College students, educators lobby Congress for funding boost.(dateline Washington)

Matthew Draiss was one among nearly two dozen witnesses on March 24 urging members of the U.S. Congress to increase federal funding for higher education. But his testimony, which addressed the financial challenges of attending college, may have been among the more personally compelling as he told the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives how much it cost him to attend Hiram College in Cleveland--roughly $25,000 a year--and why he would not be able to continue his studies if he didn't get any help from Washington.

"I speak on behalf of my family in saying that I would not be able to pursue a college education without the generous support provided through the …