And then I noticed an article in The Clarion Ledger. The College Board and the state institutions for higher learning are always duking it out over higher education budgets, and this article described nothing different. It said that the state's 8 institutions are asking for an increase in funding each year for the next five years. In response, the state legislator legislature is asking that the colleges and universities cut their budgets over the next two years. Tuition has risen for the past nine out of 10 years in MS, and it doesn't look like next year's tuition will be any different.

Furthermore, as pointed out by a New York Times article, the falling economy has made it even tougher for students and families to fund current tuitions at universities and colleges.

All of this is a bit disturbing. And in times like these, it is even more disturbing to hear about our officials and administrators in higher education spending thousands on personal landscape projects, such as the planting of at least 13 magnolia trees on IHL Commissioner Thomas Meredith's personal property, at the expense of the university.

Now, honestly, I don't think the sky is falling or our economy will blow up in smoke or we will all have to resort to the lifestyles of cavemen or something, but there are a few areas in which I, as a student can be immediately affected - such as tuition.