Signs boasting a better future for education in the state of Alabama scattered the Capitol lawn Thursday morning, as the sound of cheering students and a blast of trumpets could be heard from the statehouse steps.
The annual Higher Education Day, sponsored by XX took place on Feb. 22 and included more than XX students from the 14 public colleges and universities from around the state.
Auburn University SGA’s Lobby Board was a big presence, with around 30 students representing the school.
Schyler Burney, a senator for the College of Liberal Arts, said that Higher Education Day was an important part of what SGA Lobby Board does. “It’s something that is really special to us,” Burney said. “Throughout the year, our lobby board comes together and really forms relationships with the legislators; so, to be able to come out today with the other universities and form relationships with those other universities is incredibly important.”
Burney said that Higher Education Day is important to the members of Lobby Board because it is an opportunity to form relationships with the other higher education institutions within the state
“It’s so easy to do on an individual university level, but when you come together as a state, it makes a bigger impact,” Burney said. “It’s really fun to be out here with Alabama, AUM, and Athens State, as well as others.”
Sen. Tom Whatley was pleased to see the representatives from Auburn University in front of the state house chanting cheers like Bodda-Getta and touting signs that displayed support for the state legislature.
Whatley said, “It means a lot when Auburn University students come down for Higher Education Day because I want to make the distinction between what Auburn offers and what other institutions offer.”
Auburn boasts 60 percent in-state students, 40 percent out-of-state students, and is the premier research institution for the state, according to Whatley.
“Jobs come out of Auburn University, development comes out of Auburn University, and industry comes out of Auburn University,” Whatley told The Plainsman. “That’s what these guys stress to legislators when they are up here talking about funding for higher education.”
SGA’s Lobby Board will return to the state house on March 6th for their Lobby Day, where the 36 member students will meet with legislators to discuss big ideas for the funding and future of Auburn University specifically.
Freshman Michael Bennett was optimistic about attending his first Higher Education Day.
“We are out here today advocating for all of the 14 four-year state universities across Alabama, specifically for Auburn University. We are talking about getting more funding for education in the Education Trust Fund, which has recently passed. Not only that, but also all of the bills that have recently been passed to make Auburn a better place to work, and for people to make a living, and for faculty,” he said.
Bennett said that higher education is also important to the state of Alabama, as $20 billion in revenue is generated from the colleges and universities in the state.
Ashley Satterfield, representative for Lobby Board, said, “I really think it shows the power that the students make on the legislature. These legislatures are elected officials, so they work for us – it’s very important to remember that… Higher education is so important in our state. We bring in revenue, and we are making the leaders of tomorrow, so when Auburn students show that they get behind that message, it makes a bigger impact.”
Lee County Rep. Joe Lovvorn joked that he wouldn’t talk Auburn basketball with all of the other schools that were in attendance, but that he was proud of Auburn for showing up and showing such great support for the initiatives in the state house and senate.
President Pro Temp Del Marsh said to students, “You’re standing on the statehouse lawn, it’s your lawn. This is your state.”
He encouraged students to go speak with their representatives and to make their voices heard among the crowd.
“We can invest in solutions or we can invest in problems. Investing in education is investing in a solution,” Marsh said. “We understand the importance of higher education.”
Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon echoed the sentiments of many. “When it comes to the higher education priorities,” said McCutcheon, “We took time to make sure that we looked at the funding for higher education in a fair and equitable way. We made sure that all universities had a voice...
“These universities produce good folks for the state of Alabama so we can keep this state moving forward,” he said. “Our best days are ahead of us.”
SGA’s Lobby Board will return to the state house on March 6th for their Lobby Day, where the 36 member students will meet with legislators to discuss big ideas for the funding and future of Auburn University specifically.
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