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SGA reps get standing ovation from Kansas Legislature
In photo: Ashley Elnicki, Venessa Lee, Jacob "Jake" Dvorak, Sen. Bob Marshall, Eddie Penner, Emily Walters, and Katie Engelland.
04/08/2009
Student Government Association President Eddie Penner didn’t expect to have much time with members of Kansas Legislature during this year’s Pitt Day on the Hill, held April 1 in Topeka.
“We had a few meetings scheduled with various state legislators,” Penner said. “But because of the dynamic schedule of the state legislature at this time of the year, we weren’t able to schedule a number of those meetings.”
But when Sen. Bob Marshall, R-Ft. Scott, invited the PSU students onto the senate floor, Penner and his fellow students got much more than they expected – notably, a standing ovation.
Marshall introduced each student by name and told the members of the senate some information about the students and about Pittsburg State.
Penner said he and the other SGA members were lobbying in support of the Board of Regents-sponsored tuition freeze plan and in support of the Highway 69 renovation project. When Marshall heard they were coming, he decided they deserved recognition for their involvement.
“These are students who have made the positive decision to get involved in student life at Pitt State and take a leadership role among their peers,” said Marshall. “They are outstanding young people, and I won't be a bit surprised if some of these student leaders end up serving in some capacity in this building in the future."
Penner said it was an honor to be recognized, and said he hoped to make an impact by “putting a face to the statistics.”
“We go to provide a visible presence of PSU students in Topeka for the state legislature,” Penner said. “They read statistics about higher education, but rarely do they actually see students who are benefiting from state support of higher education.”
A group of SGA students visits Topeka each year for Pitt Day on the Hill. This year’s attendees included Penner, Venessa Lee, Emily Walters, Katie Engelland, Ashley Elnicki, and Jacob Dvorak.
This year’s group was also able to see the state Senate in action during a particularly busy part of the legislative session, as the legislature comes up on its first adjournment. Both chambers were on the floor conducting business for most of the day as opposed to spending hours in committee meetings.
---Pitt State---
©2008 Pittsburg State University