On Wednesday, February 24, 2010 the MASFAA Government Relations Committee teamed up with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) to host Student Financial Aid Day at the State House, to advocate on the importance of need-based financial aid. In support of the event, approximately 150 students from 28 different Massachusetts schools spread throughout the State House to meet with their Representatives and Senators about the impact need-based financial aid has had on their ability to achieve a higher education.

The event was highly successful in helping legislators to connect the faces of student constituents to the State grant line items in the budget. The event began at 11 a.m. with students and administrators overflowing one of the larger hearing rooms in the State House to hear directly from a number of different legislators prior to meeting their Representatives and Senators. The first speaker was Senator Ben Downing, Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, who noted how great it was to see so many students ready to meet and discuss the importance of need-based aid face-to-face with the decision-makers at the State House. Senator Downing expressed his belief that this communication with students will have a dramatic impact on the thinking of many at the State House. He also expressed sympathy for the plight of families struggling to pay for college. He related the fact that he is a student loan borrower himself, so he understood the cost of education, but promoted the idea that investing in education equates to investing in the economy.

After Senator Downing spoke, the audience was surprised when Speaker of the House of Representatives, Robert DeLeo, appeared in the room unannounced to converse with the assembled students and administrators. The Speaker echoed many of Senator Downing’s themes, appreciating the size of the crowd and expressing his belief that even with the tight budget atmosphere in Massachusetts, higher education funding is important to many at the State House. Finally, the Speaker marveled that students from all across the Commonwealth were able to attend the event on a snowy Wednesday morning, and stressed how great it is to see students engaging legislators in person.

To close the presentations, Representative Marie St. Fleur gave a stirring speech about the importance of students and administrators getting involved in the State political scene. Representative St. Fleur’s speech ran the gamut, from the importance of higher education to the problems facing the world, especially in her familial home of Haiti. The speech reinforced to the students how lucky they are to be able to obtain a higher education and how they should not take this gift for granted.

When Representative St. Fleur finished up, the students were split into groups by region to meet with their respective Representatives and Senators, and to deliver boxes of cookies provided by Newbury College. The students were met with appreciation by legislators and their staff, as they shared both the cookies and their personal stories of how need-based aid has helped them to attain their educational goals.

All in all the State House Day event was a rousing success, but it does not end there -- the Government Relations Committee has already begun planning how to bring in more students from a more diverse group of schools next year. Be on the lookout for 2011’s call to action!