UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Advocate Penn State Capital Day will return on March 18 for an in-person advocacy event in the Pennsylvania State Capitol for the first time since 2022.
During Capital Day, students, along with select staff, from University Park and Commonwealth Campuses will hold meetings with elected officials from across the commonwealth to talk about their Penn State experiences and advocate for funding for Penn State.
In tandem with the in-person event, all Penn Staters are encouraged to show their Penn State pride by contacting their elected officials to share their stories of the many ways Penn State benefits students, the commonwealth and its residents as a 21st century land-grant institution.
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Sponsored by Advocate Penn State and Penn State’s Office of Government and Community Relations, the event is the University’s single-largest day of advocacy.
“Advocacy during Capital Day is a crucial part of our relationship with the Pennsylvania Legislature,” said Mike Stefan, vice president for Government and Community Relations. “It’s important that elected officials hear from Penn State students, families, faculty and staff, alumni, and all Penn Staters so they can see how vital the commonwealth’s support of Penn State is to so many throughout Pennsylvania.”
Last year's Capital Day On Campus events and digital advocacy saw more than 6,700 Penn State supporters send over 13,000 messages to every single member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“As students, sharing our stories and experiences is one of the best ways we can show lawmakers how important it is for them to support us fairly,” said student Mitch Scordo, president of Lion Caucus. “Since we’re the ones building our future here at Penn State, it is crucial we make our voices heard. I'm excited to travel to Harrisburg to fill the Capitol with Penn State pride and share our student stories with legislators.”
While a few hundred students will convene in Harrisburg to meet with state House and Senate members, all Penn State students, alumni, employees and supporters can speak up for the University through Advocate Penn State’s digital advocacy campaign.
Past Capital Days have been consequential in securing the University’s annual state appropriation, which supports Penn State's in-state tuition discount that saves the average Pennsylvania resident student approximately $15,000 each year.
This year, Gov. Shapiro proposed a 5% increase to Penn State’s general support appropriation through a new performance-based funding model. Penn State’s appropriation has been held flat at $242.1 million since a 2% increase in the 2019-20 fiscal year.
All Penn State supporters should visit advocate.psu.edu on the morning of March 18 to participate by sending an email to their state representative and senator. Community members also can share their stories of support for Penn State by using the hashtags #PSUCapitalDay and #PennStateStory on social media.
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