Hiram – Three Hiram College students traveled to Columbus on Wednesday (February 25) to meet with key legislators and staffers in the Statehouse. Hiram Senior Su Latt and Juniors Laura Baskin and Jacob Vaughan spoke about the importance of the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, a need-based grant provided by the state government to help students attend college. They also spoke about their experiences at Hiram and the importance of small private colleges.
All three Hiram students met with State Senator John Eklund (R-Munson Twp.) and State Representative Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent), as well as influential staffers in other offices. One of the highlights of the trip was having lunch with Dick Wolf, Hiram class of 1974, who is now the Senior Legislative Aide to Representative Ron Amstutz, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Ohio House.
The trip was part of the annual AICUO Independent College Day. AICUO is the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Ohio, a group that represents the interests of its 51 members to Ohio’s lawmakers, regulators, and citizens. The Hiram students were accompanied by staffers Ed Frato-Sweeney (Coordinator of Citizenship Education) and Brian Lind (Assistant Dean of Students).