Friday, October 17, 1997
Public interest high at year’s first Calpirg meeting
MEETING: Congressman Waxman urges students to become more
active
By Brooke Bridgford
Daily Bruin Contributor
The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) ended
its recruitment drive with a bang on Wednesday. In their first
general meeting, intended to attract new members, the group filled
an entire computer science lecture hall.
CALPIRG has been solving social and environmental issues for 15
years at UCLA. Seven of the UC schools have CALPIRG chapters;
together there is a total of 25,000 members.
Speaking at the presentation was Congressman Henry Waxman, Robin
Pendoley, the State Board Chair for CALPIRG, and Mohamed Tantawi,
the chapter chair for UCLA.
Everyone present seemed to care about the environment – there
was little leather to be found in the building – and got caught up
in the excitement. The presentations aimed to let students know
they have a voice and can make a difference.
The evening was reminiscent of UC Berkeley’s heyday during the
Student Movement of the 1960s. Free speech, idealism and activism
were praised and applauded by the group’s leaders. The presentation
encouraged students to use their voice to tackle such issues as
hunger and homelessness, coastal pollution and endangered
species.
Congressman Waxman said he came to lend his voice to CALPIRG’s
cause. The Congressional representative, whose district includes
Westwood, urged students to join such organizations as CALPIRG: "We
need you to get active and keep working. You can make a
difference."
Waxman expressed his worries and hopes for the future. He spoke
of the numerous endangered species acts running through Congress;
he felt that many were too weak and would not make an impact. He
also mentioned proposed bills that would mandate limitations on
pollutants that affect the upper ozone layer.
Finance reform seemed to be Waxman’s brightest hope. He
mentioned that Senator John McCain of Arizona has launched an
"impressive" campaign for finance reform.
Waxman spoke of those who make efforts to cut money that goes to
feed the hungry.
"People going to sleep hungry is not the way to balance the
budget. Our job is not to help those who have food in their stomach
and are already comfortable," he said.
At the conclusion of his speech, Waxman encouraged students to
get involved. He told students not to give into cynicism. The best
ways to make a difference is at the grass roots level, he said,
going door to door and making your voice heard.
"If students got involved in a group like CALPIRG," Waxman said,
"they can join others and get their message delivered to the policy
makers. This is the time to get voices heard."
Tantawi, the UCLA chapter chair of CALPIRG, said of Waxman, "He
feels passionately about students giving their voice. He is a huge
champion of environmental issues and student rights."
Students in CALPIRG are getting their voices heard, according to
the group’s leaders. Robin Pendoley, a second-year student at UCLA,
oversees the seven chapters of CALPIRG. He told students not to
lose sight of issues that need to solved.
"If we don’t work to keep the ideal in sight, who will? We need
to keep the ideal," Pendoley said.
Two first-year students agreed with Pendoley. "We came here …
to help the homeless. We have already decided to join," said Sharon
Hegyney and Swapna Vayuvegula.
Armed with statistics, members of CALPIRG have launched into
campaigns to make policymakers hear their ideas.
They used startling facts to get the public’s attention: One in
five children in California go to bed without food in their
stomachs. One in four residents of the United States will contract
some form of cancer because of the environment. Dolphins and other
marine mammals have been washing up on Southern California beaches
with DDT concentrations so high, they must be classified as toxic
waste. Fifty thousand species go extinct each year.
Reactions to the presentation seemed positive. "Everything is
true. We can make a difference," said second-year student Sonia
Snobl after hearing Waxman and Pendoley speak.
"If you want to help, join our group," said Tantawi. "We have
made a difference in the past and can still make a difference."