Student Government President Colorado Robertson, standing in the Mall of the nation’s capital with four fellow members of SG and more than a million other Americans, witnessed history being made Tuesday as America swore in its first black president.”I think it was amazing and a great moment in American history,” Robertson said. “We have the same passion: I want to serve the students of LSU, and he wants to serve the people of America.”Along with 20 other students from the Louisiana State University System, Robertson, SG Vice President Shannon Bates, SG Speaker Pro-Tempore Drew Prestridge, SG Executive Assistant Daniel Marsh and SG Sen. Amanda Gammon were all present for President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.While the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents makes annual trips to Washington D.C. to meet with Louisiana congressional leaders, there was an added sense of history to their visit this year.”It was definitely an event of historical significance,” Prestridge said. “To see how many people were in D.C. who cared about America and cared about politics was really inspiring.”Though the trip was designed to provide members of Student Governments from Louisiana’s various Universities with face-to-face meetings with Louisiana legislators, Louisiana Rep. Bill Cassidy also provided the students with tickets to the inauguration ceremony.Robertson said he discussed increasing dollars for University research, increasing Pell grants and infrastructure renovations — such as improved sewage and pipelines around campus — with the legislators. Robertson also lobbied for streamlining the process of dispensing federal aid to Louisiana students.”The cost of higher education is going up each semester, and we just want to make sure they have students as a priority when things go up for legislation,” said Bates.Even when they only had a short time to spend with the legislators, Robertson said it was important to remind Congress about the increasing needs of University students.”The congressmen had so many people in and out, we didn’t have too much time to talk,” said Robertson. “But, we got to talk a lot with their staff and put our concerns in their staffs’ minds.”Because of recent state budget cuts, the COSBP encouraged its members to pay their own way to the capital. While some universities, such as Southern University, did use student-paid dollars for their Student Governments, LSU’s representatives used personal funds and private D.C. residences during their trip.”We wanted to save students’ dollars, so we paid for this all ourselves,” Bates said.After struggling through an overcrowded metro system and a security line that wrapped around the Capitol, the members of the COSBP met with Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter on Monday to discuss the condition of Louisiana universities.Because the Capitol was filled with people looking for audiences with the senators, their meetings with Landrieu and Vitter were kept short, Bates said.Bates also said their meetings with the senators were more like receptions than serious sessions concerning the needs of Louisiana students. In Vitter’s office, the SG members were met with a Mardi-Gras themed reception where Vitter spoke to them about the historical significance of this time in American history.Following their reception by the senators, the COSBP met with Louisiana congressmen and their staffs.Though the chaos of the Capitol the day before the inauguration also kept these meetings brief, there was more time to discuss concerns about the University.”I think LSU stands above the rest because we are the flagship University in Louisiana,” Robertson said. “No matter what we’re doing up here, our presence puts LSU at the forefront.”—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]