There is a monster lurking behind closed doors in the nation’s capital right now that will affect this university a lot more than Occupy Wall Street. That monster is the congressional debt super committee and its mandate to vote on a plan to cut $1.5 trillion from the deficit by Nov. 23.

You might recall this summer’s showdown between President Barack Obama and House Republicans, which lined the front page for three weeks straight as we approached the Aug. 2 deadline to make a deal. In addition to causing a downgrade in the federal government’s credit rating, this impasse resulted in the creation of the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “super committee”) — six Democrat and six Republican senators and representatives who only have about a month left to make a deal.

Maryland state Sen. Roger Manno (D – Montgomery County), an expert on the issue, says what the super committee decides to cut or keep will have enormous consequences for the future of this university in two major ways. First, he notes, funding for Pell Grants and loans so many students — including myself — rely on is on the chopping block.

Second, the future of research partnerships with the federal government — one of the main reasons the university has moved up in the rankings in recent years — is in jeopardy. In 2010, the university received a record $545 million in research funding, of which $313 million came from just five federal agencies. But while our unique location inside the beltway has helped this university secure government research money, it also makes us more susceptible to a big funding hit.

Because of our proximity, “we are extremely vulnerable as a state — much more so than other states,” said Manno. “We are in a wait-and-see position right now.” I’m worried, Terp Family. I’m worried because the future of this university is threatened and, while I applaud two valiant efforts that have been made, our community’s overall response to this threat has been too disconnected and too small.

Student Government Association President Kaiyi Xie and MaryPIRG President Sam Zwerling co-signed a letter Tuesday to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who serves on the super committee. The letter is a good start, but Xie acknowledges no effort was made to reach out to any other groups.

Graduate Student Government President Anna Bedford is passionate about the issue, and said the showdown this summer led to the replacement of subsidized graduate student loans with unsubsidized ones, translating to additional costs of about $7,000 for graduate students across the country (worried yet?). Bedford said she would have signed the letter had she been aware of it, and I imagine the College Democrats and many other student groups and students would be glad to join the effort.

On a much larger scale, on Sept. 21, University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan and university President Wallace Loh joined more than 100 presidents and chancellors from across the country in co-signing a letter encouraging the super committee to protect higher education funding.

Former state Senator and current USM Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations P.J. Hogan recently confirmed the potentially “dramatic effect” this deal could have on the university. He’s been lobbying Maryland’s 10 members of Congress and stressed the necessity of students, staff and faculty to join the effort. He even offered to come to the campus to speak to any interested groups.

Amidst all the uncertainty about what will be cut, one thing is undeniable: The education, research and innovation the university contributes to our society are priceless. But our officials need to be reminded. This is the perfect opportunity for the SGA, GSG and others to build a coalition to support and unite the community against reductions in higher education spending.

Ben Simon is a senior government and politics major and a former candidate for SGA President. He can be reached at simon@umdbk.com.