Katies advocate at the Capitol

This spring, a range of St. Kate鈥檚 student groups visited Minnesota lawmakers to share research and support legislation.

亚色影库 students, staff, and faculty have been frequent visitors to the Minnesota State Capitol this spring. In February and March, students from several different groups from across disciplines made trips to showcase their research and to advocate for legislation that affects them as students and future professionals.

Jackie Lane 鈥25, a social work major, was among those who attended Minnesota Private College Council鈥檚 (MPCC) Day at the Capitol. She experienced the event as a call to action, she said. 

鈥淭hat day, I witnessed and participated in the collective strength of organized groups and, for the first time, understood why philosophy without action starves us of purpose,鈥 shared Lane. 鈥淎s the only middle-aged, College for Adults student attending the event, I felt enormously proud of the young women at St. Kate鈥檚. Not only do they recognize their power in shaping our world at a critical period of life, but they walk fearlessly into the fray.鈥

Advocacy and public policy education are embedded at St. Kate鈥檚 at a variety of institutional levels: the Office of Scholarly Engagement, academic departments, student government, and curriculum. Often, students first learn about the ways legislation and policies impact society broadly, and then, over the course of their classes and programs, they have the opportunity to learn about these issues related to their areas of study. 

鈥淰ery importantly, this professional advocacy is followed by thinking about 鈥 what issues impact the health and wellness of clients and their communities,鈥 said Jennifer Biggs, PhD, director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. 鈥淚n this way, we help students understand that advocating for population health and wellness is one avenue to work toward social justice.鈥

鈥淚n going to the State Capitol, St. Kate鈥檚 students see into how, where, and by whom decisions are made 鈥 and most importantly, that they can add their voices to those processes,鈥 said D'Ann Urbaniak Lesch, director of the Office of Scholarly Engagement. 鈥淭his is one of the many ways students, even before graduation, live out the mission of our institution.鈥

These organized student visits to the Capitol are an accessible, hands-on opportunity for Katies to educate lawmakers about the State Grant Program and other legislation that supports private college students. This advocacy is especially timely given the North Star Promise Grant, which offers taxpayer-funded, 鈥渓ast-dollar鈥 grants for students whose families make less than $80,000 a year, adds Urbaniak Lesch. 鈥淚t鈥檚 even more important to remind legislators that students, low-income and other, choose private colleges like St. Kate鈥檚. Class size, research, and other mentored opportunities remain a huge benefit to students and their success.鈥

On February 22, three St. Kate鈥檚 students presented their research at Scholars at the Capitol 2024. The annual event, organized by MPCC, invites students to showcase the dynamic scholarship from across disciplines taking place in Minnesota private colleges. St. Kate鈥檚 presenters were Angela Cuccio 鈥25 (Understanding the Effects of Accessible Medically-tailored Food Boxes Containing Fruit and Vegetables on Cardiometabolic Markers in Immigrant Hispanic/Latine Individuals with Hypertension) and Mollie Pierson 鈥25 and Melody Kosbab 鈥24 (Out and 亚色影库: Impacts of Marriage Equality on Same-sex Couples).

On February 28, 40 students, three staff members, and President ReBecca Koenig Roloff 鈥76 attended MPCC鈥檚 Day at the Capitol. Along with students from other Minnesota private colleges, the St. Kate鈥檚 contingent met with legislators to advocate for the Minnesota State Grant program, which supports low- and middle-income college students. 

On February 28, a contingent of 85 College for Women nursing students in their last semester also traveled to the Capitol to meet with legislators to discuss health policy. The group met with Representatives Tina Liebling and Robert Bierman and Senator Jim Abeler, who discussed current legislation and thanked the students for their commitment to nursing. 

Students from St. Kate鈥檚 Doctor of Nursing Practice program also visited the Capitol for the Minnesota APRN Coalition Day on the Hill on March 7. The group met with legislators to advocate for removing barriers to practice for certified nurse specialists (CNS) and certified nurse-practitioners (CNP) 鈥 a key strategy in addressing healthcare needs amid state-wide provider shortages.

Also in March, two St. Kate鈥檚 students also joined the Association of Certified Midwives and Nurse Midwives and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for their Day on the Hill, in support of HF1324/SF1743, the Certified Midwife Scope of Practice bill.

A group of social work policy students, made up of both Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students, visited for Social Work Advocacy Day at the Capitol on February 29. During the event, organized by the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, students met with representatives, sat in hearing committees, and learned about current legislative issues affecting the field of social work 鈥 among them, license portability, title protection, and provisional licensing. 

Physical therapy students traveled to the Capitol for the Minnesota Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association鈥檚 annual Physical Therapy Day on the Hill at the Capitol. Even though the day fell over spring break, six students and their program director still attended to meet with legislators and advocate for bills that would address current barriers to patient care. One of the bills, for instance, would allow physical therapists to transfer their licenses more easily from one state to another. In total, over 150 clinicians and students, representing both physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, were in attendance at the Capitol.

On March 7, Food Access Hub team members Mollie Pierson 鈥25 and Jennifer Tacheny joined the Land Stewardship Project鈥檚 (LSP) 19th annual Family Farm Breakfast and Lobby Day. After a locally sourced breakfast featuring information about efforts for regional change, the group visited the Capitol. They met with state legislators and attended a town hall with key leaders, including attorney general Keith Ellison, to advocate for public programs and policies that build a more just, sustainable farm and food system and healthier communities.