Five Austin College students—Kylie Peterson ’17, Douglas Tsang ’18, James Wyche ’20, Holly Kapp ’20, and Christian Chiles ’19—joined private college students from around the state at the Texas State Capitol on March 1 to share with legislators the importance of the Texas Equalization Grant (TEG) in financing their education.
The day at the Capitol was fun for all, but informative as well. Students were able to visit the Senate Gallery in session as well as meet with the representatives from their home regions. The Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT) arranged the day for students from throughout Texas to visit with their state senators and representatives and personally express the importance of the TEG in their own lives. “I also was able to meet people from other private institutions doing the same thing we were—thanking representatives for their support of TEG, which allows many of us to attend private schools,” said Tsang. “The TEG makes private college tuition that much more affordable and has given me the opportunity to attend Austin College.”
“I am very grateful to have received the TEG as it has helped make it possible for me to have the liberal arts education I so ardently desired,” Kapp said. “Although the TEG isn’t much in comparison to the price of tuition, it is nevertheless important. For me at least, every penny counts and without that extra amount each year I would have a much tougher struggle financially. I learned that even though the TEG isn’t a large amount of money, students just like me around the state really rely on it, and are truly grateful for it.”
Laurie Coulter, Austin College assistant vice president for Institutional Enrollment and executive director of financial aid, accompanied the students, along with Jack Kunde, associate director of admission.