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| Student think tank attends conferenceRoosevelt Institution met with college experts at Yale Can improving access to America’s universities happen all in a weekend’s work? Perhaps it would take a little longer, but three student members of the UNLV Roosevelt Institution set out to do just that at “A Seat at the Table: Socioeconomic Diversity and Access to Selective Colleges and Universities.” This conference, hosted by Yale University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, united field experts, policy-makers and Roosevelt Institution members in discussion of socioeconomic diversity. “This conference truly opened my eyes to the realities of how much young brilliance isn’t making its way into the higher education system due to financial encumbrance,” said Alysia Peters, a senior who attended the conference. “College should be accessible to every man, woman, boy or girl that aspires to get a college degree regardless of socioeconomic status.” William Bowen of The Mellon Foundation delivered the keynote address on Friday evening. On Saturday, attendees participated in roundtable discussions with Yale President Richard Levin, Amherst College President Anthony Marx, Yale Dean of Admissions Jeff Brenzel, executive director of financial aid services for the College Board Myra Baas Smith, Congressman Chaka Fattal and author of “The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton” Jerome Karabel. “Chaka Fattal, a congressman from Pennsylvania, was my personal favorite,” Crystal Boyd said. “He truly understood the trials of being a low income student in today’s higher education climate.” Participants in the Roosevelt Institution write opinion editorials, perform outreach to local politicians and publish policy papers in a national magazine. With these efforts, students expressed hope that their involvement would breed personal and political action, not just talk. “It is now my personal mission to serve as a mentor for all young people who dream of going to college but lack the proper funding to do so,” Peters said. “Higher education should be an open door encouraging all students to come in and take a seat at the table.” Participants in the conference learned the importance of increasing college outreach to low-income students and spent time discussing how to address making the high school education of low-income students competitive of those from more affluent backgrounds. More conferences are to come, in which anyone can participate. “Absolutely anyone can be in (a) Roosevelt Conference,” Boyd said, citing the group’s diverse selection of centers including education, ethics, human rights, international relations and water resource management. “We are open to anyone who is interested in public policy and making a difference. We are working towards getting all of these filled by interested people who want to make some efforts in changing the world, or at least our piece of it.Click here to read the article from The Rebel Yell's website. |
The Roosevelt Institution is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national think tank devoted to bringing students' policy ideas to the policy process. The opinions expressed on this site are exclusively those of its members. DC Headquarters: Roosevelt Institution / 1527 New Hampshire Avenue NW, 4th Floor / Washington, DC 20036 || Fax: (202) 483-2657 |