Students will put their lobbying skills to work this weekend
when they make their voices heard in Congress at a nation-wide
conference in Washington, D.C.
Thirteen students plan to attend the United States Student
Association’s Thirty-fourth Annual Grass Roots Legislative
Conference today through Tuesday. They will be led by board member
Chris Neal, a three-time attendee.
Neal, the Undergraduate Students Association external vice
president, and other students will convene with USSA board members
and other student activists from around the nation to lobby their
congressmen on two primary issues affecting students, Neal
said.
The student-run conference will focus on rallying for the
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act which would increase
student access to higher education and increase financial aid.
The act, which is subject to renewal every five to six years,
includes provisions for increasing grants, lowering student loan
debt and preserving outreach programs, according to Neal’s
office.
The student lobbyists will have the opportunity to meet with
their respective representatives on the last day of the conference,
Neal said. The students from UCLA plan to speak with California
Sens. Barbara Boxer and Diana Feinstein along with District Rep.
Henry Waxman.
In the meeting with Waxman, students plan to bring up
UCLA-related issues ranging from outreach to parking, Neal
said.
Participants said they hoped to get student voices heard on a
national level.
“Its important to have positive conversations with elected
representatives … and make sure that we are heard on the
issues,” said USSA board member Matt Kaczmarek.
The student lobbyists plan to take about 1,000 postcards signed
by UCLA students expressing their concerns about the access to
higher education.
It’s a good opportunity for the participants to get
involved in the political process, Neal said.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience … and leads
them to political work in the future,” he said.
“It’s empowering to be there and be heard.”
Neal added that he tried to collect a diverse group of students
from campus to take to the conference.
“The organization promotes us to bring a variety of
students, and we covered the bases with the delegation we
picked,” he said.
First-time conference goer and second-year comparative
literature student Omar Hakim said he will represent South Asian
and Muslim student constituents.
Students coming together shows Congress that they are a big
force, Hakim said.