The Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) held its Student Lobby Day at both the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Statehouse on Wednesday. Over 100 students spent the day listening to government officials, touring the Statehouse and speaking with their legislators.

Iain Crowe, a student at Marian University, spoke on what he was most excited to experience.

“Just interacting with legislators and getting to learn more about the voting process and the condition of the Frank O’ Bannon funding,” Crowe said.

The Frank O’ Bannon Grant was one of the top issues the students were there to discuss with their legislators. The grant offers students up to $10,000 in financial aid; however, these funds hang in the balance with potential cuts to several state grant programs.

Crowe took full advantage of the opportunity and was prepared to petition his legislators.

“I’m just really excited to share my personal story with the lawmakers, just to try and show the importance of the Frank O’Bannon scholarship,” Crowe said. “Just the good it can do and how it can affect people that need funding for higher education needs.”

The students were encouraged to set up appointments with their legislators ahead of time to increase the odds of speaking with their specific representative or senator. They also wrote detailed letters to their legislators about the issues that meant something to them.

“We want them to learn about the legislative system, how it works and why they need to be involved,” said Kelley Smith, executive assistant to the ICI president. “They can make a difference. If they have something they’re passionate about, they can make a difference and they can have a voice.”

There were also several faculty members from various universities across the state showing their support for the students.

One such faculty member, Lauryn Jones, coordinator of DEI programming and engagement at Butler University, expressed similar sentiments.

“I’m excited for students to feel empowered to talk to legislators and to share their voice,” Jones said. “It’s a student-focused event, and we are just here to support them.”

The students spent a lot of time learning helpful information about their local government. Jones expressed a positive outlook about two key skills everyone must learn: patience and perseverance.

“One thing that we learned about in one of our sessions today was that creating these bills and laws does take time and there is a long process, especially if a bill gets amended,” Jones said. “So I think just (the students) should know, even if things look rough right now, the fight still continues and there’s always room to continue fighting and advocating for the bills they want.”

The Student Lobby Day had many goals, but the largest goal was to ensure the students know their role in society. Jones felt the day marked another step forward in grasping their futures.

“I just want the students to feel confident, make sure they feel empowered to know that their voice counts,” Jones said. “Even though they are younger and they may not know as much technical information, they are the next generation and all of this depends on their voice.”