About 300 students from 27 colleges and universities across Missouri united at the Capitol to support and lobby for higher education Tuesday.

The event was termed "Storming the Capitol" by the Student Association of Missouri, which organized and partially sponsored the event. It was aimed at keeping cuts to public higher educational institutions at a minimum.

Students were given the names and offices of their senators and representatives when they registered for the event at the capitol building. They were encouraged to go to their legislators' offices and speak to them about their feelings toward the future of higher education.

SAM president senior Bethany Ordaz said she heard nothing but success stories from students throughout the day.

"I spent a lot of time coordinating students and getting them to talk to their own legislators," Ordaz said. "I was very pleased overall. It was a good venture between the Student Association of Missouri and random students from all over the state who came to support higher [education]."

Student Senate discussed the success in Truman student involvement at the event in its advisory committee meeting Tuesday night.

"There were more non-senators than senators on the bus," senator sophomore Laura Keck said.

The student body president from St. Louis Community College, Cat Zurbriggen, said her school, although not a member of SAM, attended the event to rally as a state public school. She said she thinks storming the Capitol was a good first step.

"I look at Michigan, where their annual lobbying event has 5,000 students," Zurbriggen said. "That is something that Missouri has never done. So, I think as far as starting something and making history, we have been very successful because we can grow from here, and we know what we are doing now."

Representative Chuck Graham (D-Columbia) is on the House appropriations-education committee. He said he thinks it was especially important that students talked to legislators from their own district.

"People like me, from Columbia, I'm used to having students talk to me, and I have a good handle on what's happening," Graham said. "But those that don't have a college or university in their district forget about higher ed or don't understand it."

Many students said legislators with whom they spoke support higher education but said budget cuts were unavoidable because of a major lack of funds.

Graham explained how the state's financial system prevents increases in funding for higher education.

"There is a billion-dollar deficit we are looking at and there is only 6.8 billion in general revenues," he said. "Half of the money goes to K-12 and higher ed. So if you are going to cut a billion dollars, you can't really do it without really cutting into higher ed."

Graham said the only time higher education has ever gotten more money in Missouri is when all the institutions stick together.

"If higher ed is fighting each other, then everyone else's budget will get money before higher ed because no one will want to deal with it," Graham said.

Graham said he is concerned that cuts to higher education have more negative effects than just making education less affordable.

"I see more and more students who are working two and three jobs ... I think that causes a lot of damage in terms of the college experience," Graham said.

He said another problem with the cuts is that they hurt some students much more than others.

"I'm worried that we are pricing our best and brightest out of the system," he said. "The rich kids are always going to be able to afford school; the poor kids are always going to be able to get aid; but it's the middle kids that really have a hard time affording school."

Freshman La'Nese Griffith said she talked with her senator about the  competition for money in higher education.

"We have so many places we can take [money] from, but everybody feels like their [issues] also have a dire need," Griffith said. "We feel like higher ed is really important, but everybody else feels that way about their issues, too."

Ryan Bauer came to the Capitol from Northwest Missouri State University (Maryville).

"It has been great to see students across the state come together and unite in a common voice," Bauer said.

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