Rob Taylor has lobbied for higher education in Springfield for the last three years, but this year he had a new meaning for the former U.S. Navy weapons troop.

Taylor, a USG senator, explained that at one point in 1983 he found himself in a room with 200 harpoon missiles that cost about $1.3 million each.

“You could have just taken that one room and funded SIU’s complete budget right then,” said Taylor.

Taylor joined a group of 15 SIUC students and one dog to lobby for higher education funding at the state Capitol in Springfield.

Ed Ford, a graduate student, organized the lobby day as an opportunity for students to contact legislators and view the legislature in session. The students took a message to the Capitol to put a cap on tuition increases, boost the percentage of the state budget going to education and ensure that funding is going directly to the academic mission.

The SIUC students joined students from Illinois State, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Western and other Illinois public universities who were also lobbying for funding.

Many of these students were lobbying in support of a national student strike organized by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, which advocated a one-day strike by students across the United States.

While at the Capitol, SIUC students were able to visit with students from SIU-Edwardsville about the recent bill brought to the Illinois House of Representatives that called for a separation of governing systems between SIUC and SIUE.

SIUE students support the bill, but USG senators will be proposing a resolution in opposition to the bill.

“I don’t understand how two boards instead of one is going to save the state money, plus it’s going to cost money to split and build them back up,” Taylor said.

Raphi Rechitsky, a junior in sociology from Des Plaines, believed that contacting his representative from his hometown would spread the word that SIUC’s funding affects people throughout the state. He said he thinks that if legislators knew that sending funding to SIU would get votes even in an area nowhere near SIU, they would send that funding.

“We’re trying to create a priority here – the priority is education,” Rechitsky said.

Ryan Fraley, head of the USG commission for government services from Sparta, and a senior in accounting, met with Rep. Kurt Granberg, D-Centralia, who told Fraley that the split and SIUC’s funding were serious issues for him and he was looking at these issues. Fraley also met with Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, and Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Sparta.

Tony Di Domenico, a senior in university studies from Chicago, and disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, supported the lobby day in conjunction with the National Youth and Peace Coalition’s one-day Student Strike for Books Not Bombs.

“Some people don’t make the link there, but there’s a link there, and it’s important,” Di Domenico said.

Michael Jarard, president of USG, said that the day went well because he was able to speak to key players in higher education. Jarard spoke to Gov. Rod Blagojevich briefly and also to Dan LaVista, the executive director for the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

“Even though we didn’t get the answers that we wanted, the group got the message across to not forget about SIUC,” Jarard said.

Reporter and photographer Mary Collier can be reached at [email protected]