“Our relationship [with MASSPIRG] is terminated for next year at minimum,” said AAS Treasurer Peter Tang ’10. This does not mean that the organization cannot return to the campus in the future; they would have to successfully have another referendum pass.
“They can be assured that we will be working with the administration on this issue,” Tang said. “We welcome discussion on what role MASSPIRG might be able to have in the future on this campus. The conversation would have to include how it would be financed, what it would do and the amount of Amherst student participation in the organization, just like every other group on campus.”
The MASSPIRG funding system has been put to referendum and passed every other year for the past 30 years. This is part of a statewide downward trend; since its founding in the 1970s, the number of chapters has slowly declined. Currently only 16 schools in the state have a chapter.
The Amherst MASSPIRG representative refused to comment on the results of the referendum.
According to AAS Senator Chris Tullis ’10E, the difference was that the student body was more informed this year than in the past. In addition, the issue was publicized earlier and for a longer period than it was for past votes. “People understood the nature of the deeper problems, made a case for it, and raised awareness about it.”
In past years, Tang said, “People who understood the questionable relationship MASSPIRG had with the student body did not take as much action or voice it as much to explain to the student body in a clear way why we don’t need MASSPIRG.” This year, on the other hand, the AAS investigated further into the funding process and Senators did their best to clarify the issue for students who were not informed.
This year, MASSPIRG also made a much more concerted effort to gain student support. “Most campaigners were from off-campus organizations … MASSPIRG made it clear how irrelevant the student body of the College is to their organization,” Tullis said. “[They should] rethink their relationship with the College in a way that is acceptable to us, taking into consideration the work they do in Boston but also on campus.”
Another factor may be the increased presence of campus organizations with similar goals to MASSPIRG, including the Green Amherst Project and the Roosevelt Institute. “Most people recognize that MASSPIRG doesn’t have a place here on campus anymore,” Tang said.
These more recent groups are not restricted by tradition, Tullis said. “The Roosevelt Institution is the MASSPIRG of the 21st century. It is a grassroots organization focused on a lot of the same issues, is student-based, and … is managed without pouring money into hiring staff.”
Advertising itself as “The Nations’ First Student Think Tank,” the Roosevelt Institute was founded in 2004; a chapter was established on campus last semester. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, the Roosevelt Institution focuses on student research concerning current political issues.