LA PLATA, Md. (February 7, 2012)—On Thursday, Feb. 9, student leaders from the College of Southern Maryland will join students from Maryland’s 16 community colleges in Annapolis for Student Advocacy Day. The yearly event gives students an opportunity to urge lawmakers to keep community colleges affordable. Specifically, students are asking for support of the funding formula for the amount of state aid granted to each college and support of capital requests at community colleges throughout the state. In 2002, 25 percent of tuition at CSM was funded by the state, in 2011 that amount dropped to 19 percent.
Students will be joined by CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried and CSM staff for a rally in the Presidential Conference Room of the Miller Senate Building. Among the legislators scheduled to address the students are Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton and Speaker of the House of Delegates Michael E. Busch.
Following the rally, CSM students will meet with elected officials from Southern Maryland to ask for their support for full funding of community colleges in the Governor’s FY2013 budget. Students representing each campus will tell legislators their stories of how attending a community college is helping them achieve their goals and what being able to access affordable quality higher education means to them and their families.
Source: CSM