Students urge legislators to invest in education

Pitt advocates took to the state capitol yesterday to try and pump some life into the flat-lining state of commonwealth funding to the University.

About 250 Pitt students, staff, alumni and friends of the University traveled to the capitol building in Harrisburg on Tuesday. They met with and thanked legislators for not cutting Pitt’s $147.3 million general appropriation in the governor’s proposed budget, of which $11 million is allocated for academic medical center funding, and lobbied for the amount of funding to be raised. 

From about 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., students sought out legislators to advocate better investment in education at the annual Pitt Day in Harrisburg. 

At an afternoon closing reception, Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg addressed an assembly of state senators and the Pitt advocates, focusing largely on the dissonance between the growth of the University’s success and the growth of funding.

Nordenberg said to legislators that while Pitt’s success has maintained a steady growth rate since 1995, the amount of funding provided to the University has plateaued. According to Nordenberg, Pitt received about 30,000 applications for the Oakland campus’ 2014 fall semester undergraduate programs, which is almost quadruple the amount of students who graduated from the campus in 1995.

He said the last three years have been particularly tough for the University in terms of funding, pointing out that the budget proposed in 2012 would have cut the University’s general appropriation in half and completely eliminated academic medical funding. 

“In that one year, Pitt took a $67 million cut,” he said. 

Nordenberg continued, saying that as a result of the cut and the two following years of flat funding, Pitt receives the same level of state funding as it did in 1995. Once adjusted for inflation, the figure dips down to the lowest level it has been since the University became state-related in the 1960s.

“If funding remains flat, we won’t fall below that level in some senses, but the value of what we receive will be eroded by inflation, and the health and vitally of higher education will suffer,” he said.

And so, upon arrival, Pitt students were put to the task of reminding legislators that an investment in education is an investment in the future.

Armed with blue folders containing a map of the capitol, sheets full of talking points about Pitt’s accomplishments and a list of the legislator’s names and office locations, Pitt students — dressed in various degrees of business casual attire — navigated the capitol building to gain support for the University. 

The students made the three-and-a-half hour long journey from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg for various reasons — from taking the chance to see the capitol building to discussing social economics on campus. 

Ngoc Nguyen, a junior studying social work, is originally from Vietnam, and came to the event to learn how lobbying works in the United States.

“I would like to know the procedures, what role a student can play to get involved in the political process to support higher education,” Nguyen said.

Kevin Lusky, a Pitt alumnus who graduated last year with a degree in political science and English studies, came to settle some unfinished business. He attended the event last year and said some of his expectations from last year’s discussions with legislators fell flat.

Lusky said he wanted to “make sure some things are followed up with,” particularly the amount of funding for scholarships and the way the University appropriates state money academically and athletically.

Students were divided into groups and assigned to specific legislators to discuss the University and the state of its funding. The students passed folders on to legislators with information explaining why Pitt deserves more funding.

Some ran into a bit of trouble finding the representatives to give their folders to in the maze of marble staircases and hallways in the capitol building. 

When the students found the right offices, the legislators weren’t always in.

Student Government Board member Sara Klein led a small group of students to meet with different legislators, but most were in session or in meetings.

SGB Governmental Relations Chairman Anthony Tripp said that every effort was made to make appointments with the legislators and clarify that students would be visiting the capital Tuesday.

“But, some things can’t be helped. They are in session,” Tripp said. “However, a lot of staff was available to talk to the students.”

Kelly Phenicie, an attorney who works in the office of Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, met with a group of students while the senator was in a meeting. Phenicie, a Pitt law school alumna, was interested in learning why each of the students had chosen Pitt and what they were looking to do with their degrees after graduation.

Graduate and Professional Student Government Board President David Gau and Sarah Kerrigan, a member of the Governmental Relations Committee, were members in the group and are constituents from Pileggi’s district.

Pileggi said it is always great to have Pitt students come to the capitol because they offer “unfiltered” and “refreshing” insight.

“They give very candid opinions about what they think we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing,” Pileggi said.

Senator Jay Costa, who serves Allegheny County, addressed a small crowd of Pitt advocates at one point.

“Your work is not done here. It has to be replicated in your respective communities,” he said. “Knock on the door of your legislators and tell them the importance of higher education in this commonwealth.”

Students also attended for the opportunity to see familiar faces in the capitol building. 

Phil Kappes, a freshman studying pharmacy, said he came to meet with his local representative, and Lusky was hoping to catch Rep. Jim Christiana from District 15.

Lusky had sent Christiana an email saying he would be visiting and was able to briefly meet with him.

Lusky said he had hoped for more time, but called the day a success.

“I mean even if nothing changed, at least they heard us, and that’s the most important part. We keep getting more and more kids to come out every year,” he said. “Eventually it’s going to get through. Any progress is progress.”