In the 2012 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama emphasized the relationship between an affordable college education, a growing middle class and a strong national economy.

The fiscal year 2013 budget proposal reflects this announcement, specifically with college education.

Obama has proposed a 2.5 percent increase in educational spending.

Butler students should understand that the president’s administration is providing an increased support for federal student financial-aid programs.

But Obama struck out—he missed an opportunity to truly help future students pay for college, even with a $1.7 billion increase from fiscal year 2012.

Obama’s budget uses a variety of tools in an attempt to keep post-secondary education within reach for many American families, including increased grant and work-study funding, and expands access to student loans.

But current and future Butler students will unfortunately not gain much help at all—and this is coming from a very pro-Obama voter.

There are four main components in the budget that deal directly with financial aid that Butler students should be aware of.

First, the budget calls for increased funding for the federal work-study program by $150 million.

The Obama administration states that this increase will provide work-study grants for an additional 110,000 students.

However, not that many Butler students are in this program to begin with, and it will not substantially increase if this proposal is enacted.

Melissa Smurdon, director of financial aid, said Butler has a little fewer than 300 students working in this program.

Strike one.

Second, Obama has proposed an increase in the maximum Pell Grant from $5,550 to $5,636.

It is hard to imagine that this will provide dramatic relief for college students. Though the Obama administration says this small increase will ensure access to almost 10 million needy students, it seems like a drop in the bucket when tuition at Butler is north of $30,000.

Strike two.

The third factor in the budget proposal is actually one that is a necessity for Butler students.

With a looming increase of the interest rate on federal Stafford loans occurring on July 1, 2012, Obama has proposed a freeze on the rate hike.

If enacted, Butler students will continue to pay a 3.4 percent interest rate on Stafford loans rather than the 6.8 percent increase as of July 1.

Almost a home run, but the ball went foul at the last second.

The fourth and final component Butler students should be aware of is the federal Perkins loans program.

About 800 students are enrolled in this program at Butler. The Obama administration has proposed an increase for Federal Perkins Loans offered by the Department of Education from $1 billion to $8.5 billion.

However, Judy Renschler, loan coordinator in student accounts, said that no money has been provided by the government for this program and this proposal will increase the interest rate to 6.8 percent.

“I get concerned with the cost of the loans increasing for students,” Smurdon said. “Having more available is more positive but in the end, it will cost more,” Smurdon said.

“Having said that, Butler students do an exceptional job. We have a really low default rate, and our students pay them back and this is a good contribute for Butler.”

Yet, due to the instability of these programs proposed by presidential administrations, and the hike in interest rates for these loans, I am calling strike three on this proposal.

Students should still be active in community, even without national spotlight on Indianapolis.

The recent Super Bowl madness is giving the rest of the nation a chance to learn what the Butler University community has known since 1855: Indianapolis is a super city, and that fact has nothing to do with a visit from Jimmy Fallon or a celebrity basketball game at
Hinkle Fieldhouse.

After all, one sporting event can’t create a city’s entire legacy, and the 2012 Super Bowl isn’t the first time that Butler students got involved when the city hosted a large sporting event.

Does anyone else remember a NCAA men’s basketball Final Four and national championship that we hosted and participated in less than two years ago?

We have much more to be proud of—namely, Butler students, faculty and staff who make a difference each and every day in the Indianapolis community by volunteering, student teaching, starting businesses and creating programs that continue to make a lasting impact on our city.

Even after the larger-than-life XLVI letters are taken down and we all go back to drinking literally anything besides Bud Light, the Butler community should still continue to display its Indianapolis pride by forging and maintaining lasting partnerships with meaningful groups and organizations.

The Collegian reported today in “Despite administrative changes, partnership stands” that Butler’s relationship with Shortridge Magnet High School, an Indianapolis Public School, is growing despite the school’s recent administrative layoffs and dismissals.

This is an admirable connection for Butler and one the university should keep for years to come.

This connection does every day what the media makes a big deal of highlighting during the hype over a football game—how great it is that Butler students get involved in the city.

To be sure, there is a lesson in the Super Bowl hype. Indianapolis thrives when people get excited about its possibilities.

It is not that we shouldn’t be excited for all of the Butler students who volunteered at the NFL Player’s Party or who posted Facebook pictures of  their downtown celebrity sightings. However, I’m betting these people got more pats on the back and press in the last week than the staff or students at the Butler Volunteer Center have gotten in the last year.

Once the Super Bowl fuss is over, the fact that Butler students danced or participated in a Twitter campaign for Fallon to come back to Butler will not matter.

However to kids involved in the Shortridge partnership, Butler students’ involvement will matter.

There’s no glam or mass media appeal to regular old volunteering, but that doesn’t mean that we should care about it less.

The ground was cold on Tuesday.

Sophomore Christen Schwarz said that was her  first realization as she stepped outside barefoot to support “One Day Without Shoes.”

The event strives to raise awareness about people in other countries who don’t own a pair of shoes.

Tom’s Shoes, a footwear company that donates one pair of shoes to an impoverished person for every pair they sell, sponsors the annual event.

People can become susceptible to disease and infection if they walk barefoot, and schools can deny children entrance if they do not own shoes.

“It’s a good cause,” Schwarz, an international studies major, said. “It makes you appreciate what many children and people in Africa are going through.”

Freshman psychology major Alaina Rodriguez said she found out about the cause through other people and by owning a pair of Tom’s.

She said the event raises awareness because people walking barefoot around campus have to deal with questions and talk about the cause.

“It creates a scene, and people get out the word that way,” she said.

She said it also may inspire others to join in next year or research the issue on their own. This consciousness may also lead people to help in other ways.

“If more people know about it, then the problem is being worked at,” she said.

Kyle Faulkner, a sophomore communications studies and international studies major, said he was inspired to help with the event after learning more about the cause and going on a mission trip to Jamaica.

He said he was inspired to step out of his comfort zone and develop empathy for people who don’t have basic necessities, like shoes.

“I’ve never considered the position of not having shoes, until I found this cause,” he said. “It’s a good time to think about the things we take for granted in our everyday lives.”

He said that while preventing disease by providing people with shoes is important, making sure children can attend school is crucial.

“[Not having shoes] takes opportunities and experiences for growth away from them and harming them for their later years,” he said.

While Faulkner said he understands that some people went without shoes just because their friends did, he said they could still gain something from the experience and realize how fortunate they are.

“My hope is that Butler students are changed too, that we broaden our perspective and realize that some things we worry about are pretty petty,” he said.

He also said the focus of the event was the issue, and people should not get caught up in how long other people went without shoes or where they went without shoes.

“This is not a contest to see who can be the most dedicated to going barefoot all day,” he said. “It’s about drawing empathy and raising awareness for an issue that not many people think about.”