Psychology faculty travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Idaho legislators to advocate for the reinstatement of subsidized loans for graduate students

POCATELLO – Idaho State University’s Professor Shannon Lynch and Assistant Professor Joshua Swift of the Department of Psychology were invited to travel to Washington D.C. to attend the Education Leadership Conference hosted by the Education Directorate of the American Psychological Association.

The professors attended presentations about how teaching practices and education policies are informed by psychological research.

“Dr. Swift and I had the opportunity to hear presentations on how psychology and education policy intersect to influence current teaching practices and teacher training and to meet with psychologists from across the country who shared their perspectives on how psychological science informs their practice,” Lynch said.

They ended their trip with visits to the offices of Idaho Senators James Risch and Mike Crapo and Rep. Mike Simpson.
They met with the key legislative staff to discuss the needs of graduate students in psychology as well as more broadly advocating on behalf of all students perusing graduate and professional degrees and to request that members support restoring eligibility for the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Program as part of the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act.

“Meeting with the members was very informative. They are clearly hearing about the many different needs of their constituents every day and having to determine the best path forward given the multitude of issues,” Lynch said. “The members were responsive to our concerns and noted access to education is a key issue for Idaho residents.”