February 15, 2017
On an early Valentine’s Day morning, 20 students from St. John’s University boarded a bus for the 320- mile roundtrip drive to the NYS Capitol Building in Albany, NY to participate in the annual New York Student Aid Alliance Advocacy Day sponsored by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU).
This year, the New York Student Aid Alliance Advocacy Day brought over 1,000 students from private colleges and universities from across New York State to share their stories about the value of state student aid programs. Many timely and critical issues were on the legislative agenda for the day including advocating for an expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), raising awareness about a budget proposal for tuition price controls and sharing the idea that any supplemental financial aid programs should treat all college students the same regardless of whether they attend a private or public college in New York.
Johnny Wiley, a Freshman Government and Politics Major from Uniondale, NY who is active in Student Government made the trip to Albany and observed: “It was a great learning experience for me. Every legislator that we met with expressed support for college access and affordability but how we ultimately get there is what the legislative process is all about.” Johnny remarked: “I currently do not qualify for TAP but if the eligibility was expanded than I could possibly get some much-needed financial aid.”
TAP helps eligible New York State residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. An annual TAP award can range from $500 up to $5,165 and because TAP is a grant it doesn’t have to be paid back. Almost 4,000 students at St. John’s receive a TAP award totaling over $12 million. In addition, more than 92% of undergraduates received over $200 million in institutional aid during the past academic year and more than one-third of the University’s annual operating budget is dedicated to student financial aid.
The Advocacy Day trip coordinated by Brian Browne, Executive Director University Relations and Assistant Vice President for Government Relations gave students an up-close opportunity to network with members of the NYS Legislature including several alums of the University. Students busily walked the halls of the historic NYS Capitol meeting with legislators and sharing their own personal experiences and concerns about student aid and the ongoing NYS Budget negotiations.
“College affordability is certainly a hot topic in Albany this legislative session but at St. John’s, given our founding Vincentian mission, we have long been actively addressing this important issue with an unwavering focus most especially during the last three years.” Browne continued: “It was heartening to meet with many legislators familiar with our recent cost-savings initiatives like our efforts to control costs, freeze tuition, and even lower tuition at our Staten Island Campus” observed Browne.
One special highlight of the trip was when Assembly Member David Weprin (24th AD) who represents the Queens Campus gave a formal introduction to the delegation from St. John’s on the floor of the NYS Assembly at the opening of the legislative session for the day. Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0c9NT_BOXM
Emely Rodriguez, a Sophomore Public Administration Major from Rockville Centre, NY enjoyed her first visit to the Capital City of Albany and remarked: “I couldn’t believe the number of legislators that we met and how they were willing to listen to us and answer our questions. Getting on the floor of the Assembly was so exciting!”
To learn more about legislative issues of importance to St. John’s contact Brian Browne at [email protected] or for more information visit https://www.limitlesslearningny.org/