The associated student governments of Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura Colleges took the fight for better education funding to Washington D.C. in a grassroots lobbying campaign last week.
The Legislation Conference, or LegCon, invited student governments to lobby their local Congressional representatives to support affordaThe Associated Student governments of Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura Colleges took the fight for better education funding to Washington, D.C. in a grassroots lobbying campaign last week.
The Moorpark AS attended the National Student Advocacy and Leadership Conference through the American Student Association of Community Colleges.
Oxnard and Ventura participated in the Legislation Conference, or LegCon, which invited student governments to meet with their local Congressional representatives to support affordable college education and other issues affecting community colleges.
Moorpark College AS President Sara Yakhi said the conference went well, meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Barbara Boxer and representatives from Congressman Elton Gallegly’s office.
“Elton Gallegly is a republican, so he isn’t always in favor of education,” Yakhi said. “Overall, I think the conference was amazing. They had a great lineup of speakers. I was really impressed with Jillian Biden, the secretary of education and Ralph Nader.”
Oxnard College AS President Johnny Garcia-Vasquez and his board met with Congresswoman Lois Capps, as well as Feinstein.
Both presidents agreed that the Republican Party was a tough lobby in D.C.
“The Republican Party needs to understand that students who graduate with the knowledge obtain from a higher education can help improve the country’s economy by entering stable jobs in the work field,” Garcia-Vasquez said.
ASVC President Nancy Pham and her board had the opportunity to speak with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Boxer’s representatives.
“Unfortunately, we did not get to meet with the specific representatives in person,” said Pham. “However, I have still been in contact with both offices to try an get either representatives to come and speak on campus.”
