CSM Students Lobby Legislators in Annapolis
College of Southern Maryland student representatives traveled to the state capital as part of the annual Student Advocacy Day. Fifteen students met with local legislators Feb. 10 in Annapolis.
The event was sponsored by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges.
CSM’s students were joined by hundreds of their counterparts from Maryland’s 15 other community colleges in asking for support from members of the Maryland General Assembly to keep tuition affordable and to make it possible for more students to attend college by funding noncredit workforce development programs and instructional programs/health manpower shortage program grants.
Additional support also was being sought to increase community college capital funding by $1.4 million to allow funding for CSM’s new health sciences building at the Hughesville campus and approve a summer study to examine offering bachelor of nursing degrees at community colleges.
The face-to-face setting provides the opportunity for students to personally advocate for full community college funding by sharing how an affordable college education will shape their own futures, according to MACC organizers.
During the day’s opening session, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. spoke with all representatives attending Student Advocacy Day, after which CSM students were able to meet with members of the Southern Maryland delegation to share the circumstances that drew them to the community college.
Meeting with the CSM students were Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, and state Dels. Mark N. Fisher, Sally Y. Jameson, Matt Morgan, Edith J. Patterson and Deborah C. Rey.
CSM students attending were Alicia Ahl, Chad Baker, Neal Balaoing, Yadira Coleman, Christina Combs, Nicholas Combs, Maria Estevez, Rebecca Forrester, Simon French, Kevin Jackson, Kyle Medlock, Katie Pasker, Krista Steele, Alesia Turner, and Michaela Wallace.
Student representatives from the College of Southern Maryland met with their legislators in Annapolis during the Maryland Association of Community College Advocacy Day Feb. 10. CSM students were joined by their counterparts from some of Maryland’s 15 other community colleges in asking for support from members of the Maryland General Assembly. Southern Maryland legislators, including center from left, Delegates Mark N. Fisher, Edith J. Patterson, Deborah C. Rey and Matt Morgan, met with CSM students, front from left, Christina Combs, Nicholas Combs, Michaela Wallace, Katie Pasker, Alesia Turner, Yadira Coleman, Maria Estevez and Krista Steele; and back from left, Neal Balaoing, Kyle Medlock, Chad Baker, Alicia Ahl, Simon French, Rebecca Forrester and Kevin Jackson.
Accompanying the students were CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried, Vice Presidents Dr. Bill Comey and Dr. Tracy Harris, and Director of Strategic Partnerships Barbara Ives, as well as Student Life Coordinators Anya Patterson and Jennifer Van Cory, Student Services Executive Director Dr. Lydia Williams, Senior Media Relations Coordinator Dorothy Hill and Senior Photography Coordinator Val Nyce.
To view a gallery of photos from Student Advocacy Day, click here.
For more information about the College of Southern Maryland, visit their Leader member page.
