Students from the Worcester-based College of the Holy Cross, Assumption College and Becker College were among more than 125 students and financial aid advocates from across the state who made their voices heard today as they lobbied local legislators for more money for need-based financial aid.
State Sen. Harriet Chandler, D-Worcester, greeted the students along with other legislators and applauded their activism while giving them tips on the best ways to lobby other legislators. The students then met with legislators or their aides in the State House, dropping off thank you cards and home baked cookies, courtesy of the culinary arts students at Newbury College in Boston.
The event was organized by the Boston-based Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM), which advocates for state and federal funding for need-based financial aid.
This year, AICUM’s 60 member colleges and universities awarded more than $400 million in financial aid to Massachusetts students. The association was founded in 1967 by a group of independent college presidents and has 60 degree-granting, accredited independent colleges and universities in the state as members.
“It’s more important than ever for the state to also increase need-based financial aid in the Commonwealth’s 2010 budget. When a student thanks his or her legislator personally, it puts a face behind the real need for need-based financial aid,” said Richard Doherty, president of AICUM, in a press release.
The average cost for tuition, fees and room and board at four-year colleges in the United States was $29,307 for the 2007-2008 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Ten years prior, for the 1997-1998 school year, the average cost was $24,000.
