WISPIRG In The News

^{LEAH BELLACK/Herald photo}

WISPIRG holds its annual kick-off meeting Thursday to get students involved in the political process.

The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group kicked off the semester Thursday, pitching a list of fall campaigns to get students involved in the political process and empower them to make the world fit the image they want to see.

WISPIRG is a statewide, student-run nonprofit organization that exists to make sure students are actively involved in the political process, according to WISPIRG Chair Scott Thompson.

“I think part of why we’re all here is that we are all a little pissed off,” Thompson said. “There are a lot of issues out there people just aren’t working hard enough to make real changes on.”

State Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, who spoke at the event, echoed these feelings, saying this was the reason she got into politics in the first place.

“I ran for office because I felt there were some things happening in the state and in the world that I didn’t agree with,” Roys said. “I also felt like I had not just a chance to make a change but a responsibility to do so, and I think many [students] share that feeling.”

Roys added without student activism, she would not be able to do her job as an elected official.

Student voices show elected officials there is strong and far-reaching support for progressive change on issues like global warming and energy conservation, according to Roys.

Even when Democrats have majority control in major legislative bodies, it is a continual struggle between opposing views and students provide the counterbalance that often sways the scales, Roys said.

Referencing the current “stagnant” health care debate in Washington, Roys relayed President Obama’s message that if citizens want real health care reform, they have to make their voices heard.

She added this is why student activism is invaluable to the political process.

Using Roys’ words as a launching platform, WISPIRG project coordinators proceeded to survey some of the many campaigns they will be undertaking this semester.

WISPIRG members plan to get the ball rolling early this semester with a number of project campaigns planned to tackle issues including global warming, hunger and homelessness, health care and fair-trade commerce.

With the country in the middle of an economic crisis and the ever-increasing 30 million people suffering from hunger and homelessness, Mariana Berbert, WISPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness Campaign coordinator hopes to feed thousands of hungry Dane County citizens and raise thousands of dollars to fight homelessness.

WISPIRG’s Big Red Go Green Campaign Coordinator Sami Mckeough, similarly plans to make meaningful advancements to help curb global warming, including orchestrating 3,000 call-in-actions to Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., to help Wisconsin pass its first-ever energy efficiency legislation.

Fighting for affordable higher education is another one of WISPIRG’s central campaigns this semester.

WISPIRG exists to ensure students are organizing on the ground, making sure politicians are paying attention to students and that we are actually getting stuff done, Thompson said.