by Lisa M. Chmiola
Staff Writer
Cost for one economy parking decal: $9. Cost for one class schedule at the University of Houston Bookstore: $1.08. Cost for four Students' Association members to visit legislators in Washington, D.C.: $2,605.
SA President Natalie Merritt, Vice President Jon Erickson, Honors College Sen. Brenda Johnson and former Vice President Kay To traveled to Washington, staying from March 21 to March 25, to attend a National Association of Students for Higher Education conference and speak with legislative aides on higher-education issues.
The trip cost SA $1,588 for four Continental round-trip tickets from Intercontinental Airport to Washington National Airport, $340 in NASHE conference fees, $500 in food and cab fares and $177 for Doubletree Hotel accomodations.
Erickson said that, once money in the SA budget has been allocated for travel, it is difficult to put the money elsewhere in the budget. "The SA travel budget is established early in the year ... and we still had money to use," he said.
Since the SA members were traveling on official UH business, they was able to obtain the state rate of $397 each for airfare, said an Atlas Travel Agency spokeswoman.
However, she said, if they had flown into Baltimore-Washington International Airport instead of National, they would have only spent $284 each, plus about $30 each for a round-trip train ticket to Washington's Union Station from the airport - saving SA $332.
Erickson said the extra time necessary to travel from Baltimore would have affected their schedule. "By the time we would get to Baltimore Friday night, we would have gotten (to D.C.) too late," Erickson said.
Although the budget may not be easily changed, SA members were able to improve attendance at this semester's NASHE conference. Former NASHE vice chairwoman Jennifer Brack said, "(UH) definitely attended every session."
However, at last fall's conference, SA members opted to meet with legislators and miss parts of the conference, Erickson said. "(With attendance), a lot of times, you have to look at the situation of the people who are there," Erickson said.
With NASHE workshops scheduled on the weekend during this trip, SA members were able to improve attendance at the NASHE conference and still visit legislators' aides, Erickson said.
"(Speaking with aides) gives us a face to the legislators in Washington. Hopefully, when they're on the floor, it gives them a little more of a conscience," Erickson said. "Maybe they'll think twice about cutting a specific (educational) program."
NASHE is made up of member universities and provides a platform of quality higher education for student leaders to promote on campuses and on Capitol Hill.
"NASHE has been working with those legislators on the Hill that have shown interest in higher education," said NASHE National Speaker Jeffrey Johnson.
Merritt added that NASHE's purpose is "to encourage member schools to meet with their legislators ... and to convey the importance of higher education."
Member schools benefit NASHE by giving perspectives on education issues at their respective campuses, Brack said.
"For the organization, it's great to have input from different parts of the country. It's very important to NASHE to have the delegates," Brack said.
However, all schools attending the conference receive information about lobbying for higher education that can be applied at their campuses, Brack said. "They should be taking that back to the university and spreading the information."
Erickson said information will be distributed tonight when he and Merritt address the Senate in the first meeting of the 34th SA administration.