Students to visit the Minn. Capitol

On March 3, hundreds of students will gather in St. Paul for a day of advocating, conversations, networking and skill building at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Students from all 18 member institutions of the Minnesota Private College Council attend this event to advocate for the State Grant and other causes that they are passionate about.

Ahead of Day at the Capitol, the students attending receive training, either on their home campus or virtually, to understand and learn how to effectively advocate for both the State Grant and other causes that they find interest in.

75,700 Minnesotan students receive some level of State Grant.

44% of students from Minnesota who attend a college in-state receive a grant, according to the Minnesota Private College Council.

The grant program has a state-wide impact, with its goals being to help low-and middle-income families, increase graduation rates, encourage students to stay in Minnesota for their higher education and hold down student borrowing.

There has been a state grant shortfall in recent years.

In 2024, there was a 240-million-dollar state grant shortfall, causing more than half of the program to fall short in funding.

The current school year and next school year are facing another shortfall, this time with 102 million dollars.

This shortfall will impact around 600 CSB+SJU students directly.

“The most powerful voices are the voices of the students who receive the grants… it’s really important to speak up, whether it’s coming to the Capitol or even just writing a letter or an email to their legislators to say how important these grants are, that they make such a difference to [students’] ability to be in college,” said Paul Cerkvenik, the president of the Minnesota Private College Council and the Minnesota Private College Fund.

The event kicks off with all the students meeting to hear from Council staff members.

Students are given cards to write to assigned legislators to advocate for the State Grant.

From there, students head to legislative meetings where they can deliver their notes to their legislators.

The legislative meetings are set up in advance for students, often taking place in small groups or one-on-one settings.

If students are State Grant recipients, the goal is to have them meet with their legislators that represent their hometown in Minnesota.

For out-of-state students, they meet with the legislators that represent their institution.

Lucy Farley, a CSB senior, attended Day at the Capitol in the past.

Farley is an out-of-state student and mentioned that her experience was slightly different.

“Speaking up for Minnesota private colleges and the issues that affect my peers reminded me that effective advocacy isn’t just about where you’re from, but it’s about standing up for the people around you. It reinforced how important it is to listen first, understand the issues and then share your voice thoughtfully,” Farley said via email.

The meeting with legislators may happen in an office, but the capitol is chaotic during legislative sessions, so it isn’t always the case that these meetings take place around a table.

“Sometimes it’s a walking and talking meeting. So, they’re walking through the tunnels of the Capitol Complex, talking about the State Grant and getting to know their legislators,” said Olivia Brammer, the Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at Minnesota Private College Council. “Other times they’re meeting in the rotunda or pulling someone off the House floor. So that kind of adds to the excitement of the day too, with how those meetings take place, and where they happen.”

The goal is for every student to meet with both a member from the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Students also have the opportunity to tour the State Capitol throughout the day.

To wrap up the day, there is a discussion to debrief how the day went, what students learned and how the meetings went.

While the focus of the event is for students to advocate for the State Grant, there is room for students to advocate for what they are passionate about.

Participants are able to learn how to advocate and use their voices for what they believe in.

“When students come for Day at the Capitol, we want them to speak about the State Grant, but they often also have conversations with legislators about other issues that they care about, [it] could be the environment or it could be taxes or anything… they get to have a conversation with their legislator. In that process, they’re learning how to help influence the decisions that are being made by our state government,” Cerkvenik said.

Registration for Day at the Capitol closes on Feb. 17 at midnight.

“It was inspiring to see how student voices can make a difference and reminded me that civic engagement isn’t just important, it’s powerful. I hope more students take the chance to step into these spaces and see how much impact they can have,” Farley said via email.