Birmingham Southern students push to save school
We heard from alumni but now we are hearing from the students at Birmingham Southern as they are writing letters to legislators to help their private school out of a financial bind.
They are very determined to keep their school’s legacy alive. Right after the holiday, they returned back to the drawing board to find ways they can reach legislators in hopes of getting funding.
BCS’s financial challenges began with a building program in the mid-2000s that drew heavily upon the endowment and caused the college to take on significant debt.
Birmingham Southern College is already raising $45.5 million, but they need $200 million to reach their goal. BSC students are working behind the scenes to make it possible.
Many are calling, emailing, and sending letters to Gov. Kay Ivey and lawmakers across the state.
“It takes numbers and we have to come together. Every little thing that we say counts. Pushing for this is extremely important, so it’s been very nice to see people understand that, and their voice can count and they can contribute to this.” Xuan Huynh said.
In those letters, college students sought a one-time contribution of bridge funding, including $30 million from the state government, $5 million from the city of Birmingham and $2.5 million from Jefferson County.
They're now waiting to hear back from those legislators in the next couple of weeks or by the end of January.