Tournament: CPS | Round: 1 | Opponent: Dougherty Valley CS | Judge: Danie Park
State cuts have led tuition to spike harming the ability to students to enter college, especially those who come from low income backgrounds or are people of color – The impact is a blow to the national economy because a college degree is a crucial internal link to working in a skilled job, decreasing health care costs, and bringing greater wealth to local communities
Mitchell et al 16 (Report published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; authors were Michael Mitchell (State Budget and Tax), Michael Leachman (State Budget and Tax), and Kathleen Masterson, “Funding Down, Tuition Up: State Cuts to Higher Education Threaten Quality and Affordability at Public Colleges”, http://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/funding-down-tuition-up, EmmieeM)
Years of cuts in state funding for public colleges and universities have driven up tuition 

AND

the start of the recession will make it more difficult to achieve those goals
The only thing keeping graduation rates stable is financial aid --- allows students to study full-time, encourages academic progress, and is the only way low-income students can afford to enroll
Johnson 14 (Hans Johnson – supported by the College Access Foundation of California and writing for the Public Policy Institute of California, “Making College Possible for Low-Income Students: Grant and Scholarship Aid in California”, http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_1014HJR.pdf, pg. 20-24, EmmieeM)
Students fail to complete college for many reasons, including financial constraints. Certainly it 

AND

earn a degree if they first enroll at a four-year college.
There’s a contradiction within government policy --- restricting free speech may be unconstitutional, but not doing so causes public colleges to lose federal funding under Title IX
Bernstein 3 (David E. Bernstein – George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law with a focus on constitutional history, “You Can’t Say That: The Growing Threat to Civil Liberties From Antidiscrimination Laws”, “Censoring Campus Speech”, https://books.google.com/books?id=zU2QAAAAQBAJandpg=PA60andlpg=PA60anddq=public+colleges+could+lose+funding+if+they+allow+for+racistsandsource=blandots=W67N5E3bznandsig=xXeBW8YaTy_Ilb34MIbu-grciy4andhl=enandsa=Xandved=0ahUKEwiBoqTkn_nQAhVBjFQKHcc7CIkQ6AEITDAI#v=onepageandq=public20colleges20could20lose20funding20if20they20allow20for20racistsandf=false, pg. 60-61, EmmieeM)
Given these constitutional barriers, public university speech codes were on the way out until

AND

Amendment, then so can they. Unfortunately, they may be right.
Federal funding is used to maintain financial aid resources and colleges are only growing more dependent on it as state funding goes down
Pew 15 (The Pew Charitable Trusts – compiles evidence and non-partisan analysis to inform the public and create better public policy, “Federal and State Funding of Higher Education: A Changing Landscape”, http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2015/06/federal-and-state-funding-of-higher-education, EmmieeM)
States and the federal government have long provided substantial funding for higher education, but 

AND

, while state funds primarily pay for the general operations of public institutions.
The impact is massive – combatting the structural barriers that prevent individuals from attending college is the main internal link to competitiveness
U.S. Department of Commerce 12 (Prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce with consultation from the National Economic Council, “The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity in the United States”, http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/thecompetitivenessandinnovativecapacityoftheunitedstates.pdf, pgs. 2-10, EmmieeM)
Education is a key element for promoting economic growth and increasing the innovative capacity of 

AND

schools in 2011–2012 was lower than in 2007–2008.21
Competitiveness is key to US dominance – we need to keep innovating faster to ensure economic prosperity and hegemony
Segal 04 – Senior Fellow in China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
Adam, Foreign Affairs, “Is America Losing Its Edge?” November / December 2004, http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20041101facomment83601/adam-segal/is-america-losing-its-edge.html
The United States' global primacy depends in large part on its ability to develop new 

AND

, the United States must get better at fostering technological entrepreneurship at home.
Loss of competitiveness results in great power conflict—retrenchment makes war inevitable and ensures the US would be dragged in
Khalilzad 11 — Zalmay Khalilzad, Counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, served as the United States ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations during the presidency of George W. Bush, served as the director of policy planning at the Defense Department during the Presidency of George H.W. Bush, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, 2011 (“The Economy and National Security,” National Review, February 8th, Available Online at http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/print/259024, Accessed 02-08-2011)

Today, economic and fiscal trends pose the most severe long-term threat to 

AND

leading the world toward a new, dangerous era of multi-polarity.