Virginia21’s Record of Accomplishments

2002

IN THE BEGINNING:
The organization now known as Virginia21 came to life in a small coffee shop on the campus of William & Mary.  These students realized that young voters needed a seat at the table.  They found their vehicle in 2002 by starting the “Students PAC” to support higher education leaders in Virginia with the passage of a major higher education bond referendum.  It began by registering students to vote at one campus and quickly turned into the Country’s and the Commonwealth’s first generational advocacy group for young voters.

2003

PAY A PENNY OR PASS THE BUCK CAMPAIGN:
In their first year lobbying the General Assembly, student leaders collected over 200,000 pennies, nearly 1-ton, and presented them to the state treasury.  Each penny represented a student who wanted the General Assembly to invest in higher education.  By the end of the session, lawmakers invested 275 million new dollars for higher education funding.

2004

TEXTBOOK MARKET FAIRNESS ACT 2004 &
TEXTBOOK MARKET REFORM ACT 2005:
Virginia21 created a market based solution to help aid students with the rising costs of textbooks.  After a General Assembly study showed that students could save as much as 40% by comparison shopping, 300 students showed up to pack a committee hearing room to ensure that the General Assembly for the first time addressed the issue of textbook fairness.

These Acts were the first of their kind to pass legislation in the nation and have since become the foundation for textbook reform laws in other states.

2005

VIRGINIA21’S “PROTECT VIRGINIA STUDENTS PLAN”:
Working with leaders of both parties, students developed legislation based on an unprecedented 2-year study of campus law enforcement in order to strengthen campus police and improve campus security. The results:  Virginia created the Office of Campus Law Enforcement and centralized dates collection and information sharing, so good ideas can be spread and new problems are quickly spotted.

2006

SAVE1246 PLAN:
In 2006 students learned that state funding for higher education was short by $1,246 per student.  Student leaders from across the state quickly rallied together and in a two week period, got 12,531 of their closest friends to sign petitions in support of increased funding of higher education.  The result: students helped get 233 million new dollars for our colleges and universities put in the budget.

2007

TWO YEAR COLLEGE TRANSFER GRANT PROGRAM:
Virginia21 wasted no time in its first year working with the community college system by supporting the idea of a community college transfer grant.  Recognizing that it is vital to keep college affordable and accessible, Virginia21 sought out community college students to help make the case.  In a one week period 7,500 community college students, who had never organized before, signed petitions in support of the campaign.  During the final week of the budget process, an additional 1,000 students called their delegates and senators to let them know the importance of this issue.  The results: a first in the country transfer grant program.

2008

21ST CENTURY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM:
In a flashback to the origins of VA21, students began talking to their representatives about the need for a capital construction campaign to keep up with the fast growing pace of our colleges and universities.  With a united front including college presidents and the business community, we were able to unanimously pass the largest investment for college infrastructure in Virginia history!