Towson SGA lobbies Maryland lawmakers at Tiger Pride Day
By Jonah Lewis, deputy news editor
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Members of the Towson University Student Government Association visited the Maryland State House in Annapolis Wednesday to lobby bills that align with the values of the SGA for its 25th annual Tiger Pride Day.
Held annually, Tiger Pride Day is a chance for Towson students to go to the state legislature and witness the governmental process. They also meet with state delegates to endorse selected bills.
Some of these bills include doing away with no-knock warrants and supporting education for incarcerated people, as well as a resolution that calls for a long-term ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.
The day opened in the House of Delegates chamber, where SGA President Jordan Colquitt and Towson University President Mark Ginsberg received a proclamation from the state government recognizing Tiger Pride Day.
“The more support we can have from the General Assembly to support all things Towson, the work that we do, the financial underpinnings of the university and capital budgets that result in both creation of new facilities and sustainability of our current facilities are all so important,” Ginsberg said in an interview.
After the recognition ceremony, the House of Delegates deliberated over its daily docket. Once adjourned, some legislators returned to their offices to meet with SGA members.
The Towerlight sat in on a meeting between a group of students and the staff of Republican Delegate Jay Jacobs.
They primarily discussed the bills concerning renewable energy, abolishing no-knock warrants, and expanding educational opportunities for incarcerated people.
Jacobs said he is proud of the high school seniors from his district who go to Towson.
“They do an outstanding job,” he said. “It’s so important that they get a high quality education from Towson.”
Following the meetings, students retreated to the Governor Calvert House for a luncheon, attended by university leaders and administrators.
Students embraced Tiger Pride Day for allowing them to see the democratic process at play.
Senior Travil Greene represented the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha in his first Tiger Pride Day. His group discussed affordable housing with lawmakers in the hopes that people like Greene would be able to afford a house after college, he said.
Senior Zachary Jackson said that Tiger Pride Day seems to mean a lot to the delegates who sit down with students to hear what they have to say.
“Tiger Pride Day really is about Towson students being able to talk to people who are working in our government,” said Jackson, the SGA’s appropriations chair. “We are living in Maryland, and I feel like our voices should be heard.”
