With rumors of tuition hikes, budget cuts and an agenda for SCSU to pull out of Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA), this year's Lobby Day took a different approach than the common full-on barrage on the capitol.
The SCSU student government took an intimate agenda to 2003-04 biennial legislative sessions Wednesday to lobby and meet with seven of 10 representatives from the area.
"We have a lot of support at the capitol from our representatives," Courtny Warns, student senator-at-large said.
Warns was accompanied by Student Senator Stacy Springer to head the SCSU student government's lobbying efforts.
"The most important thing about Lobby Day is meeting face-to-face with representatives," Warns said. "Having that personal contact means a lot more than a phone call, or letter or an e-mail."
Nine members of student government signed up to attend Lobby Day, but the number was reduced because of the weather.
Among many of the issues on the associations' lobbying agenda, the most important for SCSU was the proposal for an opt-in, opt-out system with MSUSA, Warns said.
Although it is still early in the legislative session, which began on Feb. 2, the outlook for the proposal seems promising.
"I did not have any negative response towards the MSUSA issue," Warns said.
The topic of opting out of the state university organization has been a high priority for student government. During the fall elections, 80 percent of student voters supported the proposal.
As SCSU is still an active member of MSUSA, it supported lobbying issues on behalf of the state organization, including financial aid based on income of the family instead of cost of institution, direct appropriation of financial aid to higher education sectors, opposition to cuts in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) and the elimination of the one-third debt service charge on bonding projects.
Student government also believes that a serious flaw exists in the Minnesota State Grant Program.
"The grant system isn't working to help bring people with lower income into the system," Warns said.
State grant awards are currently determined by cost of attendance, minus 46 percent assigned as a student's responsibility, minus family contributions, minus amount of any Pell grant.
Projections by the Higher Education Services Office and some legislative staff in the first week of sessions showed a surplus of $10 to $23 million in the Minnesota State Grant Program.
It is unclear what the Minnesota Legislature will propose to do with the surplus. The program's shortfall in the 2003 fiscal year could play a deciding factor according to MSUSA reports.
The bonding of projects on campus was also slated for discussions. Phase two of the Centennial Hall renovation topped the list with a bond request to make a "one stop shop" for assisting students in their education.
Plans for the renovations were on display at the Capitol for all representatives to examine.
Student government took a direct lobbying agenda towards state representatives. Other organizations from campus attempted to make an impact from a different approach.
Members of the SCSU Women's Center were in St. Paul Wednesday to attend The Violence Against Women Action Day Rally at the Capitol.
The Women's Center is one program on campus that suffered from state and university budget cuts.
"We don't want any more budget cuts towards higher education," said Jill Hofacker, a graduate assistant at the Women's Center. "The Women's Center is just a small piece of it."
At its Feb. 5 meeting, student government tabled a request for SCSU President Saigo to reconsider his recent decision against the allocation of funds to the Women's Center after budget cuts.
The resolution urges Saigo to support the fee allocation committee to approve funding to the Women's Center for spring semester.
The Women's Center has been gathering letters from students in support of the center and requesting that cuts stop.
A Minneapolis sexual violence center will deliver the letters to state representatives.
The student government will continue to monitor the legislative session and is prepared to return to the Capitol in the coming months.
"We're just starting to get bills introduced," Warns said.
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