The Newcomb Hall Theater will be filled with a wide array of concerned citizens tonight.
From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the ABCs of Higher Education Forum will be taking place. Students and state legislatures will convene because of their mutual interests in issues of higher education and their implications on the University.
The forum was introduced by the Student Council's Legislative Affairs Committee last year, stemming from a desire to give University students a chance to voice their concerns to decision-makers of the state. This brainstorm developed into the forum tonight, which features nine state legislators who will be asked questions prepared by nine different students of the University.
Second-year College student Alex Stolar, chair of the committee, said he is very excited about the forum.
"This is a unique and incredible opportunity," Stolar said. "No other school has gotten this many legislators at their school at one time." The uniqueness of the forum lies in what it promises for both students and legislators, according to Stolar, who cited two main goals of the event:
"To have students learn more about Virginia's politics and how it relates to them. And to have the legislators learn more about us and how their votes affect Virginia's students," Stolar said.
"What's special about this is that they'll get to learn about us as we learn about them," he added.
Stolar said the committee went to great lengths to ensure an accurate match-up between students and legislators. Each legislator was paired with a student questioner from their district.
"We really branched out in the University," Stolar said, adding that they presented the opportunity at approximately 25 different organizations. "They're a broad spectrum of the University."
In order to maximize the hour and a half dedicated to the event, Stolar said legislators were prepped ahead of time on the questions they might be asked.
"They have to know about so many things that are going on in Virginia that they have a summary view of what's happening here," Stolar said. "Unless they get the questions ahead of time."
While Stolar said he was pleasantly surprised by the well-rounded turnout of legislators, he said he now is hoping for an equally impressive turnout from students.
"We want to bring students into the process," Stolar said. "It's really an unprecedented opportunity for students. We need them to come out."
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