters to all of the state legislators and to convince others to do so as well.

“Undergrad students, especially, come from all over the state, and legislators do not pay attention to form letters or to letters from people outside of their district,” Gunther said.

Gunther said USG had already considered writing letters.

In fact, only a month ago, USG launched a postcard campaign. Ohio State’s USG, in participation with student government representatives from universities throughout Ohio, marched down to the Statehouse to hand-deliver the postcards.

“USG had actually already drafted a letter and had been considering doing this for a long time prior to this,” Gunther said.

USG President Eddie Pauline said the letter is going to have a big impact on people.

“The letter is making people take a look at what higher education should mean and how higher education means future careers for students,” Pauline said.

Pauline said the letter has another powerful statement.

“It tries to make a connection between education and a good economy. Many people have not made that connection. It also explains the resources Ohio State can offer to the state with extension offices,” Pauline said.

Pauline said USG is looking to readjust its budget and focus money on this issue because it is so important.

USG has a goal to sent out 30,000 letters to parents of OSU students and will need 10,000 donated and raised to do this in a matter of days.

If USG cannot earn $10,000, Pauline said the group will do what it can to use whatever money it makes.

“Depending on how much we get, we will be targeting different groups of people that are vital. We will also be doing an e-mail campaign because it is free,” Pauline said.

USG will also be on The Oval with cell phones for students to contact their parents and ask them to call their state legislators.

At the senate meeting last night, USG received $500, including a check from Gunther, for the letter drive.

OSU President Karen A. Holbrook said this is a great idea.

“Anyone or anything you can do to get this mobilized is great,” Holbrook said.