COLUMBIA, SC — Members of the General Assembly once again felt the immense power of grassroots advocacy in receiving more than 9,000 thank-you letters from SCICU students during this year’s legislative session.
The 9,000 letters easily eclipsed the old record of 8,200.
SC senators and representatives received student letters thanking them for their continued support of the SC Higher Education Tuition Grants program. These need-based grants are an essential component of financial aid for SC residents who decide that their best choice for college is at one of the state’s independent colleges. Nearly two-fifths of in-state residents who attend SCICU member colleges and universities receive tuition grants.
“Every time I talk with senators and representatives, they mention how much they appreciate and are impressed by the students’ letters,” said SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez. “At SCICU we are very proud of the tremendous effort that our Tuition Grant Program recipients put into this annual advocacy campaign, which is a highlight of the legislative session. And many thanks to our campus legislative coordinators without whom the letter writing initiative would not be possible.”
Students from Anderson University and Erskine College again led the letter-writing campaign among all SCICU colleges and universities. Anderson University, with a total of 1,678 letters written, won the challenge for most letters written to SC senators and representatives. Erskine College again earned bragging rights for having 100% of their tuition grant recipients write letters to SC General Assembly members.
“Congratulations are due to every student who took time to write letters,” said Perez. “Their engagement makes clear to legislators the prominence of independent higher education in South Carolina.”
