Pitt students petition proposed cuts in Harrisburg

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Memorizing talking points, eating lunch in the capital and having private… HARRISBURG, Pa. — Memorizing talking points, eating lunch in the capital and having private meetings with legislators in the halls of power.

On Tuesday, 150 Pitt students tasted the life of a lobbyist during Pitt Day in Harrisburg.

At 7 a.m. students boarded charter buses outside the William Pitt Union to make the three-hour drive east to the state capital. They wouldn’t return to the University until after 9 p.m.

Pitt students, alumni and staff were in Harrisburg to lobby legislators in an attempt to mitigate Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed 30 percent cut to state appropriations for state-related schools in the next fiscal year.

Students broke up into groups of about five or six to be guided by a designated group leader to state legislative meetings set up by Paul Supowitz, Pitt’s vice chancellor for governmental relations.

Junior Sarah Tamburelli said she signed up for Pitt Day in Harrisburg for the first time this year because she wanted to preserve the Pitt experience.

“The legislators are getting to see us and feel our presence, and we’re getting to learn from them too,” she said. “Because of the diversity of people you meet at Pitt, it’s not just an education, it’s a life experience.”

Students were encouraged to talk to the state representatives from their home districts.

Junior Kaitlyn Suber was disappointed to find that her home senator, Republican Bob Robbins of District 50, which includes Crawford and Mercer and parts of Butler and Lawrence counties — was not in the capital that day.

“When you can say you’re a constituent, they definitely care more,” Suber said.

Some students, like junior David Geiger, used more personal connections to secure a face-to-face meeting with a legislator.

Geiger was able to meet with Sen. John Gordner — a Republican of the 27th senatorial district, including all of Snyder, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia and parts of Luzerne and Dauphin counties — because he had shadowed him as a high school student.

Many legislators were very receptive to the students’ cause.

Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Philadelphia/Montgomery, said he absolutely opposes cuts to funding for higher education and would support a tax increase to make sure they didn’t happen.

Others needed more convincing.

Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, said that although he would like to avoid cuts to education, the economy is still slower than projected, and money needs to come from somewhere.

“Everything in the budget competes with everything else, we only spend each dollar once,” he said.

Some Pitt students agreed that Pitt should make more of an effort to meet the cash-strapped state halfway.

“I understand the need to fund education, but there are some things we need to do on our end,” said Pitt sophomore Thomas Tymon.

Tymon wasn’t especially worried about a decrease in funds affecting his years at Pitt.

“The best thing about the Pitt experience for me is the people I’ve met there, not necessarily all the expensive stuff they have,” Tymon said.

The event was capped with a reception in the Capitol Rotunda and a speech by Chancellor Mark Nordenberg.

Nordenberg said that in 225 years, Pitt has grown from a log cabin in the wilderness to a first class, 21st century university and that the proposed cuts would hurt Pitt’s mission to create an educated, enfranchised citizenry.

Nordenberg thanked the students, alumni and supportive legislators.

“There is nothing more effective than the personal messages that you share with our legislators,” Nordenberg said.