Barry constituency meets with legislators to lobby
to 'Save the FRAG'
By: Jeremy Jones
Delivering a message of “Save the FRAG,” six Barry University
students along with Barry President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP,
PhD, and a small constituency from the university met with state
legislators in Tallahassee April 8-9 as part of Barry Days.
The group’s primary goal was to remind legislators of the
importance of the Florida Resident Access Grant, which currently
provides full-time students who are residents of Florida with an
additional $3,000 of financial assistance for college. But recent
budget cuts have threatened to slash the amount students receive
from the FRAG. More than 2,570 Barry students received the FRAG in
Fall 2007, and a substantial cut in the program could jeopardize
their ability to pay for a college education.
Three students
from main campus – Jay Sumners, Danielle Jackman and Benjamin Gaspar
– along with three students from Barry’s School of Adult and
Continuing Education site in Tallahassee – Mustafa Mahdi, Deborah
Harris and Margaret Munsey – met with legislators to encourage them
to do everything possible to keep the FRAG going. Barry students
were given the opportunity to speak with several legislators about
how important the FRAG is to their higher education.
During
their visit, the students and Sister Linda met with Sen. Jeremy
Ring, the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Shane Strum, Rep. Joe
Pickens, Rep. Matt Hudson, Senate President Ken Pruitt, Sen. Evelyn
Lynn and Rep. Anitere Flores. The School of Education’s Dr. Maria
Stallions, who accompanied Barry’s group to Tallahassee, was
instrumental in setting up all the meetings with the state
legislators.
Barry School of Education Dean Dr. Terry Piper
and College of Health Sciences Dean Dr. Pegge Bell also joined
Sister Linda on the trip to discuss with state legislators the
importance of state funding to universities to train and educate
future nurses and teachers, as well as appropriate funding to hire
qualified education and nursing faculty.
The trip to
Tallahassee also served as a catapult for a new Barry University
Alumni Chapter. Nearly 40 Barry alums from the Tallahassee area
attended an Alumni Association reception April 8 at the Governor’s
Club. The evening included remarks from Sister Linda, Assistant Vice
President of Alumni Relations Sean Kramer and State Rep. Matt
Hudson, who was once a student at Barry University. The success of
the event, which included alums from several classes, paved the way
for future receptions in Tallahassee and other chapters across the
state.
