By Brenda Schumann, PhD, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar, University of Texas at Austin
I have always been interested in government. One of my earliest school memories was doing a project on the upcoming presidential election. I remember that I cut out pictures of the candidates from my dad’s magazines and glued the Democrats to blue construction paper while I pasted the Republican candidates on red. I even conducted a mock election for my classmates so that they could “vote” in the upcoming presidential election.
During college, I expanded upon my love of politics while working as a congressional intern for the House Committee on Agriculture. I was able to expand upon my knowledge of the legislative process, discuss issues facing the agriculture industry, engage with constituents as they called to discuss “hot-button issues,” and somehow managed to get on C-SPAN once or twice while passing a note to a member during a hearing.
Fast forward a few years and my legislative “experience” came full circle this past July through my participation in AACRAO Hill Day. No longer was I the congressional intern taking notes during the constituency meeting; I was now on the “other side of the table,” sharing my professional knowledge and experiences with the Congressional staffers.
Organized by our AACRAO Government Relations staff, Scott Filter and Mike Bilfinger, Hill Day was an opportunity for our AACRAO membership to engage with our respective congressional offices. In my case, fellow Texan Sofia Almeda and I visited the offices of five House members and one Senate office to discuss issues facing higher education and the students we serve. We met with congressional staffers (and one House member himself) to discuss issues such as Reverse Transfer, the importance of the Pell Grant, the MATCH Act, the Veterans Education Empowerment Act, and the Professional Student Degree Act. We talked about the role of AACRAO in our profession, our experiences in higher education, and provided information as to how their office could become more informed of the pending legislation. We were not there on behalf of our respective institutions, but instead on behalf of the entire AACRAO organization.
AACRAO Hill Day reinforced my belief that policymakers value hearing directly from practitioners who understand the realities facing today’s students. As Registrar and Admissions professionals, we bring a unique perspective and can share real-world stories and experiences. The staffers we met with were respectful and engaged, listened, asked thoughtful questions, and discussed the topics at hand. It reminded me that each of us can play a role in advocating for higher education. Whether that means staying informed about legislative issues, responding to future calls for action from AACRAO, building relationships with elected officials in our communities, or participating in next year’s Hill Day, our collective voices matter.
Looking back, I never imagined that the student who organized a presidential election in the third grade would one day be walking the halls of Congress representing AACRAO, yet Hill Day reminded me that advocacy belongs to all of us. I hope you’ll consider adding your voice to the conversation and applying to attend next year’s Hill Day.
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