A dozen Cornell students took a break from studying for finals and writing term papers on Dec. 4 to take a road trip to Albany to lobby for their campus and financial aid programs.

New York State Assemblyman and higher education chair Ron Canestrari listened attentively as Tricia Lendore '09 introduced herself.

"I'm in HEOP [Higher Education Opportunity Program] and TAP [Tuition Assistance Program]," said Lendore. "They are offering me opportunities that I probably would not have had anywhere else and enabling me to be a role model for my community."

The students, both undergraduates and graduates, shared their ideas and concerns in four meetings with state budget officials, legislators and government administrators, speaking enthusiastically about their experiences in educational opportunity programs.

According to Benjamin Ortiz of Cornell's Office of State Programs, 180 Cornellians participate in these programs each year.

The Cornell group also spoke with Brian Matthews of the Higher Education Service Corp. Matthews was particularly interested in hearing from HEOP and EOP participants about the value of aid counseling and advising services. Such programs provide students from disadvantaged backgrounds or troubled schools with personal, academic and financial aid advice.

Said Christon Harris '08, "Counseling has been as important as funding ... a lot of us are like our own rock within the program. We are our biggest asset."

Mike Walsh, a Cornell doctoral candidate in biological and environmental engineering and student government leader, spoke of the pressing need for renovation of aging buildings on the statutory campus. He described the leaky roof he observes each day when he goes to work in a lab in Riley-Robb Hall.

Cornell has included a $16 million capital request in the State University of New York budget for the next fiscal year.

The day was equally educational for students and lawmakers. Said Taariq Gould '10, reflecting on his first lobbying experience: "It went really well and was very informative on how the whole higher education finance system works. ... [The officials] were much more down-to-earth than I was expecting."

Ari Epstein '04 is assistant director of the Office of Assemblies at Cornell.