Michigan Student Assembly representatives, marching through Congress' corridors in step with wing-tipped Washington lobbyists, met individually with the legislative aides of Michigan delegates Monday.
Assembly members visited congressional officers to discuss several pending bills that could make higher education more affordable.
MSA President Michael Nagrant said the assembly's second annual lobby day was planned to coincide with the 105th Congress' important budget negotiations.
"It's fairly timely because the education committee is starting to set the budget and this determines priorities for financial aid like grants and loans," Nagrant said.
LSA Rep. Dan Serota, co-chair of the lobby day, said the event provided students a perfect opportunity to flex political muscle.
"It's important students talk directly to representatives to show them that we watch what they do and that these bills do affect students," Serota said. When MSA, representing a 35,000 student university, meets with congresspersons, policy-makers are going to pay attention, he said.
Generally, representatives were receptive to assembly members' stances regarding educational issues, Serota said.
"Each office has a slightly different view on things," Serota said. "But they were happy we stopped by and most of the Michigan delegation is behind getting more money for higher education."
Along with continuing efforts to maintain or raise the status quo on financial aid, MSA representatives discussed several new developments with legislators that have caught the University community's attention.
The Hope Scholarship would make a portion of college tuition tax-deductible for people who earn wages below a certain income level.
Serota said that the final version of Hope, which has passed in both chambers of Congress, "seems to be very bearable to students."
However, assembly members did not dish out lavish praise to all proposals on the floor. They lobbied furiously against an amendment to a House of Representatives' bill that would put another pinch in graduate students' tight budgets. The proposal calls for waiving the graduate student tuition-tax waiver.
The provision currently allows graduate students who teach classes in return for tuition, to claim their tuition waiver as tax-free.
LSA Rep. Erin Carey, also an event co-chair, said the amendment appears to have little chance of becoming a law.
"(The amendment) passed the House but not the Senate, and it is pretty much decided that the graduate student tuition waver would be retained in the final version of the bill," Carey said.
Serota said these two bills, both with outcomes likely to be favorable to students, showed that increasing accessibility to higher education is an issue that transcends party lines in Washington.
"Everyone has set the priority that education is paramount," Serota said.
However, Carey said that students must use keep in contact with legislators to maintain such an education-friendly climate.
"Try to keep aware of what's going on and get in touch with your representative. They are receptive to constituents," Carey said. "If they hear from enough students, it will make a difference."