College Affordability has become a major issue, especially here in Massachusetts. Too long have students’ troubles been either ignored or offered solutions that would make them pay for college for the rest of their lives through loans and tax hikes. As a club, we will only support politicians who are dedicated to solving this problem and have realistic plans to do so. That is one of the reasons we have endorsed Kathy Lynch for Republican State Committeewoman in the 1^st Middlesex district (Lowell, Westford, Groton, Pepperell, Tyngsborough, and Dunstable). Election Day is Tuesday, March 3^rd.

Kathy Lynch’s opponent’s record on the issue hasn’t been good. Since 2016, when candidate Mary Burns was appointed to the UMass Board of Trustees, she has voted to raise tuition at all UMass schools three times, increasing the financial burden on our students. This Board is made of people appointed by the governor and 5 student trustees elected by students from each UMass college (Boston, Amherst, Medical, Dartmouth, and Lowell). However, only two of the elected students are allowed to vote.

We believe it should be a top priority to pass a bill that grants all 5 student trustees the right to vote so students have more representation on the Board. The last attempt, Bill H.1222, was allowed to die in committee despite the Democrats having a super-majority in the legislature. We will also continue on to support legislation that supports our college students and reels in the runaway cost of tuition and fees, supports open-source textbooks, and other innovative ways to make college more affordable without burdening everyone with ridiculously big loans and tax increases.

Kathy Lynch has proudly offered to support these policies, “I have met the fine members of the UMass Lowell College Republicans. They are concerned about college costs and fair representation on the Board of Trustees. These are important and valid concerns and I support them in their efforts to improve the situation for all students of the UMass system.” If we help Kathy Lynch get elected, we will have a very important ally in the fight for affordable college.

This represents an opportunity to make students’ ideas and concerns a major issue for an entire political party. If we create a high enough student turnout it will also show the ruling party that they shouldn’t take college students and their votes for granted anymore. The turnout for this election is normally low, meaning it won’t take many of us to have a noticeable impact. Together, we can make a difference for future college students for years to come. Vote for Kathy Lynch on March 3^rd.

– Shawn Nagle, Co-President, UMass College Republicans