GRC in the Field 

The Government Relations Committee has been hard at work planning our advocacy events for the coming year. These advocacy events give us an opportunity to meet with legislators and share with them the projects PCACAC members are working on, the priorities of our industry, and other challenges that we face in our roles as counselors and higher education professionals.

PAST EVENTS

NACAC Advocacy Day | Washington, DC
March 8-9, 2020

NACAC Hill Day and pre-planning on March 8 and 9 was attended by the largest group of PACAC members in recent years. Eight meetings were held with staffers and/or representatives from the following offices:

• Maryland:  Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, Representative Trone, and Representative Hoyer
• Virginia:  Senator Kaine, Representative Beyer and Senator Warner
• West Virginia:  Senator Manchin

Our documents were also delivered to the office of Representative Rochester from Delaware. We are grateful for the time these representatives took with us as we advocated for all students and counselors. Conversations focused on the importance of a lower student to counselor ratio, rigorous curriculum, need based financial aid, student protections for unscrupulous institutions, support for undocumented students, and student mobility. Requests were made to fully fund Title IV, Part A for student support, to continue to work for school safety without arming teachers, and to support counseling for mental health as well as that for post secondary planning.

Left to right: Ashley Cole, Erika Davis, Rachel Cleaver, Joel Lang President, Rebekah LaPlante, Ginger Miller, Kristen Carter; Back row: Natasha Blake-McDowell, Nick Orban, Jeff Smith, Andrea Leonard, Chris Miller, Jake Talmage,  Suzanne Carter  (Missing from photo:  Kevin Terry and Jayne Fonash, NACAC President)

PCACAC Advocacy Day | Richmond, VA
January 27, 2020

PCACAC GRC members traveled to Richmond, Virginia:  Chair Ginger Miller, committee members Suzanne Carter, Erika Davis, Patrick Colonna, and Kevin Terry, and NACAC representatives Mike Rose, Director of Government Relations, and Jayne Fonash, President of the Board of Directors participated in an exciting counselor advocacy day with hundreds of representatives from all over Virginia.

They met with several people focused on education, including Kevin Sausedo-Broach Legislative Aide to Delegate Alfonso Lopez, House Majority Co-whip; Rodrigo Velasquez-Soto, Legislative Aide to Delegate Kathy Tran; Delegate Roslyn Tyler, Chair House Education Committee, and her Legislative Aide Belinda Astrop; Christopher Fleury, Legislative Aide to Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, Vice Chair House Education Committee; Kelly Johnson, Legislative Aide to Delegate Schuyler Van Valkenburg, Education Committee; Fran Bradford, Deputy Secretary for Education; and Holly Coy, Deputy Secretary for Education for Governor Ralph Northam.

We learned that there is progress being made to increase TAG funding for students, to increase the number of counselors in Virginia thus lowering the student counselor ratio possibly to 250:1, and for increased time with students in preparing for postsecondary options. We were favorably met as we presented the mission and goals of PCACAC, focusing on Access to Quality Counseling, Need-Based Financial Aid, Rigorous Curriculum for all students, in state tuition for DACA-Eligible Students, and School Safety.

Thanks to the team that made the effort to participate in Richmond!

NACAC Advocacy Day | Washington, DC
March 4, 2019

PCACAC was well represented for the NACAC Advocacy Day on the Hill. Our team included high school and college counselors sharing their voices and stories with regard to NACAC”s legislative priorities:  College Access, Student Protection, International Mobility, the Dream Act and DACA, School Safety, Anti-Discrimination, and Budget/Appropriations. Staffers greeted us warmly and seemed to understand the need for a lower student to counselor ratio as we explained our goal of 250:1. I am so proud of and grateful to our members who gave time and significant contributions to our efforts.  #NACACHillDay

A huge "Thank you!" to those who attended (left to right in the photo above):  Ginger Miller, Government Relations Chair; GRC committee members: Rachel Cleaver, Erika Davis, Natasha Blake-McDowell, Alicia Oglesby, President Jake Talmage, Melissa Hypolite, President-Elect Joel Lang, GRC Vice Chair Nick Orban, Katie McEnroe, and Dan Zawacki. Missing from the photograph but so glad they could join us are are NACAC Research Associate Pooja Patel and Lucien Giordano from Dulwich College of China.

PCACAC On-the-Hill Annapolis, MD
February 13, 2019

On February 13, members of the Government Relations Committee (GRC) participated in PCACAC On-the-Hill in Annapolis, MD where they attended several meetings with key legislators and aids to discuss important issues to our profession and to advocate for YOU.

There appears to be a lot of support for our policy initiatives, and there were already some bills submitted that we are excited about -- including opening access to Delegate and Senatorial Scholarships to DACA and DREAM Act students. Additionally, our GRC advocated for increased resources for counselors and schools, as well as informing students about the dangers of for-profit institutions.

