Federal legislators are more informed of UW-Madison’s student concerns after interns with the student government’s Legislative Affairs Committee took a trip to Washington, D.C.
Legislative Affairs interns Kate Jungers and Vanessa Studer said financial aid and sexual assault ranked among the most important issues the group talked with legislators about during the Association of Big Ten Students Conference, called Big Ten on the Hill.
Talking to legislators like U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the group lobbied for issues such as simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid while opposing federal Pell Grants and subsidized loan freezes.
Jungers said most offices supported their efforts but could not give a definitive answer as to whether bills to freeze subsidized loans and pell grants will pass. Some, like Ryan’s office, remain in support of freezing or eliminating subsidized loans completely.
Legislative Affairs Chair Tom Gierok said the lack of initial profit may be a factor in Ryan’s opposition to these kinds of loans. Because they do not begin to accumulate interest until the borrower graduates, the loans may disrupt an ideal balanced budget.
The group also discussed issues and initiatives concerning sexual assault while in Washington, though legislators are currently only working on one bill that would give grants for educating K-12 students on healthy relationships.
Gierok said knowledgeable stakeholders need to be involved before any meaningful legislation can be passed in Wisconsin to deal with sexual assault in higher education. Though ASM is adamant on advancing this effort, specialized groups on campus must engage with the process, Gierok said.
Tackling issues at a federal level can be hard for college students, but Gierok said the conference provided an opportunity for their concerns to be heard, which is especially important when having discussions that directly affect students.
“With every single policy that we came across, it was common that there was no student voice in any of the discussions,” Gierok said. “We all had a really good chance to engage with them [at the conference].”
