MASSPIRG is an organization with an amazing track record of successfully campaigning for the issues that are important to students, and to see its presence removed from this campus would be a detriment both to the larger organization and to the College.
There is little chance that the funding system will be renegotiated if a majority vote no, and I think this should be made clear. If the vote is lost, MASSPIRG will most likely operate without a budget at Amherst and have another vote next semester, with the exact same conditions. All that voting no really does is hold up Amherst’s contributions to a valuable statewide organization.
The Association of Amherst Students (AAS) is upset that MASSPIRG does not have the same oversight as other organizations on this campus; this is understandable. However, MASSPIRG is run on a state level and cannot have its budget handled in the same fashion as other groups. As the contributions of every campus are pooled before the budget allocation begins, there is no feasible way for any single campus organization to have oversight over its expenditures. Otherwise, every student government at every college or university with a MASSPIRG chapter would have to have the same oversight. Anyone who has ever tried to get a budget though the AAS and the Budgetary Committee will understand why having 17 different student senates overseeing its budget would keep MASSPIRG from accomplishing anything.
Now, the lack of oversight by its member school’s student governments is a concern; students should have a say in where their money is going. That is why MASSPIRG offers each student the choice to receive a refund every semester if they do not like what MASSPIRG has been doing. One simple form, delivered to your campus mailbox every semester, is all it takes to get your $9 back. And yet, the AAS insists on calling this an opt-out voting procedure, as in last week’s survey. We fail to understand why giving students an option to get money back from their dues is as undemocratic as the AAS makes it out to be. Furthermore, it is of concern to us that the organization charged with overseeing a fair referendum has come out so publicly on one side of the issue, even distorting the language in the ballots to suit their side of the argument.
The current referendum is a normal occurrence. In order to make sure that the student body continues to support it, every MASSPIRG chapter must submit itself to a vote every two years, the result of which determines whether MASSPIRG’s presence at the college in question continues. No other organization on this campus is as dependent as MASSPIRG on the support of we the students, and few others have earned the consistent support of the student body for over 20 years. MASSPIRG strives to be the most democratic and participatory organization on campus — not only do we get to vote on whether it exists or not, but we get the personal choice of whether to fund it or not. In fact, by voting no to keeping MASSPIRG at Amherst, students are preventing other students from funding the organization. If you do not want to fund MASSPIRG, but feel that other students have a right to do so, you can vote yes on the ballot and still ask for a refund every semester.
Why MASSPIRG is an organization worthy of funding is an easy question to answer. Below is a partial list of MASSPIRG’s achievements in the past four years:
-Helping pass Massachusetts’ Global Warming Solutions Act, which commits the state to reducing carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050.
-Raising over $4,000 for the Food Bank Farm, the Amherst Survival Center and other local service agencies.
-Running non-partisan voter registration drives, and helping students registered elsewhere obtain absentee ballots.
No other organization on Amherst’s campus has managed to achieve even one of these things, let alone all three. None of this would have been possible without MASSPIRG’s large statewide network and unique funding system.
Katherine Hillenbrand ’12, Ethan Balgley ’12
We became involved in MASSPIRG our first semester at Amherst because we wanted to make a difference in stopping global warming. To have the greatest impact, we felt that we needed to work not just on campus but also on a state and national level. Joining MASSPIRG’s Global Warming Solutions campaign has allowed us to do so.
Because what we do at Amherst is coordinated with many other students across the state (and the country), we have been very successful in our efforts to combat climate change. We have had call-in days to Congressman Olver to ask him to support funding public transit, clean energy and other green initiatives. Since students across the state had a unified message that was reinforced by our advocates in Washington D.C., the student voice made a difference in getting $78 billion for green initiatives included in the economic stimulus package.
Last year, with heavy student support, Massachusetts passed the Global Warming Solutions Act, the strongest greenhouse gas emissions law in the country. This would not have happened without the coordination and resources of MASSPIRG students and staff. We are currently working to pass the same kind of law on the national level. As students, our voices can easily be lost; being part of an organization like MASSPIRG allows us to make substantive differences in the world around us.
Michelle Huyunh ’11, Victor Zhu ’11
Getting a college degree is practically a necessity these days. But while costs are rising, grant and loan aid has remained relatively stagnant. As a result, students face skyrocketing loan debt upon graduation. MASSPIRG has made a lot of progress over the past few years in making a college education significantly more affordable and accessible for all students.
In February, we helped secure a $17 billion increase in the Pell Grant program. The increase means more grant money, as well as more work-study aid and tax credits for low-income students. Rep. George Miller, the key House leader on education, sought input on the plan from MASSPIRG’s higher education advocate.
Last August, we helped get an Affordable Textbooks provision passed through Congress, lowering the cost of textbooks for millions of students. That law also included an increase in the maximum level of the Pell Grant to $9,000. This was a huge victory for MASSPIRG students and staff who were organizing petition drives and speaking at higher education hearings in D.C.
We’ve been able to make a tremendous impact on the affordability of higher education because students here at the College, and all across the state, have voted to have a MASSPIRG chapter, and fund it through a $9 per student per semester refundable fee. By pooling our resources, we are able to hire staff to advocate on our behalf, and counter the voice of special interests like the publishing companies and the big banks.
Silvia Wu ’11, Karen Lee, CCE Director of Student Leadership and Engagement
Despite living in the world’s wealthiest nation, poverty, hunger and homelessness still affect millions of our citizens. For most of our society — and most of our decision makers — poverty has become part of the background of American life, an unfortunate but unsolvable problem. As students, we have the energy, passion, time and resources to fight poverty, and to work towards a society where everyone has food and shelter.
MASSPIRG’s work over the last few years highlights how students can have an impact on ending hunger and homelessness. MASSPIRG students volunteer regularly at the Amherst Survival Center and the Food Farm Bank, two agencies serving individuals in need in the Pioneer Valley. In addition, MASSPIRG has organized numerous fund-raisers during the past two years, such as the Annual Turkey Drive during Homecoming weekend and the Hunger Banquet before Thanksgiving. MASSPIRG also held various can drives in the last two years to collect food to help meet the growing need in our community. During their annual Trick-or-Canning food drive last Thanksgiving, MASSPIRG collected over 700 pounds of food — in just one day.
Over the last few years, MASSPIRG has worked with other student groups to organize educational events on campus — including Camp Out to Speak Out with Homeless Connect last semester and the Faces of Homeless panel with Habitat for Humanity two weeks ago — as well as advocated for more institutional change. Last year, MASSPIRG helped convince Congress to fully fund the food stamps program and other nutritional assistance programs in the Farm Bill.