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Michael Wilhelmi, director of government and community affairs for the Minnesota Private Colleges Council, Fund and Research Foundation was one of those people.

According to Wilhelmi, without state grants, fewer students would be able to attend private colleges because of the cost.

Without her $8,000 state grant, Taylor Grunland, a first-year at Gustavus Adolphus, said she would most likely be at the University of Minnesota, a school she would be unhappy at because of its size, or even not enrolled in college at all.

If she lost her state grant, Grunland said, she would continue to attend Gustavus, but she would have to pay tuition by taking out loans.

However, because of her parents’ credit rating, these loans would be difficult to get and have high interest rates, she said, further putting her in debt.

During the day, Grunland, along with students from Hamline and Augsburg, met with Senator Ellen
Anderson and Representative Alice Hausman, who represents the Como Park area where Anderson’s parents live, urging them to continue their support for the state grant program and thanking them for their past backing.

Anderson, in her fourth term, talked with students about how the legislature “needs to explore the ability for student to keep college choices.”

Anderson has continually supported the state grant program.

Without the higher education choices the state grant program allows, Anderson said, students could be unhappy with their college choice, as they may not be able to attend the institution that is right for them because of financial burdens.

Anderson graduated from Carleton and is married to a Hamline alumnus; she is also currently saving for her children’s educations. She anticipates that state grants will help her children through college.

Hausman also supports the state grant program. Like Anderson, Hausman is also personally invested in private colleges, as her two sons went to Macalester and Carleton.

Hausman is a member of a national task force that looks at higher education.

The task force thinks affordability is the foremost priority to student access to private education, Hausman said.

Before departing for appointments, students received lobbyist training from Jeremy Hanson.

According to Hanson, the best way to lobby legislators on issues is to establish a relationship with that representative by making each meeting personal.

However, Hanson said, students will have 15 minutes to persuade representatives and senators, so students only had time for an “elevator conversation.”

By quickly getting to issues, and sharing personal stories, Hanson said, legislators will retain the information.

This methodology, McDonald said, has been proven to be effective because of the personal stories and follow-up letters students are encouraged to send.

McDonald spent the day coaching students on how to lobby and pull legislators out of committee meetings.

McDonald said the student lobbying was effective because of the methodology the teams used.

After their meetings, the 300 students in 67 teams diminished to a crowd of about 100 for a final rally, held in the Capitol rotunda.

In the rotunda, three speakers addressed the students. Chairing the Higher Education Budget Committee,
Senator Sandy Pappas stressed the importance of students coming to see representatives.

Pappas, who regularly takes “field trips” to private colleges, said, “We believe in students having choices in higher education.”

Without state grants, many students could not go to college, she said.

Representative Bud Nornes, chair of the House Higher Education Finance Committee, also spoke to the crowd.

Nornes’ committee is responsible for making higher-education funding decisions.

“We look at how we can help students,” Nornes said.

Susan Heegaard, Director of the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office began the program.