By Anna Garziano
Student representatives from St. John’s University, the College of St. Benedict, St. Mary’s University, and Macalester College in the Twin Cities met with legislators at the State Capitol in Saint Paul last week to show their support for continued state grant funding. Many students from St. Mary’s, including Jake Rivet, Brigid McDonough and Will Galvin, met with Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-52A), and Jackie Jones met with Rep. Linda Runbeck (R-53A). Local students from Macalester College included Jenni Schubert and Eleanor Trenary who met with Rep. Erin Murphy (D-64A) along with Annalise Mooey-Harte and Robert Rousseau from St. Mary’s.
Rep. Murphy discussed her support for state grant funding for private colleges as she feels that everyone should “pursue the education that they want.” However this year the Higher Education bill is cutting funding for public schools, prompting Murphy to oppose the bill in its current form. She closed the discussion by urging students to continue voicing their opinion at the State Capitol in order to convince legislators to adequately fund higher education.
