Higher Education legislation event at ASU with Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Mitchell and others

This afternoon, I attended an event at ASU with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Harry Mitchell, Congressman Ed Pastor, Congressman Raul Grijalva and Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California. Sponsored in part by the AZ Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the purpose of the event was for these representatives to discuss the higher education legislative policy of the new Congress. Following on my recent trip to D.C. with the SPPF, I was keen to attend.

Some observations about the event:

1. There were hundreds and hundreds of folks in attendance. Though they had planned for only about 300, the AZ Ballroom at the ASU Memorial Union was packed and nearly 400 people overflowed into another room where they had to watch the event on monitors. Fortunately I had arrived earlier and got a seat near the center front. It was clearly underestimated how many people would want to seek the first woman Speaker of the House and the other members of Congess in attendance.

2. In addition to many students and members of the community, some notable VIPs were there as well. They included former Senator DeConcini who is currently a partner in the key legislative lobbying group Parry, Romani, DeConcini & Simms, employed by the Maricopa Community College District to push for legislation on higher education. (In my trip to D.C. last week, I was able to meet with other key members of the lobbying group, including former Senator Simms and hear his perspectives on the legislative agenda.) Also at the ASU event today were Attorney General Terry Goddard and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

3. The event didn't last very long - perhaps 45 minutes from start to finish once the crowd had settled. Each of the Representatives present spoke for perhaps 3-4 minutes. Speaker Pelosi began with a recap of what the House had done in the first 100 hours, including cutting interest rates on student loans by 50%. Congressman Mitchell spoke from the heart as a former educator and how it was important to continue to promote educational access. Congressman Pastor recalled his meeting with one of our SPPF group last week as an example of a success story in funding financial aid (it was great to hear that we'd made an impact!)

[Update: from my notes, my memory is jogged that Congressman Pastor also stated emphatically that "in March, we will have Comprehensive Immigration Reform which also includes the Dream Act".]

Then three pre-selected questions from students were asked and they were answered by one or two Representatives each. This was a little frustrating, since I'd prepared two questions related to the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit and the Montgomery G.I. Bill expansion for Reservists on active duty, but was never asked to submit my questions for consideration. Finally, Speaker Pelosi wrapped up with about a five minute talk on her views of the importance of higher education and the commitment to funding access for all.

4. As they were filing out, I was able to shake Speaker Pelosi's hand and express my congratulations on her victory. And again, I shook Congressman Mitchell's hand and expressed thanks once more for the opportunity to meet with him in D.C. last week.

In conclusion, it was great to see these formidable elected representatives emphasize the importance of higher education. However, the rather shallow content of the event, its short duration and the very nearly complete lack of interaction with the attendees left me feeling like it wasn't as constructive an event as it might have been. Nevertheless, coming on the heels of my lobbying trip last week, it was an added bonus to be able to have higher education legislation once more in focus.