WASHINGTON, D.C. - On May 15, AJCU Director of Federal Relations, Cynthia Littlefield, joined Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Ranking Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, H&HS and Education, for a “Tele-Town Hall” on Higher Education that was sponsored by the Congresswoman’s office. Over 1,000 of DeLauro’s constituents from Connecticut called in for the over-the-phone session that served as a forum for dialogue on key higher education issues.

The two main issues of concern that were raised during the one-hour call focused on the potential rising interest rate of 6.8 percent on student loans, scheduled to go into effect on July 1, and the rising cost of college.

"It was obvious that students’ families, future students and graduates are strongly concerned about rising tuition costs and do not understand all of the factors and nuances that increase college costs," said Littlefield. She added, "Clearly we still have a lot of work to do in educating Americans on college costs."

Representative DeLauro praised Littlefield's years of government service, her past presidency of CEF (Committee for Education Funding), the largest education coalition in the U.S., and her work with the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities.