They had everything they needed to make their case for student aid reform. What was missing was a pair of ears to hear them out.
Following Tuesday night's "Tuition on the Rocks: Happy Hour for Student Aid Reform" event at Zola New World Bistro, 324 W. College Ave, a modest fleet of Penn Staters and Campus Progress activists approached the Bellefonte office of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
Despite the icy weather and early morning commute, the group intended to deliver a petition signed by 59 of their peers in favor of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would invest billions of dollars into Pell Grants and reduce subsidies to banks that offer student loans. The group also hoped to set up a future meeting with the senator to discuss the issue.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Max Wendkos, IFC Vice President for Membership Mark Mixon and Matt Shimizu, Class of 2009, were accompanied by Campus Progress representatives Pedro de la Torre and Vincent Villano on Wednesday morning when the group hoped to speak directly with officials from the senator's staff.
Campus Progress aims to help
students take action on issues such as lowering the cost of higher education.
But the group said no one was in Casey's office, so they were forced to leave the petition and a request for future meetings with employees in an adjacent office. Nonetheless, they're determined to keep pushing for change.
"We left information for [Sen. Casey's staff member] and left the petition, and I think she'll see that there are a lot of students in State College that are interested in this issue," de la Torre said. "Hopefully it will be the beginning of a longer discussion with Penn State."
This current push for tuition reform at Penn State comes on the heels of a long wait for state funds for the school, as well as the board of trustee's lowest request for an increase in state appropriations since 1964. Most recently, the university was also notably absent from the Princeton Review's list of the "100 Best Value Colleges."
After the excursion, the group remained optimistic.
"It was unfortunate that we weren't able to speak with anybody on Senator Casey's staff," Mixon (senior-energy, business and finance). "But we will certainly continue to pursue the opportunity to meet with Senator Casey directly in the future."
Wendkos echoed this sentiment.
"I hope that talks concerning this subject matter will continue to progress in a positive direction," he said.
