OUR DAY AT THE STATE CAPITAL

On April 12 and seven Albright students, Mary Ellen Duffy, director of financial aid, and me were to travel to Harrisburg to lobby for issues impacting private higher education in Pennsylvania. The lobbyist organization, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania (AICUP) organized the Student Lobby Day event and invited students from various private colleges and universities across the state and allows us to voice our opinions to our state representatives and state senators about budgeting for higher education.

In the past years, our argument has been for increased funding for private colleges and universities because they fall third in line from grants and additional funding from the state government. State schools like Millersville and Kutztown receive the most funding because they are actually owned by the state. Second in line for government funding are state-related insitutions like Temple University and Penn State, these institutions receive state funds but are independently operated. Because of this disparity, Albright students lobby to state officials for additional funding because attending a private college is somewhat of a burden when the only aid for students comes from donors and trustees.

However, this year was different from past Student Lobby Day events. Because of the proposed budget cuts of newly elected governor, Tom Corbett, the vice president of Government Relations of AICUP, Mary Young, asked us to thank the state representatives and state senators instead of persuade them. She told us, you are to show gratitude because of the 50% budget cuts from the state colleges and universities and allow for funding to be given directly to students instead of institutions.

This Student Lobby Day, we met with Representative Dante Santoni, and senior Sean Crossley, shared with him the importance of grants and how they make it possible for him to receive an Albright education. Representative Santoni was very responsive to our input about federal funding and left us with a few words of encouragement. We tried to pay a visit to Representative Jim Cox, but he sent us his secretary instead (who failed to take notes about what we said, might I add). Lastly, we separated to visit Senator Judy Schwank and Senator and Albright alum, Ted Erickson. After giving Senator Erickson our talking points, he left me and senior Katie Donaldson with some words of wisdom once we get to the real world and leave our fair Albright behind. Overall, the day was a great experience and I was awarded the chance to meet officials that have a direct impact on my studies at Albright and my residence in Berks County.