Students become citizen lobbyists for need-based aid
Each year students get involved in advocating for the legislative agenda put forward by the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) on behalf of its 17 institutions. Day at the Capitol, held on five days Feb. 28 through April 12, gives students an opportunity to become effective citizen lobbyists while urging their hometown legislators to support financial aid for Minnesota students — specifically the State Grant Program. Students receive a policy and lobbying briefing and attend meetings set up for them with legislators. It can be a powerful experience for the more than 300 students participating in 2007.
For Meredith Browne, a junior from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, this was her third time attending Day at the Capitol. "Both my representatives were brand new. I felt like I was presenting new material about the State Grant Program to them, where in the past they were telling me. I was the informed one this time," she said.
Dan Aubin from Concordia University in St. Paul is very clear on why he participates in Day at the Capitol. "The prospect of paying my student debt without the State Grant I receive would be terrifying. I wouldn’t be able to go to school where I want to but where the tuition was lowest," he said. "This experience educates you about how the legislative system works and how doors can be open for constituents. Many students don’t realize that they can do more than vote."
Concordia University students Shae Wallin and Kevin Olson had slightly different takes on the event. Wallin found her experience to be constructive even though one of her legislators wasn’t willing to meet. "The representative I did see was really supportive of giving money to students rather than institutions." Olson attended because he thinks legislators need to hear students’ stories: "My dad’s been laid off for awhile and my mom doesn’t make that much. My State Grant is crucial!"
Zack Kenz, the Student Association president from Concordia College in Moorhead, was glad to meet one-on-one with legislators. "It’s good to see their reactions and to show them whom they’re impacting," he said. "The two representatives I met with were very receptive." Kenz valued the training he received about how to make the most of a meeting with legislators. "Sometimes you have to wiggle your way in. But they will give you their undivided attention, even if it’s just for a few minutes."
Read more about the MPCC legislative agenda and need-based aid