More than 130 students from the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities marched from Monona Terrace to the Capitol Thursday to lobby state legislators in hopes of securing funding for an increase in financial aid in the state budget.
The student group came from all sectors of private school life and represented the 20 private colleges in the state. “There was every color and age group, every walk of life from every part of the state,” WAICU President Rolf Wegenke said. “One young man is an Iraq war veteran, another was a young man who is married and expecting twins. There are people from inner-city Milwaukee and people from Superior. All kinds of people, all ages, all colors.”
The students were joined by Wegenke, as well as other prominent WAICU figures, though Wegenke noted all students attended on their own accord. Darnell Shaw, a Silver Lake College sophomore, for example, joined in on the lobbying efforts. A full-time student with a job, Shaw said he works “paycheck to paycheck” to pay for his education. “Students like me came on a volunteer basis,” Shaw said. “We want to persuade them not to look at us as some minority. We don’t get a lot of scholarships because they think our schools are full of rich kids, but we have low-income families that need help, too.” Shaw added he hopes students speaking up for themselves is a more effective form of lobbying and should hopefully help convince legislators to remember the students in their final budget decisions.
Wegenke echoed Shaw in saying the student voice should be an effective tool in the lobbying efforts. He led the march early Thursday morning by motivating students to speak up for themselves and voice their needs. “A lot of students are hesitant to ask,” Wegenke said. “They feel students are idealistic. Students care about many causes, and [I said] how important education is to the state’s future as well as their own.”
Wegenke added the state of Wisconsin is in need of raising the amount of students that graduate from college. Individuals would also benefit from the education due to today’s competitive job market, he said. “This is not selfish — it’s important, and it is truly a worthy cause,” Wegenke said.
According to Wegenke, about 10,000 Wisconsin residents are receiving Wisconsin Tuition Grants. Of the low-income students that receive the grants, one-third attend private colleges and universities. As high as 30 percent of eligible financial aid recipients are also turned away due to a lack of financial aid, Wegenke said.
“Students need to speak up for themselves,” Wegenke said. “They have to make themselves heard because it is not a slam dunk that students needs are going to be addressed (in the budget). These are hard times, and students need help more than ever.”
