Íæż½ã½ã hosted the annual fall legislative luncheon on Nov. 8, giving local lawmakers a chance to talk to students and employees and hear about the priorities of the 15 community colleges in Mississippi.
The students who met with legislators were members of either the Íæż½ã½ã Connection student recruiting and public relations group or Student VOICES, a statewide organization designed to empower community college students to become civically engaged at the local, state, national and global levels. One of their missions is to support mid-level funding, which is a per-student funding level for community colleges midway between funding for K-12 and regional public universities students.
Among those attending from Rankin County were Íæż½ã½ã Rankin Campus Dean of Career-Technical Education Sherry Franklin, Íæż½ã½ã Connection member Tylar Keefer of Brandon, Rep. John Moore of Brandon, Rep. Ray Rodgers of Pearl, Rankin County Chancery Clerk and president of the Íæż½ã½ã Alumni Association Larry Swales, Sen. Josh Harkins of Flowood, Student VOICES member Georgia Swinford of Brandon, Rep. Tom Weathersby of Florence and Raymond Campus Student VOICES adviser and math instructor Jeff Hughes of Richland.
For more information about Íæż½ã½ã, see www.hindscc.edu.