GPSS IN THE NEWS
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STUDENTS TO DEFEAT PUBLIC APATHY ON LOBBY DAY
Source: The Daily
Author: Brian Slodysko
Date: Feb 14, 2007
Apathy? What’s apathy?
Tomorrow, UW students will have the opportunity to prove to state lawmakers they care about more than partying by traveling to the state capitol in Olympia for the UW’s annual Lobby Day.
The event, started six years ago, gives students an opportunity to address concerns with government officials in the state Legislature.
The day’s itinerary has students slated to meet with individual legislators, participate in a rally and testify before legislative committees on behalf of themselves and the UW.
The event is co-sponsored by ASUW and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS).
Hannah Lommers-Johnson, ASUW assistant director of government relations, said student testimony on a bill petitioning for funding increases for higher-education childcare is the centerpiece of Lobby Day efforts.
Calls for increased state funding for the UW, lower tuition costs and increased funding for fellowship grants are the other planned areas of focus, but Lommers-Johnson encouraged students to advocate for any issues they feel passionate about.
“Our main goal is to lobby the Legislature to get things for the University and to get students involved, period,” she said. “Once students get involved they’re more likely to vote and the Legislature will only start listening when students vote.”
Young voters are marginalized by politicians for their lack of participation in elections.
Statistics show, nationwide, less than half of the 18 to 24-year-old population voted in the 2004 election.
While this number is more than double the amount that participated in the 2000 election, it’s dwarfed by participation from older age groups.
“The reason [young people] don’t vote is because elected officials don’t pay attention to their issues,” said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines. “In turn, young people don’t vote because lawmakers don’t address their concerns. It becomes a vicious cycle. Participation in Lobby Day is a great way to break that cycle.”
One of Lobby Day’s main enthusiasts in the Legislature, Upthegrove said student participation in the legislative process is an important step in convincing lawmakers of young voters’ sway as a constituency group.
“When students come in and tell their stories, they put a real face on their problems,” he said. “When lawmakers see a face behind a complaint or grievance, it turns numbers and statistics into real people.”
ASUW Legislative Coordinator Sameer Kanal said getting legislators to understand that students are not apathetic and do care about being involved and speaking up on issues that matter to them is an important goal of Lobby Day.
Kanal said the goal for the ASUW and GPSS is getting UW students to personalize the political process by putting a face to their legislator’s name, seeing how the legislature operates and learning a bit more about the impact and influence of the state government.
“Politicians tend to write of students as this mass of people that are politically apathetic and uninvolved,” he said. “This isn’t something that just happened in the ’60s and the ’70s; we’re the ones that run their campaigns, are the staffers and even lobby for them too.”
Tomorrow, UW students will have the opportunity to prove to state lawmakers they care about more than partying by traveling to the state capitol in Olympia for the UW’s annual Lobby Day.
The event, started six years ago, gives students an opportunity to address concerns with government officials in the state Legislature.
The day’s itinerary has students slated to meet with individual legislators, participate in a rally and testify before legislative committees on behalf of themselves and the UW.
The event is co-sponsored by ASUW and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS).
Hannah Lommers-Johnson, ASUW assistant director of government relations, said student testimony on a bill petitioning for funding increases for higher-education childcare is the centerpiece of Lobby Day efforts.
Calls for increased state funding for the UW, lower tuition costs and increased funding for fellowship grants are the other planned areas of focus, but Lommers-Johnson encouraged students to advocate for any issues they feel passionate about.
“Our main goal is to lobby the Legislature to get things for the University and to get students involved, period,” she said. “Once students get involved they’re more likely to vote and the Legislature will only start listening when students vote.”
Young voters are marginalized by politicians for their lack of participation in elections.
Statistics show, nationwide, less than half of the 18 to 24-year-old population voted in the 2004 election.
While this number is more than double the amount that participated in the 2000 election, it’s dwarfed by participation from older age groups.
“The reason [young people] don’t vote is because elected officials don’t pay attention to their issues,” said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines. “In turn, young people don’t vote because lawmakers don’t address their concerns. It becomes a vicious cycle. Participation in Lobby Day is a great way to break that cycle.”
One of Lobby Day’s main enthusiasts in the Legislature, Upthegrove said student participation in the legislative process is an important step in convincing lawmakers of young voters’ sway as a constituency group.
“When students come in and tell their stories, they put a real face on their problems,” he said. “When lawmakers see a face behind a complaint or grievance, it turns numbers and statistics into real people.”
ASUW Legislative Coordinator Sameer Kanal said getting legislators to understand that students are not apathetic and do care about being involved and speaking up on issues that matter to them is an important goal of Lobby Day.
Kanal said the goal for the ASUW and GPSS is getting UW students to personalize the political process by putting a face to their legislator’s name, seeing how the legislature operates and learning a bit more about the impact and influence of the state government.
“Politicians tend to write of students as this mass of people that are politically apathetic and uninvolved,” he said. “This isn’t something that just happened in the ’60s and the ’70s; we’re the ones that run their campaigns, are the staffers and even lobby for them too.”