Members of the Government Relations Committee (GRC) participated in PCACAC On-the-Hill in Richmond, VA where we attended seven meetings to advocate for YOU! 

We supported the $36 million budget because it supports our mission and we highlighted the following ideas to support access to quality counseling for all students in the Commonwealth:

• Student counselor ratio of 250:1
• Need-based financial aid
• Rigorous curriculum for all students
• Legislation to grant all DACA-eligible Virginia high school graduates who have resided in the state for three years to qualify for in-state tuition 5
• School safety training but not arming teachers, counselors and other staff

We are grateful for our Virginia team (left to right): Karla Taylor from Hanover Co. Public Schools, Rachel Cleaver and Eva Bramesco from George Mason Univ., GRC Chair Ginger Miller, Past President Anthony Ambrogi from St. Catherine's School, and NACAC's Director of Gov't Relations, Mike Rose.

Watch for information here and in the next Anchor Splash about our Annapolis, MD PCACAC On-the-Hill - led by our GRC Vice Chair, Nick Orban.

Panel at George Mason University
May 3, 2018

PCACAC Government Relations Committee member, Rachel Cleaver, ran an informative panel discussion and training for Senate education staffers at George Mason University. Her continued commitment to legislation and funding affecting first gen and undocumented students is indicative of our best outreach and work for access to college. GRC Chair, Ginger Miller, was so pleased to participate and learn with George Mason’s amazing students!

Rachel’s summary of the event:

"On Thursday, May 3, George Mason University was honored to partner with Third Way think tank and District of Columbia Public Schools to host a training for twenty five Senate education staffers. The event focused on best practices for supporting first generation and underrepresented students. The day began at H.D. Woodson High School and then moved to George Mason in the afternoon. While on Mason’s campus, staffers heard from staff who support first generation students about the work that they do every day as well as from a panel of first generation students who conveyed their personal stories. The Senate staffers also had the opportunity to work through real life scenarios to help bring the successes and struggles of first generation students to life. George Mason was honored to share our best practices, but also stressed that there are colleges across the country doing amazing things to support our students. We encouraged the staffers to be champions for our students and create and support legislation that will allow colleges to continue supporting first generation college bound students. Overall, the day was a huge success and we look forward to a many collaborative trainings with Third Way in the future."

NACAC's National Advocacy Day - Washington, DC
February 26, 2018

PCACAC's Government Relations team participated in NACAC’s advocacy day on the Hill. Government Relations Chair Ginger Miller, and Vice Chair, Nick Orban, were joined by David Burge (NACAC President), Robyn Lady (PCACAC President), Anthony Ambrogi (PCACAC Past President), Jake Talmage (PCACAC President-elect), and GRC members Katie McEnroe, Costos Solomou, Chris Butler; Dan Zawacki, and Rachel Cleaver. 

In addition to working with our lobbyist Mike Rose, Director for Government Relations, on Sunday, February 25th, we met with legislators and their aides from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Our meetings involved stimulating discussions with Members of Congress and staff, including Congressman Don Beyer and Assistant Kate Schisler, Congressman Jamie Raskin and Legislative Director William Roberts, Lauren Marshall, Assistant to Senator Warner, Cortney Segmen, Legislative Fellow with Senator Kaine, Ian Spears, Legislative Assistant to Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Sarah Schenning, Assistant to Senator Van Hollen. 

Speaking on behalf of NACAC:

• We advocated for a lower student/counselor ratio to provide quality counseling for post-secondary options with careers and college choices.
• We addressed the need to increase mental health and school safety.
• We supported student loan protection while pushing for the halting of the burden created by for-profit colleges.
• We urged legislators to get DACA done, and we pushed for a 1.6 billion budget to fully fund educational needs with Title VI Part A which provides, among other things, professional development for counselors.

PCACAC on the Hill - Richmond, VA
Monday, January 29, 2018

On Monday, January 29 representatives from the PCACAC Government Relations Committee, including Past PCACAC President Anthony Ambrogi, NACAC Board Member Jayne Fonash, Suzanne Carter Co-Director of College Counseling at Visitation, and PCACAC Government Relations Chair Ginger Miller held eight meetings with legislators and their assistants for our Richmond Advocacy Day. We focused on these points:

• Access to quality counseling by pushing for the lowering the student to counselor ratio in high schools
• Need-based financial aid including in-state tuition for DACA students and maintaining or increasing funding for the Virginia TAG program as well as aid to public institutions
• Rigorous Curriculum options for all students
• Counselor relicensure in Virginia to include some required hours in the required professional development 180 hours be allocated to college and career counseling.  
• We also entered a discussion about possible SAT testing in high schools to give access to all students addressing the possible tradeoffs of such an event.