Students Participate in Advocacy Day at the State Capitol

It was a great day to be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania! On Tuesday, April 9, students and staff from The University of Scranton visited the state’s Capitol for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania's (AICUP) Advocacy Day. Over 100 students from independent universities and colleges across the Commonwealth were present on this day to highlight the importance of higher education funding.

In attendance from the University for this year's AICUP Advocacy Day were students John R. Sinclair III ‘25, Quanayah R. Jones ‘26, and Jaznie D. Belfont ‘25, and Assistant Director of Community and Civic Engagement Daysi Carreto ‘14. The students met with Pennsylvania State Senator Marty Flynn, State Representative Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna), State Representative Bridget M. Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna), and State Representative Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna), and shared their impactful stories and future academic and professional aspirations.

This was a great opportunity for the students, with majors in political science, to exercise their advocacy skills. “AICUP was nothing I had experienced before, but something I'd love to be a part of again. The history, the development, the power within that building was just incredibly strong. I hope that more people get to experience AICUP, for it will positively give a better understanding of our communities and leaders,” said Jones ‘26.

The University sends students to the state Capitol for AICUP’s Student Aid Advocacy Day to stress the importance of state financial aid for students pursuing higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to make the case for the importance of supporting independent colleges and universities such as The University of Scranton, with its Catholic and Jesuit mission.