BARNARD
COLLEGE SENIOR SPEAKS BEFORE CONGRESSIONAL EDUCATION
CAUCUS IN WASHINGTON D.C. ON MAY 16
New
York, N.Y.-When Barnard senior Emily White boarded
a bus bound for Washington D.C. last month, she
had no idea that she would eventually find herself
speaking at a congressional caucus meeting.
White
was part of a Columbia University/Barnard College
and Cornell University group sent to Washington
to lobby in support of federal financial aid. She
and other members of the combined group spoke in
April with congressmen and members of their staff
regarding an increase in financial aid that would
utilize money from the current budget surplus.
"It's
really important to give back to the system and
fight for the future of financial aid," White said.
"Without it, a lot of people wouldn't be able to
go to college, and Congress needs to hear about
that from people it benefits."
A
Nashville native, White stood out particularly to
her congressman, Bob Clement, D-Tennessee, who heads
the Education Caucus in Congress. During the meeting,
he invited Emily back to be a panelist for the caucus
meeting on May 16. White recounted her experience
with with the financial aid process.
White
was the lone student on a four person panel that
also included Greg Woods, chief operating officer
of the Office of Student Financial Assistance in
the U.S. Department of Education; Rose DeNapoli,
the vice president for government and industry relations
for Sallie Mae; and Todd Morris, director of financial
aid for Southwest Missouri State.
"She
did a wonderful job," said Christina West, senior
legislative assistant for Clement. "Emily talked
about her decision and how financial aid made it
possible for her to attend Barnard."
The
panel discussion, held in the Rayburn House Office
Building, lasted about an hour. The Education Caucus
is a bipartisan group of about 30-40 members with
experience in education and is co-chaired by Clement,
and Roy Blunt, D-Missouri.
Congressmen,
staff members, and others interested in higher education
were present during this information- gathering
process. Congress will use the information from
meetings such as these to affirm or turn down the
Clinton administration's proposed increases in the
Federal Work Study program and the Pell Grant.
"We
are particularly supporting the Pell Grant because
it is a substantial amount of money and goes to
a lot of students," White said "Congress needs to
understand how important money like that is to students."
Contact:
Laura
Whitlock, Public Affairs Intern, 212-854-2037.
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